Best Practices When You Find Your Own Interim Position​

Nikki Cormier, Galen Hench, Dr. Jim Martin, & Mikaela Rodgers

Several times each year, we are informed that a Registry Member has found an interim position on his or her own or has been contacted directly about an interim position, and, in turn, consults The Registry to learn what the best steps are to pursue and ultimately accept that interim position.

Although The Registry’s model has been based for almost 30 years on identifying interim opportunities at colleges and universities on behalf of our Members and then announcing them, confidentially and internally, to our Registry Members via Opportunity Notices, it is also important for us to remain open to filling Interim needs that emerge through non-traditional paths. Thus, we have developed and continue to refine a “best practices” process to address these situations and, most importantly, to continue to support the professional advancement of our Members:

1. Establish Transparency — Since the Member has typically been approached by a contact outside the aegis of The Registry, the first step is to be transparent with both The Registry and the college or university and inform each side that the Member plans to work the placement through The Registry’s established procedures. We encourage our Members to regard The Registry as their “Placement Agent,” operating on behalf of the Member to clarify what the preliminary obligations, expectations, and limitations may be with respect to the interim role.

2. Provide Timely Communication — It is key for the Member to contact The Registry as soon as possible so that all involved can begin working together immediately to develop a collaborative outreach to the institution on behalf of the Member. The overarching message is to maintain open lines of communication early so that both sides are coordinating their actions.

3. Confirm The Registry as the Placement Agent — Once The Registry has been contacted and information has been shared, Registry principals are charged with establishing the conditions and expectations for the Member’s placement. The Registry has a team of experienced, veteran Senior Consultants who can help the Member by ensuring the placement carries the best chance of success for both sides.  Kent Stucky, a Registry Member, was notified of a position as a Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Advancement at his alma mater in Indiana.   He provides this overview of why he indicated to the College that he wanted The Registry to officially place him and how the assignment turned out: “The president of my alma mater reached out to me.   She asked if I might be able to serve as a Special Assistant for the area of advancement during a leadership transition.  Realizing that this would be most effective as an Interim position, I immediately contacted colleagues at The Registry.  All of my arrangements were promptly facilitated, and it turned out to be a great placement with the added benefit that the College learned more about The Registry for possible future leadership needs.”

4. Clarify the Type and Duration of the Position — As the placement did not originate via a typical contact with The Registry concerning an institutional need, it will be important for both parties to agree on the type, title, and duration of the placement under consideration. As the Member’s Placement Agent, The Registry is prepared to negotiate on behalf of the Member on matters related to annual salary, housing availability or housing stipends, travel stipends, start and end dates, and so on. Operating in this way, our Members are empowered to pursue terms that are favorable to them without risk of becoming entrenched themselves in back-and-forth negotiations.

5. Guarantee Sole Candidate Status — In these situations, a traditional Opportunity Notice is not necessary as The Registry will not inform other Members about the interim role. However, the Member will still be given the chance to collaborate in preparing and then reviewing the terms and expectations of the position as codified in the familiar Expectations Document. Bill Kibler, another Registry Member, was contacted directly by a school within the Texas A&M University system to serve as an Interim Vice President.   Bill asked The Registry to develop the agreement and expectations for the position and he was presented as a sole candidate.   In retrospect, he views the entire process as an effectively designed and smoothly executed placement.   In his words, “I viewed this opportunity from two perspectives.   The 6-month position was both attractive to me professionally and it also allowed me to introduce The Registry to an institution that had not previously used it.  The President felt I was the right person to meet her needs, and she was very receptive to connecting with The Registry to negotiate the terms of the placement.   My experience was professionally fulfilling, and The Registry has a new partner institution.”

6. Design A Budget-Neutral or Budget-Friendly Agreement — It will be important to stress to the college or university that the Registry works to make a budget-neutral or at least budget-friendly agreement. There may be an idea from the start of the process on the institutional side that using The Registry will add potentially unnecessary expenses; this can often be the most significant hurdle to transforming a self-identified opportunity into a Registry placement.   In light of its time-tested and constantly refined search process, The Registry will not increase costs over the course of the placement and can, in fact, reduce training and orientation costs during the search for and overlap with the permanent administrator.

7. Provide Ongoing Support and Follow-through for the Member — In the case that a Member is contacted directly to fill an interim position, it is common that the Member has prior relations with the contact either directly or indirectly. This familiarity may inspire a perception of “good faith,” compelling the Member to enter a contract with the institution as promptly as possible. This perception of good faith may obfuscate what is in reality a complex business arrangement. Consequently, the Member may be put in a difficult position should the expectations of the position change, related to compensation, scope of responsibilities, term of assignment, and so on. By leveraging The Registry as a Placement Agent, the Member has a reliable partner who is prepared to offer ongoing support to help navigate these and other uncertainties that may surface.

Not all self-identified interim opportunities are finally managed and supported by The Registry, but where possible, we strive to leverage our nearly 30-years’ experience to the best advantage of our Members. In situations where we can collaborate with our Members in managing their interim placement, it is evident that the process is efficient and effective. When it is not feasible for The Registry to act as a Placement Agent on behalf of its Members, we would still seek to find a way to support our Member’s work.