Why does an Employer come to AIEA to find talent?

An Employer or a Business Owner (or a Recruiter, for that matter) comes to AIEA for these reasons:

• It is far cheaper and faster than other methods. 
• The one-off $9900 fee is a fraction of the cost of a standard recruitment.
• The AIEA membership is a talent pool of pre-qualified professional-level people.
• Results are guaranteed.

How does AIEA earn its revenue?

• AIEA is a membership-based organisation and our income streams are from memberships. The AIEA-Jobs facility is a free service to members.
• Corporate entities who wish to provide members with paid employment are charged a fee of $9900.

I already have a good network, why would AIEA benefit me?

• Maybe you have exhausted the opportunities within your regular network or perhaps conflicts of interests prevent you from taking on opportunities that present themselves. By becoming part of a wider, national network you will have access to a wider range of contacts and opportunities, particularly those that require independent and ‘arm’s length’ relationships.

Can AIEA help me with my work/life balance?

• Whoa! That’s too broad a scope for AIEA. One person’s concept of the perfect work/life balance could be completely different from another.
• We’re here to address a sliver of that whole; namely, to provide recognition as the professional that you are and to help you find as much income-producing opportunity as we can. The rest is up to you. 

What can I do to improve my attractiveness to an employer?

• All the AIEA members are proven competent executives. The question is – what can you do to stand out?
• Make sure that your resume is as good as it can be; there are old-fashioned resumes and modern, current resumes.
• Some members come from a sales and marketing background and are naturally good at promoting themselves; others must work at it. It is short-sighted to solely rely on another party (including AIEA) to secure your income.
• Self-marketing is the answer. There are many self-help books on how to go about this and lots of useful information on the Internet. You Tube is good for this.
• Get some fresh ideas from your fellow members - that's what networking is all about.

What are your expectations of me and how do I fulfil those expectations?

• All you need to do on an on-going basis is to keep your résumé and registration details up to date.
• Make sure you present as attractively as possibly at the AIEA networking events. They are held to help you get in front of employers looking for your skills.

What skills are in demand?

• The skills that are saleable to the Client are the ones that you have developed and honed over the past ten years or so. Remember that the primary qualities of an Interim Executive are that s/he is overqualified and can hit the ground running.

What is a FAQ?

• FAQ is shorthand for 'Frequently Asked Questions'.

I am prepared to take a short-term contract but I am really looking for a permanent position. Is AIEA the place for me?

• Absolutely! Our experience is that about 40% of the interim placements convert to a permanent role.
• Once an employer experiences an IM that really knows his/her stuff, it is natural for them to consider how best to retain the skills.
• AIEA-Jobs has now been opened to some permanent employee roles to cater for the 58% of members that will accept them.

I am already doing consulting work, why would AIEA benefit me?

• It is potentially an additional source of consulting assignments. In addition, many of our members are already busy working as Interim Executives and have asked us to help them with networking opportunities, to meet other IE’s or to meet potential employers, and also for Professional Development opportunities.

What sorts of jobs are available through AIEA?

• AIEA limits the membership to people with executive and senior management experience. This is loosely defined as ranging from Project or Operations Managers to CEO and Board roles and the assignments offered are within this range.
• All the Members seek interim or contract roles. However, a good number (around 40% or more) of the assignments either start as a permanent offering or end up as one. In fact, 58% of the AIEA members surveyed stated that they would accept a permanent employee role if the right one was offered.

Do I need to get an ABN number or can I operate initially as an individual?

• For interim work, you will need an ABN/ACN (or be GST Registered in NZ) as the client almost certainly will want to contract with you business-to-business and you will need to be able to provide a tax invoice for your services. One of the reasons they seek interim executives is that they don’t want to add people to the payroll / headcount for short-term assignments.
• If most of your revenue in a fiscal year is from just one source you must take steps to ensure you meet the ATO contracting guidelines. If you are not up to speed with this, ask your accountant how you can ensure compliance. It is most painful if you don’t.

What are the Accredited Positions for AIEA membership?

• AIEA is an institute for senior executives who are prepared to offer their services on an interim basis. As such, we are widely inclusive. Here are some broad definitions.
• Interim Executive: An IE, also known as an Interim Manager, is an executive who is employed on a negotiated or contract basis. It could be three days a week, a three or six-month contract or an as-required basis.
• Accredited Positions: It encompasses all the CxO and executive/general management positions. Here you will find Project Managers, Operations Managers and Non-Executive Directors.

How do I join AIEA as a Professional Member (MAIEA, CAIEA or FAIEA)?

• The first step is to go to the AIEA Home Page and get your free account.
• By joining AIEA you will benefit in these ways: 
  • Recognition as a Member, Certified Professional or Fellow of AIEA
  • Use of the AIEA post-nominal on your correspondence, business cards, blogs and websites
  • Free subscription to the AIEA quarterly magazine and to Australian Business Acumen
  • Access to premium member-only content
  • Member discount at local, national and international professional development and networking events
  • View and participate in member-only comments and discussions in the AIEA LinkedIn Group
  • An invitation to present at one of the monthly networking events
  • Free inclusion on the AIEA Jobs Board email circulation list
  • You could qualify to be included in the AIEA Inner Circle group
• For most, the primary benefit is the ability to form relationships with their fellow members, closely followed by the ability to achieve paid employment through the AIEA-Jobs Board.
• To commence your subscription to AIEA, please click on your Member Portal. Under Current Membership, click on View all Membership Plans.

What is my choice of Membership?

• For new individual members, there are two initial choices, paid or unpaid.
• See the AIEA Membership Categories for the descriptions of the individual members.

How much should I charge for my services?

• Whatever you want; AIEA does not get involved in the negotiations between the Employer and the Member and we avoid having a discussion with the employer on how much to pay.
• AIEA will not give you any guidance on the setting of your fees. We ask to know your daily rate for statistical purposes only and your individual details are not disclosed to any third party.
• You know your industry and profession best.
• We do suggest that you couch your fee quotations as a daily or weekly rate rather than an hourly rate. Some recruitment agencies run annual salary surveys for Australia and New Zealand which you may find useful.

Do I need to get Indemnity Insurance?

• Some clients will mandate that the interim manager will be covered by insurance. As a general rule, insurance is recommended. AIEA does not offer you any insurance cover as you are not working for AIEA or as an AIEA sub-contractor in any way.

What if a traditional Recruiter advertises their vacancies on AIEA Jobs?

• The AIEA’s mission is to provide members with improved access to appointments. From this perspective we encourage any Recruiter to view the AIEA as a source of potential candidates for challenging Interim roles.
• A Recruiter will incur the same low $9900 fee as an SME employer.

I have no consulting experience, will I be offered roles?

• Most businesses just need the skills and knowledge that you already have on a short, medium or permanent basis. In fact you are likely to be overqualified for many roles, which is their bonus!
• Some businesses may want a consultant to advise them on an area of change within their business, and they can search for that specific experience if it is needed.

What types of roles will AIEA give me access to?

• Businesses can experience a need for interim placement in any area of management within their business.
• While accounting and financial are the most prevalent roles, they are still less than 30% of the roles likely to be offered. Leaving a wide range of other roles that may include general management, operational management, project implementation, change management, strategy and marketing or directorship, mentoring and board positions.

How assured am I of getting work through AIEA?

• There are no guarantees.
• You should see AIEA as a supplementary conduit of opportunity to your networking and other activities. The chances are that your next assignment you will find for yourself.
• With the membership database now into significant numbers, we are assured of satisfying almost any client need.