Microsoft MVP and MCT EY Kalman joins us in the Biz Apps Classroom to discuss Microsoft's Applied Skills and Applied Labs, his view on the employment landscape, and some tips on making yourself a more attractive candidate.

Topics of the discussion include:

• Microsoft certifications and their value for landing a new job.
• Other ways EY's team evaluates candidates based on technology, roles, and other considerations.
• Why EY believes the PL-200 is a good starter exam for candidates, even if they are new to Microsoft Business Applications. 
• Whether college matters when hiring for Business Applications consulting roles.
• How to interpret the completion of Applied Skills by a candidate.
• Why Applied Skills can be a headache for more experienced Microsoft professionals
• EY's recent experiences finding skilled candidates to fill his firm's open roles
• Tips for building your skill set without an employer

Resources:

• https://thecrm.ninja

• See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here.
• Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting  https://365l.ink/MSDW.
• Keep up with community content at  https://mydigest.365.training/

With DynamicsCon Live fast approaching, we check in with Dynamics User Group's Ryan Harris for a quick update on the event, which runs from May 13 to 16. 

Ryan tells us about the planning and offers some suggestions on how to attendees can take advantage of the event's layout and features to get the most out of the week. He also previews some of the schedule highlights like the TechFluent Gala on Tuesday, May 14.

And listen closely to this short episode because at the end we explain how to enter to win one of MSDW's two free passes to DynamicsCon Live. 

Microsoft introduced three tiers of new partner benefits packages in January 2024 that were designed for partners to purchase to help meet different types of channel needs. Our guest on this episode, Microsoft MVP AJ Ansari of DSWi, has been looking closely at these benefit levels and joins us to share some of his observations about the elements of each offer, the value of different options, and how different kinds of organizations might be able to use them to their advantage. We also discuss what these offers say about Microsoft's channel engagement priorities today and how they differ from other programs and incentives.

Events and resources mentioned:

• Comparing partner offerings
• Directions North America
• DynamicsCon Live
• DynamicsMinds
• Days of Knowledge Central
• BCTechDays

Microsoft MVP Malin Martnes has spent considerable time exploring the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Data) Specialist certification and its exam, MB-260, and she has discovered that the required subject matter is vast. In this episode, Malin tells us about her experience working with clients on the D365 Customer Insights Data application, her efforts to cover the topics of MB-260 on her blog, as well as more general Microsoft certification exam recommendations.

Show Notes

• 7:45 - Malin's view of with the MB-260 exam and certification: how it compares to others and whom it is for
• 10:30 - Who is well prepared to take it?
• 13:00 - How to organize your efforts toward preparing for the exam
• 16:00 - Why correct answers on Microsoft exams don't always seem logical
• 17:45 - Good entry points for this certification
• 23:00 - The challenge of getting customers motivated to use Customer Insights
• 27:30 - Malin's blogging plans for the year

Resources:

• Malin's blog - https://malindonosomartnes.com/
• MaCoTra (Malin's firm) -  https://macotra.no/
• Malin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/malinmartnes/
• Her book about D365 Customer Insights Journeys (Marketing) - https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Microsoft-Marketing-Functional-Consultant/dp/1803234601

• See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here.
• Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting  https://365l.ink/MSDW.
• Keep up with community content at  https://mydigest.365.training/