Should you bring on a consultant as an interim employee while you look for FTE?

Although we are primarily a contract staffing firm, our clients often have needs for a full time employee to fill a permanent position. And although this is not a focus of our firm, we can certainly fill these positions as well. But first we ask, "have you considered bringing on a consultant while you look to find the permanent employee?"

When we hear the answer "no", there are a few things that immediately come to mind.

1. First and foremost - who is doing the work now that the position is vacant?
2. Is the work being done at all?
3. What will the new person be walking into if the position has been open for months and there is a back log of work to be completed?
4. How long can the company be successful without someone in this role?
5. Are they losing business/money due to the vacant position?

Bringing on a consultant as an interim employee while you look for the permanent replacement can provide solutions to the above mentioned problems. Having someone in place to do the work, will free up the time of the manager/hiring authority to look for and interview potential FTE's. If it is a higher level position, having someone in the role will provide direction to employees that fall under that position, as well as give them a better feeling of overall security in the leadership of the company. It also provides someone for subordinates to be accountable to.

Another benefit for having an interim person relates to the process of onboarding the permanent employee once you have found and hired them. The transition will be much easier for all involved if there is someone there to fill them in on current work situations and status of projects. This can prevent a new employee from walking in to a situation where work has back logged and they start off overloaded and stressed.

So if you have a position that could be tough to fill or one that has been open for a while, consider a consultant to step in as an interim until you find the right person. You never know, the interim employee may end up working out as your new permanent hire!

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