Address your Teams’ Skill Gaps with Interim Professionals

‘Skill gap’ refers to the disparity between the skills your employees possess, and the skills required for effective job performance within a role, industry or project. These can exist at various levels including individual and organisational, and let’s face it, finance teams are very busy!

Individual skill gaps occur when your employees lack specific skills or knowledge to perform certain job requirements. In contrast, organisational skill gaps occur when the collective skills of your team/company don’t align with the demands of the business or finance function. Sometimes, skill gaps happen when a new system is introduced, if there is a long-term absence in your team,  or a sudden increase in workload, the list goes on.

It’s imperative to identify and address skill gaps for individual career development, and the overall success of your teams and business. Some strategies to bridge these skill gaps include hiring individuals with the required skills or leveraging external resources such as interim finance professionals with specialised expertise.

Closing skill gaps is essential in ensuring your team and business remain competitive and adaptable as the company landscape evolves.

“My team doesn’t have any skill gaps”

Sometimes, you may not immediately recognise skill gaps. This is due to factors like unconscious competence, evolving job roles, and assumptions. Completing a regular skills gap analysis, open communication, staying informed about industry trends and investing in continuous learning are key strategies to help you identify and address these gaps. Recognising that you have them is important for you to create the high-performing and adaptable teams you need.

Then it’s time to jump straight into your action plan to close the gaps. Sometimes, the gaps may only be temporary.

Certain projects may serve as a magnifying glass, highlighting gaps within your team. This could be when they’re tasked with responsibilities that require project-specific expertise, and exposing areas where additional skills are necessary. Interim finance professionals can be strategically hired to dive into projects where their skill set is highly required. This allows your team to maintain a sharp focus on key initiatives without diverting attention to unrelated tasks, and achieve project successes. This will also have a positive effect on managing the increased workload, and time constraints.

Knowledge transfer opportunities bring strength to your finance team, even beyond project completion. Interim professionals offer the unique opportunity to share knowledge with them, gain new insights, learn new methodologies, and enhance their own skill sets through collaboration with them.

We all know that a strong, collaborative culture, where different skill sets work side by side paves the way for maximum impact and enhancing project outcomes and the overall business.

Project demands can also prompt you to seek interim professionals to scale your finance team up or down as and when required.  This allows you to optimise resource allocation, and adapt quickly to changes in your work environment.

Embracing interim professionals with specialised skill sets isn’t just about filling gaps. It can be a strategic move towards propelling your team and business towards sustainable growth. They will keep you ahead of the curve by infusing your team with the right expertise at the right time.

“I don’t want my team to feel like they’re not good enough, or that we want to replace them”

It’s important to understand that hiring interim professionals is not about replacing team members. It’s about enhancing your team dynamics, strength, knowledge and success. These interim specialists will complement existing skills and add value without disrupting the core team structure.

In a world where adaptability is key, the confident use of interim professionals can be a real game-changer for you when looking to fortify your team’s capabilities. This ‘plug-and-play’ approach of using interim professionals offers a strong solution on how to close the skill gaps in your team quickly and effectively. Their specialised knowledge allows for immediate impact. This ensures your team is equipped to take on complex projects without the lengthy onboarding process, or long-term commitment of a permanent hire.

If you’re looking for additional, specialised support for your finance team, reach out to our dedicated interim recruitment team using the details below.

David Waddell | davidwaddell@harveyjohn.com

Georgina Hayes | georgina@harveyjohn.com