There are many questions I get asked about the healthcare recruitment market, especially in our current economy. One of those questions is the rise of temporary solutions and interim consulting that people have noticed this year.
So, what’s the reason for the increase in temporary solutions and interim consulting in the current market?
Temporary solutions and interim consulting have always been a constant in the recruitment market, however more recently we have seen a significant increase in the number of temporary solutions across all departments of a company, and interim consulting at the executive level.
There are four main reasons for the increase:
1. Candidate short market
Jobs are in high supply. Companies are refining job descriptions relevant to their business needs with an acute focus on what the customer needs and what the patient needs. With a changing economic and digital environment, with even more focus on blockchain and AI, businesses are having to re-evaluate which candidates fit into the refined job description, company expectations and changing company culture.
Candidates are in high demand, therefore expectations to fill a vacancy with 100% fit is at an all-time high. Aptitude and attitude, technical skills, emotional intelligence, diversity of thinking together with value-based leadership are the new benchmarks.
While the perfect candidate is being sourced a temporary solution is being employed for a short time to fill the gap, so expectations are met and businesses continue to meet demands.
2. Uncertainty in an election year
With the increasing uncertainty around the state and federal election, businesses are reacting by 'holding fire' on headcount until they understand more about who will be holding government and the policy direction that they will be taking across the various portfolios such as health, immigration, education and treasury.
This holding pattern has created a stalemate. However, revenue still needs to be generated, customers need to be serviced, targets and budgets need to be met and performance still needs daily focus.
The temporary solution and interim consulting give companies the option to continue 'business as usual' with experienced talent and subject matter experts filling the gap, keeping activity driving forward and the expected targets and budgets achievable.
3. Digital transformation projects
An acute focus on digital transformation projects has seen teams and companies implementing new systems and processes. Digital advancements are being implemented across all business functions from HR to Supply Chain.
This digital focus has both opportunities and challenges, such as; having the right product to deliver the outcomes you want, the implementation of the system or process, the ongoing performance and the protection, and cybersecurity concerns. To implement effectively and efficiently with minimal disruption and maximum impact, experts in the specific field are consulting and providing temporary solutions.
4. Executive consultation
The Australian market is an attractive one. We are innovation leaders, globally.
More and more executive level consultants are providing interim consulting solutions at the c-suite and board level to help companies explore new opportunities, start-up in the Australian market, enter new markets and provide shareholders with better returns.
We have many talented executive level people in Australia with experience across the healthcare ecosystem from customer engagement, government lobbying, health economics, commercial excellence models, patient-centric healthcare models and many more value-adding business practices.
So, what does a good temporary solution or interim consultant look like?
With only a short time period to add value, a good temporary solution or interim consultant is a subject matter expert, displays a growth mindset and has high emotional intelligence.
Subject matter expert
A subject matter expert is focused on a particular task, function or disease. They understand what skills to use, what needs to be done to complete tasks effectively, efficiently and with the best outcomes. Whether that be at the front desk in Reception, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, an Oncology Medical Advisor, an Orthopaedic Sales Representative or a Helpdesk Administrator.
Growth mindset
Someone with a growth mindset always sees opportunities and they drive motivation and achievement. They never give up even with internal or external factors challenging a project. Learns from mistakes and always puts the effort into a project. They have a deadline and they will achieve it.
Emotional intelligence
With tight deadlines and high expectations, strong emotional intelligence is fast becoming a consistently required need. Someone with high emotional intelligence will have the ability to communicate and be social, influence and engage, listen and interact, be resilient and humble - all key elements to perform and achieve deadlines.
Why would a candidate want a temporary solution or interim consulting position?
Temporary solutions and interim consulting are not only a benefit for companies, but they also provide great opportunities for candidates.
For candidates, these short-term opportunities give them unlimited exposure to new products, systems, cultures and practices. Developing their skill repertoire, their experience and their confidence to keep offering more value to other companies and to themselves . Experience across different markets, companies, customer bases and cultures rapidly develop learning and consequently refines growth mindset, areas of expertise as a subject matter expert and emotional intelligence. In addition, exposure to a greater diversity of thinking enhances competitive advantage and commercial acumen which, in turn, puts the candidate in higher demand on the market.
To summarise, this year is going to bring a lot of job opportunities and candidates are aware of this. Those who are subject matter experts with high emotional intelligence and have a strong growth mindset will be in great demand.
