Advice for candidates

If your career is at a cross roads and you are thinking of changing your Dynamics role, we have some great tips for you.

Firstly, why are you thinking of changing jobs?

Consider the reasons for leaving, can these be resolved?
Whether the reason is in regards to money, wanting to work on newer technology, the location or projects you may be working on, think about whether these issues can be resolved in your current place of work.
At Conspicuous we advise you to think about ways of resolving any problems before you begin your search for a new career. If the reasons for looking at new opportunities are insurmountable in your current company then phase 2 begins.

Phase 2 – You’re ready for a change

Resume preparation is the next stage. Most employers will look at your last or last two places of work and so your resume should be tailored for your next position, emphasizing the skills most recently gained that will demonstrate your ability or potential ability to do the role you are aiming for.

As your recruitment partner we will ask a series of questions to fully understand your current skills and what you are looking for in your chosen career path. We will give you a series of options as to the path you can take, but there are certain questions that you can expect and are worth giving some thought to.

We will ask questions on: salary and package expectations, location, role and opportunity, your preference on the type of company and culture. By understanding your perfect role and potential career path, we can offer advice, guidance and the right opportunities for you.

Be selective in your choice of Recruitment Agency

It is really worth considering which recruitment consultancies would be best for you and your search. The process should be a partnership between you and your consultant.

We would always recommend limiting the numbers of recruitment agencies to just one or two initially and then branching out after a couple of weeks if you are not happy with the opportunities presented.

We would recommend picking a recruitment agent that specializes in the market that you are looking at, as they should cover the majority of the roles in that marketplace.

What to watch out for and general pitfalls

Try to ensure you have some time to take for your interview.

Be wary of recruiters that are after the quickest and easiest placement, recruiters get paid on results, therefore, it is vital that you choose the right recruitment agency to ensure the best role for you and not the best commission for the recruiter.
Vice versa, no client wants to be kept waiting too long for a decision, at Conspicuous we would recommend 48 hours as the maximum time to take before you give your answer.

And finally

Don’t hand in your notice until you have something in writing from your new employer, either an offer letter or a contract that you have signed, scanned and sent back. The last thing we would want is for you to hand in your notice and the job offer never materializes!

For any further information or advice please feel free to call us on: 646 889 1920.

Firstly there is no correct way to write a resume, however, there are plenty of opinions and these are based on personal preference. Our team at Conspicuous can provide you with some key advice and points to remember in order to produce a great sales document that highlights your skills for the role you are applying.

Firstly your resume is your sales tool. The aim of the resume is to grab the attention of the recruiter, with the hope that after glancing at your resume, they will invite you to an interview.

Who is going to read your resume?

We always advise that you have two people in mind when writing a resume, the hiring director and the personal assistant. One who knows exactly what they are looking for and one who just knows the buzz words and has to reduce the pile of resumes from 10 to 5.

The Right Structure

A good structure should follow this order:

• Name and Contact Details
• Key Skills
• Employment History (most recent first)
• Education including relevant qualifications
• Interests

Many people may also add a personal statement or summary after the personal details and this can certainly look good on a resume, as long as it’s kept short and to the point.

Use a clear and consistent layout and format with headings and bullet points.

Keep your resume punchy and relatively short, 2-4 pages is the standard length.

Pay attention to detail on dates, company names and skills used. Don’t undersell yourself but certainly don’t exaggerate, your resume is a factual document outlining the experience and skills gained to date.

Make sure there are no spelling mistakes.

Content

The content should be clear and concise. Examples of skills gained in your previous two places of work will ideally be the information that will gain you an interview.

If there is a job spec for the role it may be worth matching the points in your resume, assuming you have gained the skills.

We often recommend that resumes are tailored to specific jobs, highlighting the skills that are most relevant for each specific client.

To review the previous points made, here are our Top 10 points for your resume:

1. Keep it real. Keep it punchy and to the point.
2. Tailor it. Take the time to change your resume for each role that you apply for. Research the company and use the job advert to work out exactly what skills you should point out to them.
3. Include a personal statement. Don’t just assume an employer will see how your experience relates to their job. Instead, use a short personal statement to explain why you are the best person for the job. This should be reflected in your cover letter as well.
4. Avoid Gaps. If you’ve been out of work it can be a worry but just put a positive spin on it. Did you do a course, volunteer work or develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork or project management?
5. Keep it Up-to-Date. You should keep your resume up-to-date and mention significant times in your career, for example a particular achievement.
6. Double Check. Check your spelling and get someone else to proof read your resume to avoid mistakes.
7. Be honest. Lying on your resume can land you in trouble; employers will check your background and references. You also may get caught out at the interview stage.
8. The maths. This may sound dull but by backing up your achievements with numbers it makes selling yourself much easier. When writing your work history, don’t just say that you increased sales; tell them you increased sales by 80% over a 10 month period.
9. Making the most of your skills. Under the skills section of your resume don't forget to mention key skills that can help you to stand out from the crowd. These could include: communication skills; computer skills; team working; problem solving or even speaking a foreign language.
10. Make it look good. Appearance is key, use bullet points and keep sentences short. Use the graphic design trick of leaving plenty of white space around text and between categories to make the layout easy on the eye.

And Finally

Your resume is your sales pitch, your online factual presentation of you. At Conspicuous we see resumes all day, every day and so are always on hand to offer any advice.

All clients have different interview styles and methods, so again there are no set rules, however, as a candidate going for an interview there is always preparation to be done.

From the client’s perspective

Each client is looking to recruit people who are technically competent for the role, or people who can demonstrate that with minimal training, they will be capable to do the job. They are also looking to recruit people who will fit into their organisation.

