When it comes to searching for jobs within the IT industry, many professionals struggle to identify themselves as a prime candidate in a sea of experienced and qualified individuals. The easiest way to get ahead is to prove that you’re up to speed with the latest developments and when it comes to technology, smartphones are still the undisputed champions of progression.

For jobseekers, this means you need to consider how developments will continue to progress and how your skills can work in tandem with this. There are numerous software developers who are focusing on the mobile market so it’s important you keep an eye on their movements and the avenues which they explore when it comes to developing technology.

Only last month did tech giant’s Oracle announce that their systems would be responsible for the latest wave of mobile payments system. Originally a concept which was treated with some trepidation, mobile payments have slowly become more popular and Oracle has signed a deal with Zapp (who is co-owned by several UK high street banks) to equip them with the necessary IT infrastructure to build a sufficient platform for mobile phone payments.

Although the set-up won’t launch until next year, for anyone interested in working in a position which looks at utilising Oracle for UK market business, this is a highly important announcement. By recognising what this will mean for our future, you can find ways to get involved with it now and that may mean the difference between success and failure when applying for jobs.

The proposed system will aim to allow customers and retails to make and receive payments via their mobile phones, thus expanding the roles these items play in our lives. Making use of existing banking apps, the technology is a prime example of how modern technology is making use of existing expertise in the field.

For anyone with experience or qualifications in these areas, now could therefore be a prime time to search for relevant job positions which make use of Oracle software or systems as well as anything connected with mobile developments.

Statistics already suggest that 1.2 billion people used apps globally by the end of 2012 (according to Portio Research published March 2013) with this figure expected to increase by an annual amount of almost 30% to put it at 4.4 billion by 2017.

On top of this, research by Google/Ipsos from April 2011 found that mobile advertisements encourage 42% to click on the ad with a further 35% visiting the advertisers website and 32% searching for more information on their phone. Almost half, (49%) end up making a purchase while 27% call the business to speak to them directly.

This demonstrates the significance which the smartphone market has to businesses in general and makes it clear why jobseekers should continue to focus on these areas and the developments major firms like Oracle are making within them.