Half of all women have found the transition from permanent to interim work difficult, according to research from Interim Women, the business network for women working as Interim Managers.

Research found that it took several months or more to find work, with some new interims taking up to a year.

The findings also show that to win assignments, networking with former clients, colleagues and bosses pays dividends. Around one in three found their first assignment through a personal recommendation or referral, 30% found work through an interim recruitment provider, 27% said it was through networking and one in 10 used the social networking sites Twitter and LinkedIn.

However, 37% found it easy to start their interim careers, with many taking just a few weeks to win their first assignment.