It seems slightly surreal to write that as this time 3 years ago I was sitting in my home office and had a plan which boiled down to 3 points: 1) Still be here in 12 months. 2) Don't lose your house. 3) Don't lose your wife. Not necessarily in that order (in case my wife reads this!) So the fact that we're still here (and I still have a house and wife) means that something is going right! I just wanted to say thank you to our customers who we have helped over the past 3 years, and to those of you who have been looking for work that we have managed to place and help along the way. And thanks to Chris, Rachel, Nick, Honey and Daniel. Some of you have moved on from the business but your efforts are greatly appreciated and I hope we can all get together at Christmas again! Right. New plan: 1) Still be here in 12 months. 2) Don't lose your house. 3) Don't lose your wife. Not necessarily in that order... 😘

MS Talent is 3 years old!

This was not the night I envisaged at&nbsp;<a style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/company/scottish-power-platform-user-group?trk=public_post-text">Scottish Power Platform User Group&hellip;</a> 
What a great group! We had&nbsp;<a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/aidan-maloney?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Aidan Maloney</a>, <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/proximo3iainconnolly?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Iain Connolly</a> and <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://no.linkedin.com/in/malinmartnes/en?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Malin Martnes</a> giving 3 fantastic talks, and then were subjected to the spectacle of <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/roryneary?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Rory Neary</a> singing Blame it on the Boogie in a defiant stand against AI while ironically giving a talk on how to get more out of AI. 
After being told &lsquo;What goes on in Perth, stays in Perth&rsquo; it&rsquo;s difficult to say much, but 3 lonely guys (myself, <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/charlie-phipps-bennett-%F0%9F%91%A8%E2%80%8D%F0%9F%92%BB-91338715b?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Charlie Phipps 👨💻</a> and the aforementioned songbird Rory) made our way back to the Holiday Inn Express. 
We were drinking hot chocolate at midnight in the bar. I promise. Not sure what happened after that but I left the other 2 discussing spooning and &lsquo;top &amp; tailing&rsquo; as they walked to their room(s).
Should you come to <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/company/scottish-power-platform-user-group?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Scottish Power Platform User Group</a>? Absolutely! Thanks to <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sbaxter86?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Stuart Baxter</a>, <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/keith-atherton?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Keith Atherton</a> for the warm welcome, and to <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/themarkchristie?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Mark Christie</a> from Proximo 3 for the venue, and fantastic to see <a class="link" style="color: #000000;" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/damobird365?trk=public_post-text" target="_self" data-tracking-control-name="public_post-text" data-tracking-will-navigate="">Damien Bird</a> again (follow his YouTube channel!!) 
Can&rsquo;t wait till next time!! (30th April 2024)
&nbsp;

Scottish Power Platform User Group

A huge thank you for everyone who has been getting involved - todays tip is simple:   I hope you have a great break over the festive period, and I hope you spend time with family and loved ones.  I’ll see you in 2024!!

We made it!! Day 12 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas! 🎅🎄🤦♂️ 

Day 11 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas is Chris giving us 3 things we can do immediately to increase our happiness and mental fitness.

Redundancy - are you at risk, out of work or worried about potential layoffs?

Day 10 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas is my fast ramp up plan to get you clear on what you should apply for, get found easily, and get hired.

Hiring Managers: are you missing out on great candidates by not explaining up front what the interview process is??

Day 9 of Will’s 12 tips at Christmas

Video interviews versus in-person interviews.  If you are going to bring people into the office to interview it does have an effect…

Day 8 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

Are you hiring and struggling to get people to come and work for you? Has that dream hire just slipped away to a competitor? Day 7 we’re discussing how to tweak how you interview to drive engagement and excitement from the people you want to hire!

Day 7 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

AI and CV writing?? Your dream Christmas present or that one from your dodgy uncle that you’ll be ‘re-gifting’ at your kids school tombola come the summer time??

Day 6 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

Today we’re talking about whether a CV should be 2 pages or less, or if it should be a proper length. Can you guess what side I’m coming down on? WARNING: there is SARCASM in here!!

 Day 5 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

This didn’t quite go to plan as Honey Stockdale will show you, but you absolutely need to watch till the end!  Todays tip is all about asking questions! 

Day 4 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

I’m wearing my black Bah Humbug hat, and that means I’m going on a rant!   Dare you watch todays episode to find out what it’s all about??  Note: happiness and positivity shall be returning tomorrow!!

Day 3 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

Are you applying for jobs currently, or considering it in the New Year?   We are in a different market to last year, and I’m giving you advice on a change of mindset to help with this.  Pro Tip: don’t throw as many CV applications at the wall and hope some of it might stick!

 Day 2 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

Today is a brief recap on the state of things, and update on how the market is looking, and a glance forward at 2024.  Sorry not sorry for the innuendo at the beginning!!  Boom - we’re off!!

