The new year is upon us, and as we all know, the changing of the years can make a good excuse to shift from one role into the next. Whether you’re straight out of college or your first apprenticeship and ready to find a permanent role. Whether you’ve been working as an end user building a bespoke Dynamics implementation and the project has come to its (hopefully successful) conclusion, or you work for a Microsoft partner and are looking for your next challenge, taking the next step in your career can sometimes be a daunting challenge. Nevertheless, it’s one we all must take at one point or another, so why not make this year your jumping off point. The question is, how can you maximise your chances of securing that next job? The employment market is increasing in opportunities, and there is now more DIY and online training available than ever for those willing to put in the work, yet competition is still strong, both in the UK, US and across Europe. So, here are our top tips for finding a new job:

The job search

Finding your next role isn’t going to be easy. It will likely take a lot of time and effort, and rather than pick and choose random times in the week to search for new jobs, schedule in a specific time every evening. In other words, treat finding your next role as a job in itself! This means some sacrifice of your free time, but getting the job search snowball rolling takes a consistent effort.

Narrowing in on suitable roles

The right job won’t walk right up to you and slap you in the face. You will need to think seriously about what matters the most to you from a new job, and then identify your criteria. Is it:

1. Flexible working hours
2. The project/implementation
3. The team you work with
4. The clients you are working for
5. The ability for progression
6. The financial opportunity

Once you’ve highlighted one or more of the above (and of course, there are plenty more desirable criteria), searching through jobs online becomes much simpler. If you are working with a recruitment consultant, such as our Consultants here at Conspicuous, you can help them to help you by specifying what matters the most and opening up new ideas and opportunities to you.

Knowing the market

To rise above the competition, you will need to make yourself desirable to potential employers. One way to do this is to understand which traits are currently in-demand in your chosen area of expertise. Whether it’s a solid knowledge of Dynamics 365 or scalability in CRM, finding out what people need is crucial to optimising your CV and job applications.

Network

Everybody knows that people speak to people; that’s the value of having a recruitment consultant who’s got your back. That said, you shouldn’t stop there. Speak to previous employers, friends and colleagues who might have a good word to say about you, perhaps they might be able to give you an extra special reference on LinkedIn. You could also attend Dynamics-specific events such as a CRM User Group to build new connections and partnerships with people who might – one day – give you a job.

CV

While your recruiter and your network will get you part of the way towards your goal, you will be your biggest promoter. Your biggest self-promotional tool is your CV. You need to show prospective employers what you can do – not tell them, so give plenty of examples of what you have achieved in a sprint or project. Then, ensure you’ve fully spelling and grammar checked it. Ask somebody else to give it a read, too.

The interview

Whether you like it or not, there’s probably going to be at least one interview for whatever job you go for. Make sure you know your CV inside and out, but most of all, make sure you can talk through each point clearly and with confidence. Memorising something and saying it out loud in a way that sounds convincing are two different things entirely. Finding your next role means a lot of extra hard work, time and energy. Your recruiter is a part of this puzzle, so make sure you speak with one of our friendly Dynamics consultants today to help you on your way.