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Interim Executive and Consulting Network
Interim Executive and Consulting Network FAQs
What is needed for an Executive to get an assignment with Cerius?
Completing the profile with your profile is a great start. This helps us initially determine basic criteria. Once you have been identified based on the initial criteria, Cerius will contact you to learn more and discuss the client situation further. It is a matter of you having the right background, expertise, and work style for the opportunity. There is no predicting when this might be but having a complete profile with all of your background on it will help ensure you are not missed during this initial evaluation.
Who will have access to my resume?
No one will have access to your resume other than the Cerius internal team. You will be contacted and the company/opportunity discussed prior to your information being shared with any client. Your profile is separate from your resume. This allows you to control the privacy level of potential clients who might log in and search profiles the executives have given permission to be visible. Select the “Privacy Settings” to see examples and determine which privacy level is right for you. You can change it at any point.
What are the most common roles you place?
This changes depending on the business environment and the time of year. Below are the most recent trends. Finance, Operations, and Sales/Marketing account are among the top 3 years after year. We have been seeing significant increases in CEO, President, and General Manager opportunities in the past year.
Can I find out how many times my profile has been searched or viewed?
We currently do not track this.
How does Cerius keep me updated on opportunities and how do I gain visibility into the probably of engagement through Cerius?
We will contact you when you are being considered for an opportunity. Additionally, while we do not post all the opportunities we are working on, we do post select opportunities. You can either visit the link below on a weekly basis or you will likely receive an email if your background fits some of the initial criteria.
What is the benefit of registering?
You likely spend a lot of your valuable time on business development activities in the marketplace. Consider Cerius as an extension of those activities. Submitting your information increases your chances of being considered for opportunities you would not have otherwise. Cerius has created a custom profile that helps highlight an executive’s background, experiences, and particularly that of a contract executive.
What is your vetting process?
We have a proven vetting process that does offer ample opportunities for us to get to know you, your expertise, and the assignments you would be best for. Conversely, it gives you an opportunity to better know and understand Cerius. It includes background review, work style profiling, reference check, interview(s), background check, and a few other verifications.
What can I expect once I register?
You can expect to be treated like an executive rather than a user/password. It is our goal to create a better vehicle to display what a top-level executive has done and can do for a company.
I am just getting started with my business and do not have anything set up yet. Do you have any resources to assist?
Yes. It is exciting to start your own business but can easily be overwhelming given all that goes into it, particularly selling yourself. We took all of our years of experience of working with companies and Interim Executives and put it in one location. Our book, “How I Fired My Boss and Made More Money”, gives you most of what you need to start and grow a successful interim executive or management consulting business. You are also welcome to contact us directly with any other questions you may have.
Do I need to complete the profile?
It is not necessary but helps avoid being missed for qualified opportunities. We have specifically designed the profile to help optimize the information based on how we identify executives for clients. By completing your Cerius Profile, you are providing us with all of the information we need to properly match you with the right opportunities. Without the completed information, the less we know, the less you will be brought to our attention as a potential fit.
Can’t you get the information you need from my resume?
An executive’s career and abilities can rarely be captured on a few pieces of paper. We understand all that makes up the history of being a top-level executive. The resume is a good starting point but is too limited and too much of your background is easily missed as we look to best connect companies with the right executive.
What is the Different between a Position vs. an Assignment/Project?
Use the + Add Assignments or Projects button to include details of other work experience in relation to this position. For example, companies you stepped into for interim, part-time, temporary, or consulting projects as part of your own consulting practice, while employed at a consulting firm or as a partner at a Private Equity or Investment Banking firm. You can also add these as a separate position. It is your choice. In our experience, most executives prefer to display this information separately as part of a longer-term position so it does not look as though all the assignments or projects were short-term jobs.
How do I reflect all of the work I have done as an Interim or Consultant?
This is very common and a contract/freelance executive is usually limited to how much they can tell about their experience in this area. At Cerius, we understand that every experience matters. This is why we created the ability to add Assignments/Projects as part of a Position you held either as President of your own consulting practice or while working at a large consulting firm.
How much of my work experience should I include?
We understand that most executives have an extensive career. We find that about 20 years of experience is most valuable, even if it is not all at the executive level. You never know what in your background is going to be the one thing a company is looking for.
I have been consulting for over 20 years with over a hundred companies. Do you really want me to list them all?
Look at it from the perspective of a company trying to decide if you are the right executive for them. They are looking for a couple of key items – does the executive have experience in my industry, do they have experience in the role, how has the executive helped other clients (accomplishments, impact, results). If you are trying to decide how much information from each role to include, focus on these points. It also helps to focus on the background that would match the types of assignments you are looking for.
When I save my profile the dates go to 1969, how can I fix this?
All dates are Month, Day, and Year. If you only provide part of the month or no month at all, it will revert to the default. If you do not remember the specific date use the beginning/ending day of any given month/year.
I currently am engaged full time, should I delete my profile?
No, update your availability for new work. Even though you are engaged full time there are still opportunities such as board positions that might be available to you. We recommend you always keep your information out there. If you are concerned about your current employer, you can adjust your privacy settings.
Can I leave rates and full-time salary blank?
We ask that you provide the information. We understand there can be a wide variance but it is a good starting point.
When filling out the information on the companies I worked for, should I use the current state or when I worked there?
Please fill in the revenue or number of employees, company ownership, and business stage according to what it was when you were with the company, not the current situation. Our clients want to know about your experience. There is a big difference in experience if you were one of the first 100 employees at eBay vs. what the company is today.
If I have more than one home of residence, do you want me to add both locations?
Yes, please add the address for all the homes you have. When doing searches it helps Cerius find an executive that is closest to the client if the client requests this. Over 90% of searches include a location element.