Day 1 of Will’s 12 Tips at Christmas

<h1>About us</h1>We're specialists in Microsoft 365 and Azure technology recruitment. We help the Microsoft community to progress their careers and Microsoft partners to find the most sought-after skills in the market.

We’re a trusted part of the Microsoft talent community because we’ve made it our mission to be a part of it. We’re often referred to as ‘the community recruiters’ because we make it our business to freely share our market knowledge with both talent and hiring managers.We don’t just rely on job boards or LinkedIn, because we don’t have to; we’ve made it our business to build an extensive network of Microsoft professionals.

Will’s list of contacts in the industry is phenomenal, and this shows the respect he commands across the business world and the community.Microsoft MVP

They take the time to understand what sort of person and skill set you’re looking for and are really good at setting salary expectations and skills requirements. They honed in on what we wanted and then all of a sudden, pretty much every person they were sending us, we wanted to recruit.Microsoft Gold Partner

<h2>Helping you stay competitive</h2>We provide feedback from interviews to both you and the candidate. Our clients say this feedback is invaluable for staying competitive in a market where it’s already hard to find talent. You’ll also be given honest advice about what’s happening in the market so you don’t risk losing out; good people often have more than one offer on the table.

Our mission has always been to give back, share knowledge and be really useful to the Microsoft community.
You can&rsquo;t be part of a community and not live by its ethos. That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re big on sharing our knowledge of what the Microsoft Cloud market is doing, whether you&rsquo;re looking to advance your career or hire new people.

If you&rsquo;re looking for your next move in the M365 or Microsoft Azure space, we want to help you with the most important career in the world: yours. We&rsquo;ve got loads of resources to give you, or you can chat to one of our team for guidance.

If you&rsquo;re looking to make your next hire, we&rsquo;ll give you an open and honest view of the Microsoft M365 &amp; Azure market. We&rsquo;re not yes people, we&rsquo;re not going to tell you what you want to hear, instead we&rsquo;ll make sure you&rsquo;re not looking for unicorns in a market which is already difficult to hire in.

We&rsquo;re also here to support the wider Microsoft community and to help its members to grow and evolve through knowledge sharing, advice&hellip; and by keeping that bar tab open just a little bit longer at community events.

<h2>fed up of looking for a needle in a haystack?</h2>You’ve won a new contract, or need to grow your team…fast. Congratulations, that’s fantastic news! Like most Microsoft Partners, you need to hire quickly and efficiently, but you know the market is candidate driven, which means finding good people is difficult…. not such fantastic news. If you’re struggling to find good talent, you aren’t alone. We’ve been helping Microsoft partners to find the best talent available in the market for the past 20 years.Having Partner status doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get the best talent…In fact, some of the best talent in the market have never applied for a role online or put their CV on a job board.Fact.That’s where we come in, we can introduce you to people you traditionally won’t have been able to reach. How?...

<h2>Finding you the right people is kind of our speciality…</h2>You know the drill, you’ve got to find new team members with specialist skills, like, yesterday. You’re already inwardly groaning because you know you’re going to have to trawl through hundreds of C.V’s that aren’t the right fit…and time is not on your side.It doesn’t have to be that hard.<h2>Making your hiring process almost painless (you still have to do the interviews)</h2>We know that trying to reverse engineer a person into a job spec, doesn’t work. If it did, hiring new talent would be easy! Which is why we don’t believe in job descriptions. They only describe the job, not the person you’re looking for.<h2>The right people, every time</h2>When you work with us, we’ll make sure we understand your needs really well. In fact, if we can’t talk to the hiring manager about a role, we won’t take the role on. Yes, talking to the hiring manager really is that important in your search to find new talent.<img src="/figure-purple-unicorn.png" alt="figure-purple">

<h2>We won’t flush your career down the toilet</h2>We get it, you’re either constantly approached for roles that aren’t suitable, or you just want someone to understand your career goals and put your needs before a sale.

<h1>Resources</h1>We help the Microsoft community to progress their careers, and Microsoft Partners to find the most sought-after skills in the market.

