Every day this year, another 10,000 baby boomers will reach the age of 65. And by 2030, every member of that generation will reach retirement, measured by age if not inclination.
For HR managers still trying to fill empty desks from the Great Resignation—which saw more than 4 million workers leave their jobs—the wave of retirements and the millions simply opting out of their old jobs might feel like the second half of a painful one-two punch.
In industries like hospitality, tourism, transportation, construction, and health care, HR teams can’t hire fast enough. Labor shortages are of both the blue- and white-collar variety, and as more older workers retire, will also cut deep into the C suite.
One thing is certain: HR managers will be looking at a lot of résumés in 2025 as they seek to fill vacant executive positions. And one of the things they will be looking for is a work history that shows years or decades of work at the same organization, something that reflects seriousness and commitment.
But HR managers might want to rethink that. There are many times in the life of a company—including periods of rapid growth or upheaval—when a series of short stints on a candidate’s résumé should look more attractive than years in the same role or at the same company.
I have worked with hundreds of companies that are looking for the right candidate to fill a leadership position, and there are times when finding a permanent replacement is the most desirable option. But HR managers today need not default to this option when there is a vacancy.
There are now many more capable and talented executives working as interims than ever before.
A quick search on LinkedIn using the term interim as a descriptor brings up 2.2 million professional profiles, and there’s a reason for that. Natural problem solvers love to take on interim and fractional roles, and millions have made that into a career.
But with so many interims available, how does an HR manager decide when the right time is to bring in a fractional executive instead of another full-timer? In my work, I have learned that there are several junctures in the journey of a company where an interim executive might prove more effective than a full-time hire.
DEPARTURE OF A TOP EXECUTIVE
No company wants to leave a C-suite desk empty. But the hiring process can be long and arduous, as many HR teams know.
Board members of public companies are often asked to fill the role of interim CEO upon the sudden departure of a CEO, but that’s a different issue from the burgeoning careers of many executives who have made interim work the focus of their career.
Professional interims bring a fresh point of view and can be objective when it comes to making tough decisions. True interims don’t care about trying to embed themselves permanently into the role; they live to solve problems and get quantifiable results.
MAJOR RESTRUCTURING
With the business world and the workplace in flux, company restructuring is increasingly common. Staff turnover, fluctuating revenue, and the changing tastes of customers are just a few of the factors that cause companies to rethink how they are doing business.
During troubled times, problem-solving skills and deep operational expertise are essential, and repurposed board members or brand-new full-time executives might hesitate when it comes to making tough decisions, for example shutting down a division.
Interims, on the other hand, move from one “black swan” event to the next, and they do it for years. They have no investment in a bygone status quo unlikely to ever return, and so tougher decisions often come easier to them.
LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS
Companies often transform important aspects of their operations, for example the migration over the past decade of many critical processes to cloud-based systems. Other examples include integrating another company after it has been acquired or creating all-new sales processes.
Businesses often tax all of their resources to implement large-scale projects like these, and struggle to handle additional projects. This is especially true when the company needs more than the advice that a consultant can offer, and they need a professional to execute on plans and ideas.
This is where interims shine. Just as the consultant is walking out the door, having delivered a spiffy PowerPoint and knowing their work is over, the interim is rolling up their sleeves, ready to take on the actual work of execution vital if any results are to be achieved.
Major projects are an ideal time for HR departments to expand their talent with interim executives. Just as quickly as they arrive on scene to turn ideas into action, they depart when the job is done without increasing permanent overhead.
HR departments can benefit from both the speed that comes with interim executives and the flexibility of an elite, high-quality, on-call bench that can address a company’s many needs.
This year, HR teams will be looking to fill positions from the factory floor to the C-suite, and they will be doing so at every imaginable stage in the life of a company. Hopefully, HR managers won’t default to using a sledgehammer to kill a mouse, spending months finding the needle in the haystack when they could be solving pressing problems without delay.
Interims are an ideal solution when it comes to navigating choppy seas. And for many businesses, 2025 will be about as choppy as it gets.
Robert Jordan is the CEO of InterimExecs, which matches top executives with companies around the world.