8 Impactful Questions To Ask When Choosing an Interim Provider
14 May, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- Key questions to ask when choosing an interim provider.
- Why asking these questions is important.
- Discover more about our interim recruitment services.
Hiring an interim professional is a big deal for a local authority or public sector organisation. Due to the nature of interim work and expectation for interim professionals to join a team, hit the ground running and make an immediate impact on service delivery, there is a lot of pressure for organisations to get it right.
Should a local authority or public sector organisation mishire an interim, this could have a detrimental impact on their service and negatively impact a local community, whether they be a healthcare, education or housing provider. This means that choosing a great interim provider is of utmost importance and will help to ensure a high standard of candidates.
In our latest blog, we’re exploring key questions that public sector organisations should be asking to ensure the smooth recruitment of experienced, dedicated and skilled interim professionals.
What questions should be asked when choosing an interim provider?
8 key questions to ask when choosing an interim provider, include:
- How long have you been a provider of interim professionals across the public sector?
- Can you provide any examples of successful placements in a role like ours?
- What is your process for sourcing high quality interim professionals?
- What pre-employment checks take place?
- What are the credentials of your interim recruitment specialists?
- Can you provide any statistics on your average interim assignment fill rate?
- How do you promote diversity and inclusion in your recruitment processes?
- How do you handle underperformance or negative feedback?
How long have you been a provider of interim professionals across the public sector?
Local authorities and public sector organisations looking for interim professionals will want to use an interim provider with demonstrable, long-term experience recruiting across the interim market. Therefore, before making a decision, they are likely to uncover how long an interim provider has been operating for and their credibility within the sector.
An interim provider who recruits interim professionals across a number of public sector services, such as education, healthcare, social care and housing will need a long-term positive track record across all services.
Whilst an interim provider who has operated for a while may hold more authority within the sector, it is important that they are keeping up to date with sector changes, regulatory process and continuously upskilling their consultants. This means local authorities and public sector organisations should research an interim provider and their history before committing to using their services.
An interim provider who has operated in the space for a while is also more likely to have ironed out their processes, have access to a pre-existing pool of skilled professionals and be less likely to encounter any challenges during the recruitment process.
Can you provide any examples of successful placements in a role like ours?
Asking an interim provider for real-life examples of successful placements is important for assessing their credibility. It’s all very well an interim provider making claims about their success in recruitment, but without evidence, local authorities and public sector organisations run the risk of choosing a poor interim provider.
Real-life examples also help a public organisation assess an interim provider's ability to skill match professionals to projects. Interims are often desired for their specialised skill set and therefore this question helps to accurately check that a provider understands specific interim job roles, such as a Digital Analyst or Head of Transformation Programme.
What is your process for sourcing high quality interim professionals?
A thorough understanding of how an interim provider sources and accesses their pool of interim professionals is crucial to ensure a high standard of service.
Local authorities and public sector organisations are encouraged to ask an interim provider how frequently they speak to their interim professionals, how they assess CVs and how they communicate between clients and candidates during the recruitment process.
It is handy for a local authority or public sector organisation to have insight into an interim providers recruitment process so they can be rest assured that time and care is being taken.
Interim professionals are typically used to fill a skills gap, respond to a crisis or cover at leadership level and whatever the reason behind their employment, public sector organisations should have clear oversight of how an interim provider sources and matches individuals to roles.
What pre-employment checks take place?
Accurate pre-employment checks are of utmost importance across the public sector, where professionals are responsible for a number of important service deliveries.
Integrity must be upheld within the public sector in order to build trust between local authorities and the communities they serve. This means that interim providers must be trusted to supply professionals who have completed all the relevant pre-employment checks. Mitigating risks around data protection and safeguarding is essential, therefore this question allows public sector organisations and local authorities to accurately assess an interim provider's pre-employment processes.
Operational integrity is a must for local authorities and correctly carrying out reference verification, DBS checks and other important regulatory processes is essential from all interim providers.
What are the credentials of your interim recruitment specialists?
A thorough understanding of the interim market and service delivery operations is essential for an interim provider and their consultants to demonstrate their credibility. Asking this question gives local authorities and public sector organisations an insight to the recruitment professionals working on their behalf to enhance their existing team, guide digital transformation or fill a skills gap.
Interim recruitment specialist, John Shorrock, says “Filling an interim role can be complex and therefore a consultant will need a thorough understanding of the specific skills or leadership style needed to help a team deliver positive outcomes.”
A consultant with experience working across multiple public sector roles is likely to have a good understanding of the internal operations. This is not to say however that consultants with less experience should be written off. If an interim provider is committed to progressing the professional development of their consultants, they are worth exploring as a potential recruitment partner.
Can you provide any statistics on your average interim assignment fill rate?
Interims are often required for an immediate start, however despite the quick turnaround in employment, local authorities and public sector organisations should still be able to trust an interim provider for high quality candidates.
Exploring a provider's fill rate will give a clear indication into their ability to match candidates to clients and help an organisation experiencing a period of transition.
A good interim provider should possess a strong network of professionals and the expertise to find someone with a niche skill at the drop of a hat.
A clear idea from the outset of the average time to recruit and statistics to back this up, will help local authorities and public sector organisations find the best interim provider for their needs.
How do you promote diversity and inclusion in your recruitment processes?
To effectively represent all members of a local community and ensure that services are accessible for all, diversity within local authorities is very important.
A local authority or public sector organisation should pose this question to ensure that an interim provider is sourcing candidates fairly and not discriminating against anyone based on a socio-economic factor such as ethnicity, gender, age or religion. They should ensure that their processes to attract and retain candidates are not discriminatory or biased.
Inclusive workplaces are essential for getting the most out of employees and the public sector is no exception.
Candidates should witness inclusivity from the very first step of the recruitment process which includes their communication with an interim provider.
If an employee feels valued from the outset, they are more likely to perform better in their workplace.
How do you handle underperformance or negative feedback?
A positive relationship between an interim provider and a public sector employer is crucial to ensure the recruitment process is effective. However, from time to time things may go awry and if a local authority or public sector organisation is not happy with the candidates they are receiving this, they may need to challenge an interim provider.
Understanding what steps are in place should this happen can be beneficial so that their issues can be nipped in the bud and a public sector employer knows what rights they have should they feel let down by their interim provider.
Interim recruitment services
As interim recruitment specialists, we support local authorities nationwide with their temporary and interim recruitment needs.
We operate across a number of specialisms including Health & Social Care, Nursing, IT and Corporate Functions.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, why not get in touch with Lead Consultant, John Shorrock on 01772 954200 to see how we can help?
Interim jobs
If you’re searching for your next interim job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations.
In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