TERMS OF BUSINESS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF PERMANENT, OR CONTRACT, STAFF 1. &nbsp;DEFINITIONS1.1.&nbsp;In these Terms of Business the following definitions apply:“Applicant”	means the person introduced by the Agency to the Client for an Engagement including any officer or employee of the Applicant if the Applicant is a limited company and members of the Agency’s own staff;“Client” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;means the person; firm or corporate body together with any subsidiary or associated Company as defined by the Companies Act 1985 to which the Applicant is introduced;“Agency”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;means MS Talent Ltd, of 85 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LT“Engagement”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;means the engagement, employment or use of the Applicant by the Client or any third party on a permanent or temporary basis, whether under a contract of service or for services; under an agency, licence, franchise or partnership agreement; or any other engagement; directly orthrough a limited company of which the Applicant is an officer or employee“Introduction”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;means (i) the Client’s interview of an Applicant in person or by telephone, following the Client’s instruction to the Agency to search for an Applicant; or (ii) the passing to the Client of a curriculum vitæ or information which identifies the Applicant; and which leads to an Engagement of that Applicant;“Remuneration” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;includes base salary or fees, guaranteed and/or anticipated bonus and commission earnings, allowances, inducement payments, the benefit of a company car and all other payments and taxable (and, where applicable, non-taxable) emoluments payable to or receivable by the Applicant for services rendered to or on behalf of the Client. Where the Client provides a company car, a notional amount of £6,000 will be added to the salary in order to calculate the Agency’s fee.1.2.&nbsp;Unless the context requires otherwise, references to the singular include the plural.1.3.&nbsp;The headings contained in these Terms of Business are for convenience only and do not affect their interpretation.2. &nbsp;THE CONTRACT2.1.&nbsp;These Terms constitute the contract between the Agency and the Client and are deemed to be accepted by the Client by virtue of an Introduction to, or the Engagement of an Applicant or the passing of any information about the Applicant to any third party following an Introduction.2.2.&nbsp;These terms contain the entire agreement between the parties and unless otherwise agreed in writing by a director of the Agency, these Terms of Business prevail over any other terms of business or purchase conditions put forward by the Client.2.3 No variation or alteration to these Terms shall be valid unless the details of such variation are agreed between the Agency and the Client and are set out in writing and a copy of the varied terms is given to the Client stating the date on or after which such varied terms shall apply.3. &nbsp;NOTIFICATION AND FEES3.1.&nbsp;The Client agrees:a) &nbsp;To notify the Agency immediately of any offer of an Engagement which it makes to theApplicant;b) &nbsp;To notify the Agency immediately that its offer of an Engagement to the Applicant has been accepted and to provide details of the Remuneration to the Agency; andc) &nbsp;To pay the Agency’s fee within 14 days of the date of invoice.3.2.&nbsp;Except in the circumstances set out in clause 5.1 below, no fee is incurred by the Client until the Applicant commences the Engagement when the Agency will render an invoice to the Client for its fees.3.3 The Agency reserves the right to charge interest on invoiced amounts unpaid for more than14 days at the rate of 8% per annum above the base rate from time to time of NatWest Bank from the due date until the date of payment.3.4&nbsp;The fee payable to the Agency by the Client for an Introduction resulting in an Engagement is the amount equal to 20% of the Remuneration applicable during the first 12 months of the Engagement.&nbsp;VAT will be charged on the fee if applicable.3.5 In the event that the Engagement is for a fixed term of less than 12 months, the fee in clause3.4 will apply pro-rata.&nbsp;If the Engagement is extended beyond the initial fixed term or if theClient re-engages the Applicant within 6 calendar months from the date of termination of the first Engagement the Client shall be liable to pay a further fee based on the additional Remuneration applicable for the period of Engagement following the initial fixed term up to the termination of the second Engagement or the first anniversary of its commencement, whichever is the sooner.3.6 If the Client subsequently engages or re-engages the Applicant within the period of 6 calendar months from the date of termination of the Engagement or withdrawal of the offer, a full fee calculated in accordance with clause 3.4 above becomes payable.4. &nbsp;REFUNDS4.1.&nbsp;In order to qualify for the following refund, the Client must pay the Agency’s fee within 14 days of the date of invoice and must notify the Agency in writing of the termination of the Engagement within 7 days of its termination.4.2.&nbsp;If the Engagement terminates before the expiry of 12 weeks from the commencement ofthe Engagement (except where the Applicant is made redundant) the fee will be refunded in accordance with the accompanying Scale of Refund set out in the schedule to these Terms of Business.4.3.&nbsp;In circumstances where clause 3.6 applies the full fee stated in clause 3.4 is payable and there shall be no entitlement to a refund.5. &nbsp;CANCELLATION FEE5.1 If, after an offer of Engagement has been made to the Applicant, the Client decides for any reason to withdraw it, the Client shall be liable to pay the Agency a minimum fee of 5% of the Remuneration where the annual Remuneration is £20,000 or less, 10% of the Remuneration where the annual Remuneration is between £20,001 &amp; £50,000, and 15% of the Remuneration where the annual Remuneration is £50,001 or more.6. &nbsp;INTRODUCTIONS6.1.&nbsp;Introductions of Applicants are confidential.&nbsp;The disclosure by the Client to a third party of any details regarding an Applicant introduced by the Agency which results in an Engagement with that third party within 6 months of the Introduction renders the Client liable to payment of the Agency’s fee as set out in clause 3.4 with no entitlement to any refund.6.2.