Sarah Jones's Speaker Profile @ Sessionize

Breaking into Consultancy and Freelancing

How do the two differ? How can you design your runway from full time in the weeds, to
attracting and retaining ideal clients? Identify your USP, build your flywheel and design where work fits into your lifestyle

We started a user group and gained 1,000 followers in 6 months! How to contribute to your community

Are you wondering what is the best way to contribute to your community? Podcast, blog, run a user group?

This light hearted and fun session will tell the story of two friends who wanted to create something fun. Something not too corporate, and a safe space where everyone is welcome, including first time speakers.

We’ll talk through our journey and how it’s even supported a transition into freelancing.

In this session you’ll hear our story about how we got started, from setting boundaries, finding a unique and meaningful name, getting the word out in a fun way (worst kept secret) and attracting speakers.

We’ll teach you all about consistency with branding, cadence of events, giving your speakers the VIP treatment and how to continuously grow your following from 0 to 1,000 and get nominated for a Microsoft Community Award within six months.

If you’re looking to start a thing, where you can have fun, learn and encourage others, this is the session for you!

We started a user group and gained 1,000 followers in 6 months!

Are you wondering what is the best way to contribute to your community? Podcast, blog, run a user group?

This light hearted and fun session will tell the story of two friends who wanted to create something fun. Something not too corporate, and a safe space where everyone is welcome, including first time speakers.

We’ll talk through our journey and how it’s even supported a transition into freelancing.

In this session you’ll hear our story about how we got started, from setting boundaries, finding a unique and meaningful name, getting the word out in a fun way (worst kept secret) and attracting speakers.

We’ll teach you all about consistency with branding, cadence of events, giving your speakers the VIP treatment and how to continuously grow your following from 0 to 1,000 and get nominated for a Microsoft Community Award within six months.

If you’re looking to start a thing, where you can have fun, learn and encourage others, this is the session for you!

Tables Turned - Interview with the Interviewer

In a world where AI written advice is widely available, how do you know what to believe? What’s the right advice to take?

In this session, a specialist recruiter turns the tables on a senior leader in the Microsoft BizApps space and asks the questions you can’t!

We’ll find out what are the top three things that should really stand out on your CV, dos and don'ts in an interview and what really makes the difference when selecting the right candidate?

We’ll also delve into how to develop a strategy to grow your team, where do you start? Seniors for maximum impact, or juniors to save costs? What is the right way to invest in sustainable growth?

You’ll come away from this session with the inside knowledge you need to make an impression at your next interview and get the role you want!

Get Noticed, Get Hired! Navigating Tech Careers with a Recruiter and a Career Switcher.

Whether you're a career switcher or thinking about your next move, this session will give you a real life account of a scientists journey into Power Platform as a career switcher, and a specialist recruiter's top tips for taking the plunge.

We'll discuss what it takes to switch, what to consider and what support is available.

You might already be in the Power Platform world and unsure what direction to go in...We'll also talk about what career options are available to you, architecture, leadership, freelance and how you can get the skills needed to get there!

You'll come away with market insights and actionable advice on making your next move, creating your personal brand and increasing visibility to get noticed by hiring managers.

Extra Life, Next Level: how Freelancing can maximise your income AND your work-life balance

Description
An eye opening session from a successful Power Pages freelancer and a Power Platform specialist career coach who has recently taken the leap to freedom!

Franco Musso has built a career as a freelancer, working for clients around the world by building a stand-out personal brand. Building in public means that business comes to him without any cold sales outreach. Franco is protective of his family and personal time and can teach others how to increase productivity, income and freedom.
Sarah Jones has a combination of careers advisory and sales experience in the Microsoft space. She will share tips and tricks with the audience to demonstrate how to communicate business value and attract clients. She will also talk about the practicalities of getting started and what you need in the run up to take the leap.

We’ll discuss the first principles of freelance, the key things you need to know to be successful, and actions you can take to fill any gaps.

Personal brand is one of the most important things you need to promote your business and we’ll show you how to become the ‘go-to’ for your niche services, and how to work towards building a niche if you don’t feel you have one. You’ll also learn how to build the toolkit and assets needed to free up your time and allow more life.

If you’re looking to build a business that supports the life you want, work from anywhere, anytime and choose how you do business, this is the session for you!

You’ll come away with a fundamental understanding of what your next steps should be if you’re serious about becoming a freelancer and living life on your terms with an uncapped income.

Make Your Resume and LinkedIn Shine Like a Diamond!

Your Resume and LinkedIn has one job - to get you an interview, and that's where it gets interesting! So, let’s give your profile and interview skills the glow up they deserve and make you shine like a diamond!

Recruiters, internal, external and AI will search using keywords as part of cold outreach and to shortlist applications, make sure you’re intentional about what your profile communicates and attracts the opportunities you deserve / attracts roles that are a perfect fit for you.
Interviewing for a role should be a two-way process and it's important for you to understand your motivations, non-negotiables and what your 2-5 year plan looks like, and what jumps along the way will get you there.

Sarah Jones is an experienced freelance technical recruiter, career coach and course creator. She is embedded within the Microsoft community as an event organiser and podcast host and is passionate about empowering women in tech.

This session will give you the best chance of securing your dream role. You'll develop a framework to slow down the job search process and take control. We'll dig deep into your WHY, understand your non-negotiables and navigate your job search strategy.

Career Strategy Health Check: Ask the Experts, are you doing the right things now, for your future?

The tech landscape as we know it is changing and so are roles within consultancies and end users. We can’t avoid conversations about disruptive AI, big tech layoffs and how we all need to adapt. But what are you doing about it? One thing is for sure, burying your head in the sand to see what happens isn’t an option!

Our panel of experienced AI and Microsoft industry experts and hiring managers, hosted by Sarah Jones will discuss the changes they’re seeing within their own organisations and advise what you can be doing to keep up with the market.
This interactive session will offer a generous amount of time to audience participation and ‘Ask us Anything’.

Host:
Sarah Jones – BizApps Career Coach
Panel:
Rosie Djurovic – Head of AI – Top 100 UK Law Firm
Heather Perriam – Power Platform Practice Lead, Microsoft Partner
Carl Cookson – Solution Architect and former Head of Power Platform
Franco Musso – Power Platform (Power Pages) Freelancer
Dan Barber - Founder & Principal Consultant @ Strathos

You will come away with confidence and knowledge of what the people who are reviewing you job application are actually looking for, and an understanding of what other options like contracting and freelance could mean for you.

Stand out in the Microsoft Business Applications Job Market

The Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 job market is changing, and so are the skills and experience employers are looking for. AI is having an impact on the way we work day to day and how recruitment teams search for candidates. Keeping your head down and hoping your next opportunity will find you is not a career strategy.

Sarah will share the trends she is seeing across the Microsoft ecosystem and offer practical advice on how to position yourself in the market. She will cover what makes a CV and LinkedIn profile stand out, how to present your experience clearly, and what recruiters and hiring managers are actually looking for.

The session will also explore how attending events, upskilling and building genuine relationships within the community can help you get noticed. More importantly, you will learn how to turn those activities into meaningful career opportunities rather than simply collecting connections, certifications or event badges.

This will be an interactive session, with plenty of time for audience participation and an "Ask Me Anything".

You will come away with:

• A clearer understanding of the current Power Platform and Dynamics 365 job market.
• Practical ways to improve your CV and LinkedIn profile.
• Ideas for becoming more visible within the Microsoft community.
• Advice on making networking, events and upskilling work for your career.
• Greater confidence in how you present yourself and approach your next opportunity.

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Sarah Jones

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