How to skyrocket your career with Nick Holthuijsen
Give some thought about the place you would like to be in your career. What does it take to get there and what are the specific skills you would need? Carving out your own career plan is highly encouraged by Avanade. Instead of leaving it to external circumstances, you will get more out of your career if you really think about what gives your work meaning and a purpose. If you are willing to take the next step, possibilities come along for you.

In this series, we will be highlighting the careers of Avanadi. Exploring what steps, they have taken to get where they are now and how they see the further development of their careers. This entry spotlights Nick Holthuijsen, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE Manager at Avanade. He lives in Hoofddorp with his girlfriend.

From intern to full-time employee
Nick first came across Avanade visiting an internship fair hosted by the University of Amsterdam: “The internship was part of my master’s degree in Information Science: Business Information Systems. I met with Avanade’s company representatives back in 2014 and finished my research internship with a paper on requirements in Scrum. What really made an impact on me was the willingness to think along and the support I received during this period. After my internship I accepted a full-time job offer from Avanade and joined the CRM Talent Community. To this day I like to work as a bridge between business and IT, to understand a customer’s process and give advice on improvements. I enjoy working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and PowerApps because of the out of the box features.”

Focus on growth
During his first project for Avanade, Nick was an analyst with a focus on software testing: “I took the opportunity to really get to know the system and become an expert in my field. Dynamic 365 allows you to customize solutions that benefit the customer and transform companies altogether. I was promoted to consultant and now a manager: coming from an analyst role I had 4 promotions in just 7 years. During my last assignment I had the responsibility of leading the project from beginning to end. Next to that I am a career advisor for multiple talents at Avanade. Something I aspired to be from the beginning of my career. I experience peer support in the best way possible and have my own career advisor who helps me grow as a professional and improve my skills.”

Working with the latest technology

In the future Nick would like to further develop his skills in career advisory and take on bigger projects: “I would like to have more responsibilities and work with different teams. I like a challenge and Avanade helps me with opportunities and new ways of working, always with the latest technology. Innovation is the cornerstone of growth and prosperity for businesses. I help companies with their business challenges and digital transition by doing what I love to do most. With this growth mindset I successfully achieved challenging experiences in my career.”

Click here for more information on careers at Avanade.