&nbsp;An introduction fee calculated in accordance with clause 3.4 will be charged in relation to any Applicant engaged as a consequence of or resulting from an introduction by or through the Agency, whether direct or indirect, within 6 months from the date of the Agency’s Introduction.6.3.&nbsp;Where the amount of the actual Remuneration is not known the Agency will charge a fee calculated in accordance with clause 3.4 on the minimum level of remuneration applicable for the position in which the Applicant has been engaged with regard to any information supplied to the Agency by the Client and/or comparable positions in the market generally for such positions.7. &nbsp;SUITABILITY AND REFERENCES7.1.&nbsp;The Agency endeavours to ensure the suitability of any Applicant introduced to the Client by obtaining confirmation of the Applicant’s identity; that the Applicant has the experience, training, qualifications and any authorisation which the Client considers necessary or which may be required by law or by any professional body; and that the Applicant is willing towork to work in the position which the Client seeks to fill.7.2.&nbsp;At the same time as proposing an Applicant to the Client the Agency shall inform the Client of such matters in clause 7.1 as they have obtained confirmation of. Where such information is not given in paper form or by electronic means it shall be confirmed by such means by the end of the third business day (excluding Saturday, Sunday and any public or Bank holiday) following save where the Applicant is being proposed for a position which is the same as one in which the Applicant has worked within the previous five business days and such information has already been given to the Client.7.3.&nbsp;The Agency endeavours to take all such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that the Client and Applicant are aware of any requirements imposed by law or any professional body to enable the Applicant to work in the position which the Client seeks to fill.7.4.&nbsp;The Agency endeavours to take all such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that it would not be detrimental to the interests of either the Client or the Applicant for the Applicant to work in the position which the Client seeks to fill.7.5.&nbsp;Notwithstanding clauses 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 above the Client shall satisfy itself as to the suitability of the Applicant and the Client shall take up any references provided by the Applicant to it or the Agency before engaging such Applicant.&nbsp;The Client is responsible for obtaining work permits and/or such other permission to work as may be required, for the arrangement of medical examinations and/or investigations into the medical history of any Applicant, and satisfying any medical and other requirements, qualifications or permission required by law of the country in which the Applicant is engaged to work.7.6.&nbsp;To enable the Agency to comply with its obligations under clauses 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 above the Client undertakes to provide to the Agency details of the position which the Client seeks to fill, including the type of work that the Applicant would be required to do; the location and hours of work; the experience, training, qualifications and any authorisation which the Client considers necessary or which are required by law or any professional body for the Applicant to possess in order to work in the position; and any risks to health orsafety known to the Client and what steps the Client has taken to prevent or control such risks. In addition the Client shall provide details of the date the Client requires the Applicant to commence, the duration or likely duration of the work; the minimum rate of remuneration,expenses and any other benefits that would be offered; the intervals of payment ofremuneration and the length of notice that the Applicant would be entitled to give and receive to terminate the employment with the Client.8. SPECIAL SITUATIONS8.1&nbsp;Where the Applicant is required by law, or any professional body to have any qualifications or authorisations to work in the position which the Client seeks to fill; or the work involves caring for or attending one or more persons under the age of eighteen, or any person who by reason of age, infirmity or who is otherwise in need of care or attention, the Agency will take all reasonably practicable steps to obtain and offer to provide copies of any relevant qualifications or authorisations of the Applicant, two references from persons not related to the Applicant who have agreed that the references they provide may be disclosed to theClient and has taken all reasonably practicable steps to confirm that the Applicant is suitable for the position.&nbsp;If the Agency is unable to do any of the above it shall inform the Client ofthe steps it has taken to obtain this information in any event.9. LIABILITY9.1 The Agency shall not be liable under any circumstances for any loss, expense, damage, delay, costs or compensation (whether direct, indirect or consequential) which may be suffered or incurred by the Client arising from or in any way connected with the Agency seeking an Applicant for the Client or from the Introduction to or Engagement of any Applicant by the Client or from the failure of the Agency to introduce any Applicant.&nbsp;For the avoidance of doubt, the Agency does not exclude liability for death or personal injury arising from its own negligence.10. LAW10.1 These Terms are governed by the law of England &amp; Wales and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England &amp; Wales.SCHEDULE: SCALE OF REFUND1. &nbsp;The following scale of refund only applies in the event that the Client complies with the provisions of clause 3.1 of these Terms of Business.2. &nbsp;Where the Applicant leaves during the first 12 weeks of the Engagement, a partial refund of the introduction fee shall be paid to the Client in accordance with the scale set out below, subject to the conditions in clause 4.1.Week in which theApplicant leaves% of introduction fee refunded1 - 2 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;90%3 - 4 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;80%5 - 6 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;60%7 - 8 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;40%9 - 10&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20%11 - 12 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;10%3. &nbsp;There will be no refund where the Applicant leaves during or after the 13th week of the Engagement.

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