I do not have board experience, does that affect my profile completeness?
No, it does not.
How often should I update my profile?
Anytime you have additional relevant information such you are exiting an assignment/position or you have acquired some additional expertise such as proficiency in a new language or software.
What is Access PI, why am I receiving it, can I get a copy and who sees it?
Access PI (Predictive Index) is a survey that takes about 10 minutes to complete. This tool helps us better understand your work style and what drives you in any given assignment to help you achieve success. This is not a test. We use it as an additional piece of information to help ensure that our understanding of you, what you can do, and how you approach a given situation is consistent across all information we have. You can request a copy, we’re happy to share it with you. The PI does not go on your public profile. Our goal is to get a good understanding of how you help companies. Part of that is the work style you use to accomplish that. When needed, we compare your information to similar information from the client for the specific opportunity to help minimize the potential for conflicting styles.
How do I control who sees my profile?
We understand that one size does not fit all for executives and based on your current goals and where you are at in your careers you may not want your information searchable by anyone other than Cerius. You have the option to select what level of privacy you want on your profile. Once you log in, click on the “Select Your Profile Privacy Settings” on the right to choose what is right for you. For maximum results and opportunities, select “Semi-Blind”. This will keep your personal information private at all times and allow your resume to remain Blind (no company or geographic information) until the company has contacted Cerius and been vetted at which point your profile becomes Semi-Blind (all but your personal information, availability & rates are viewable). You have the opportunity to view an example of each as well as what your profile will look like with each view once you log in.
Why do I need Insurance, what do I need and do you have any recommendations for resources?
Since Cerius only works with established interim executives on a vendor basis, we expect you to have minimal insurances relevant to the risk level of the services you provide. We require vendors to have a $1M Professional Business Liability, $2M General Liability insurance. While Cerius has a group of carriers that have been recommended by other vendors who have worked with them, you are encouraged to use any insurance company you choose. This is a good business practice for any executive. Please contact us if you would like the list of recommended providers who have been referred by other executives.
Portal Recruitment Page
What is the sign-up process?
Carefully read the recruitment page. Once you determine that you are a good fit for our model and attributes of executives we work with, sign-up and complete your profile.
For those of you, who know your background fits the profile of an experienced executive, continue with the sign-up process towards the bottom of the page. Once your profile is completed, the vetting process will begin. Due to the high volume and the extensive nature of our process, we appreciate your patience. It may be the case that the process does not begin until there is a need for your expertise and/or increase in business development in your geography.
If you are not sure, initially sign-up with your resume only. We do our best to review the resumes and profiles within a reasonable amount of time. We will notify you if your background is consistent with the types of opportunities we have. If so, we will request that you complete your profile and the vetting process will begin.
What is your vetting process?
We have a proprietary vetting process that does offer ample opportunities for us to get to know you, your expertise, and the assignments you would be best for. Conversely, it gives you an opportunity to better know and understand Cerius.
What is the benefit of signing up?
You likely spend a lot of your valuable time on business development activities in the marketplace. Consider Cerius as an extension of those activities. Submitting your information increases your chances of being considered for opportunities you would not have otherwise. Cerius has created a custom profile that helps highlight an executive’s background, experiences, and particularly that of a contract executive.
Do I need to complete the profile?
Yes. Though we strive to know each executive and the extent of their background personally, it is not always possible. By completing your Cerius Profile, you are providing us with all of the information we need to properly match you with the right opportunities. Without the completed information, the less we know, the less you will be brought to our attention as a potential fit.
Can’t you get the information you need from my resume?
An executive’s career and abilities can rarely be captured on a few pieces of paper. We know all of what makes up the history of being a top-level executive. The resume is a good starting point but is too limited in order to properly assess your background and experience.
Why does the resume need to be in Word version?
When there is an opportunity to provide your information to a client, this version allows us to put it into a more standard format.
What can I expect once I sign up?
You can expect to be treated as an executive. It is our goal to create a better vehicle to display what a top-level executive has done and can do for a company. We will work hard every day to connect as many companies with the right executive and vice versa.
How much business can I get from this?
As you can imagine, there are no guarantees. All we can offer is a better chance of being considered for an opportunity that you would not have been otherwise.
When should I expect to hear from Cerius?
We will let you know the status of your profile submission in a timely manner. This will depend on the number of submissions at any given time. We appreciate your patience. At that time, you will begin our vetting process which will vary depending on where you are located and the demand for your type of background and expertise.
How often can I expect to be engaged in the first year and then in subsequent years?
As you can imagine, there are no guarantees. All we can offer is a better chance of being considered for an opportunity that you would not have been otherwise.
Inside Portal
What is the difference between a position and an assignment?
A position is any job you have had typically involving an employee relationship. An assignment is generally involving a contractual relationship such as interim roles or consulting projects. An assignment can also include any roles you stepped into while working for an equity or investment firm.
How much do I need to complete in order for it to be of benefit to me?
The more information you provide, the more you will show up on initial searches.
Why does my availability matter, I’d prefer to be contacted no matter what?
We don’t like to waste anyone’s time. Providing your availability and keeping it updated will avoid any unneeded phone calls for both of us. The accuracy and relevance of the information on your profile go a long way to establishing a good working with Cerius.
Is there a benefit to narrowing the type of work I am interested in or should I select them all?
Only select those where you will seriously consider all opportunities you are contacted for. The accuracy and relevance of the information on your profile go a long way to establishing a good working relationship with Cerius.
How often should I update my profile?
Any time you have additional relevant information such as your availability changes, you are exiting an assignment/position or you have acquired some additional expertise such as proficiency in a new language or software.
Why do I have the option to only submit one document?
As executives, you likely have a library of documents you can upload. At this time, we want to keep it focused and specific to your most updated resume.