Client’s interview techniques range from a relaxed chat to 3 hour written tests followed by a formal interview process with HR and Directors. There are merits to all approaches and it is important that you put yourself in the best position to shine, whatever the process.

What types of questions to expect

Most clients will ask you to run over your resume and in answering, it is important to focus on the skills you can bring to both the company and to the role.

Questions may include:

• “Tell me about a time when…”
• “Describe an occasion when…”
• “When has it been important to…”

When answering these questions it may prove useful to use an example of a previous project, it’s also a good idea to incorporate any technology you have experience in and do mention key points about the business you are currently working in, your finance experience and the verticals (e.g. retail, manufacturing, finance, FMCG) that the client could be interested in.

Your preparation

It’s important to make a great first impression; here are some key points to remember:

• Look smart!
• Be able to recall your key achievements with specific examples and facts
• Have examples of both your technical skills and commercial skills
• Have examples of your flexibility and ability to pick up new skills from previous projects
• Think through possible answers to the questions that you may be asked
• Take a spare copy of your Resume with you
• Be early or on time!
• Make sure you prepare any information requested by the company for the interview
• Do your research! – Look up the company and understand their key principles
• Prepare the questions you might ask

Key points

Remember the interviewer is looking to find out about you, what you have achieved and about your knowledge, not your team or manager’s knowledge and skills.

Always be truthful, don’t over embellish your contribution but at the same time don’t undersell yourself. No-one knows your skills better than you do.

Don’t be put off by the client taking notes on what you are saying, this is part of the process.

A two way conversation

An interview is a two way conversation and not about the client questioning the candidate. In general the client will ask you some questions, outline the company and role in more detail and then you have the opportunity to ask the client questions.

It is important that during the interview you address any questions you may have, these could include:

• Why has the role become available?
• What is the career progression from this role?
• What is the average project duration?

The questions will depend on each role you are being interviewed for but it is important that you do get your key questions answered.

And Finally

Always thank the client at the end of the interview and express that you are keen on the opportunity, assuming that this is the case.

You can ask what the next process is and the timescales involved.

In general, salaries are not discussed at the end of an interview but if they are, let the client know what you are currently earning, what you are looking for and if there is an increase, do justify this rise.

We would always recommend stressing that the role, the company and the longer term opportunity is more important than the money. If a client does make an offer at the end of the interview and this offer is less than you expected, we would recommend never saying “No” but saying “Many thanks” and asking for 24 hours to think it over. Then you would leave it to your recruitment consultant to negotiate accordingly on your behalf.

There are constant salary surveys within the Dynamics arena, however a survey can only generalise a situation and there are always local variations and individual variants that need to be considered.

In reality most candidates know roughly what they should be earning and it is up to a recruitment consultant, who knows the market to either confirm this or advise accordingly.

What you are worth = Market dictates

The market dictates what the salaries should be and this is dependent on a number of factors, however these factors are constantly in a state of flux.

Factors that affect the market include:

• Quantity of candidates in terms of technical, commercial and language skills
• Quality of candidates
• Quantity of roles available, competition within the market
• Location
• Cost of living in specific locations

In the permanent sector, this flux ebbs and flows in a relatively steady manner. In regards to contracting, it can change on a weekly basis depending on how many contractors are available at any specific time and for how long they have been looking for new project work.

It is possible to give roles bands of salaries to operate within.

Generally salaries within all organisations are an open issue, talked about within the canteen and within the Dynamics community and therefore no clients are looking to underpay or overpay their employees.

We understand money is a big factor, so, should you need any advice, please feel free to take advantage of our recruitment consultant’s specific industry knowledge. As it’s our job is to get you the best job possible!

If you are looking to take a Dynamics 365 contract or looking to be a Dynamics freelancer then this article should prove useful.

The demand for independent Dynamics 365 resource continues to rise as the solutions are being sold on a global basis and there remains a great shortage of qualified professionals. Conspicuous specializes in both freelance and permanent placements.

Why choose freelance work?

Freelance work gives you the freedom and flexibility to decide when you want to work, where you want to work and for how long. The best part is you decide what your daily rate is, however, all of the former is subject to what roles are available and which clients are looking to employ.

Generally, freelance posts will last from 3 months to 2 years. Freelancing can suit a variety of people, such as, those returning from travelling and those between permanent posts. Freelance positions generally pay better than a permanent position but the expectation is that clients want someone who is an expert in their field.

Why do clients take freelancers?

Clients take on freelancers for a number of reasons:

• To fulfill a short term specific need
• To clear a backlog of work
• To replace a permanent leaver until a new permanent replacement is found
• To restrict company overheads by not having a permanent employee on the books

What are your options as a freelancer?

There are two main options:

1. To set up your own corp (Corp to Corp)
2. To freelance through a 3rd party (w2)

We would recommend you take professional advice from an accountant to fully understand the best option for you both in the short and longer term.

Is the Independent Grass Greener?

Only you can answer this question as it is down to personal preference.

Pro freelance arguments:

• More money
• More flexibility
• Work on a project by project basis

Anti freelancing arguments:

• No permanent benefits, e.g. health, sick pay or pension
• No pay on your vacations or federal holidays.
• Always chasing the next role if the projects are only a few months in duration.
• No continuity on a project, we often hear of freelancers looking to return to permanent work to be able to see a project through from start to finish.
• No job security.
• No training into the latest solutions, you will be expected to do this in your time and pay for it yourself.
• No team or company to be part of, a freelancer is often viewed as the outsider on a project.
• Clients are often reluctant to take on an ex-freelancer in any permanent post.

And Finally

To make the move into freelancing can be a big decision, feel free to call the office for any more advice or information.