Job for Consultant: Re: [sap-career] Which Module of SAP is suitable for me?

jeudi 1 décembre 2011

Re: [sap-career] Which Module of SAP is suitable for me?

Posted by indaona (Mr)
on Dec 1 at 3:45 AM

Thanks Roy for your realistic advices to 'freshers' about the SAP job market. We need people to understand that getting certified is not the always the best starting point particularly in FICO where business experience is quite invaluable to any consultant. Some people are misled into taking a certification course but end up disappointed after it dawns on them that there are no short cuts in the SAP environment especially if one wants to be a consultant!

---------------Original Message---------------
From: Roy Brookes
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2011 3:06 AM
Subject: Which Module of SAP is suitable for me?

Hi Niranja,

OK, I understand your view. The thing you have to remember is that you do not help the newcomers by giving them false hopes or letting think that it is easy to get a foot on the ladder. It is not, as you should know and I certainly do. I try to give these guys a healthy dose of reality. Too many people on this forum, not you but others, just blithely say "Oh, you can do SD or FI" or whatever without pointing out that doing certification is not even half the battle. Studying and getting certified costs time and money and at the end of it you have a freshly-certified "consultant" sitting on the bench bitter because his certificate has not opened any doors for him and he cannot get a job. Then you get posts from these guys (not just here but on many other forums) saying "SAP should help us" or "the seniors should help us", forgetting that SAP and we are under no obligation to help anybody to get into a job for which he is not qualified by a combination of learning and experience. Consultants sell expertise. You cannot sell that unless you are an expert in your field and a bit of theoretical learning does not make you an expert but years of hard work at the coal face does. When I started as an SAP consultant I already had nearly 30 years of accounting and finance experience behind me, having worked my way up from accounts clerk to finance director. In SAP terms I was a beginner but I had a business background and plenty of subject knowledge which I could bring to bear to learn SAP quickly. After all, it is only another piece of software and I had used many different systems over the years. When I started we used to do spreadsheets with a big piece of paper and a pencil, and that is how I put standard costing into a factory. When you have done stuff like that you understand the processes and can translate them into what is really happening on the ground. Then, when you are faced with doing CO-PC (product costing) you start from the basis that you know what the end result should be, and all the steps along the way. That is just one example. I could go on all day, but I hope you have got my point. Tell it like it is and you will help the newcomers much more. If someone has some experience tell him how to capitalise on it and turn it to account.

Yesterday I did an interview for a job in France in CO-PA. Although I am a recognized expert I still had to go through the whole process because the client wants to be sure he is getting an expert. The interview was 50% in the French language to test my skill in that too because I would have to interact with key users from the finance department, which means speaking technical, accounting and business French. I passed the test, of course, but what I am saying is that even we seniors have to jump through the hoops and prove ourselves all the time. This was just the first interview and there will be at least another one before I get the job, if I get it. They may find someone cheaper or more local. It is a hard world out there. I hope this helps you and others.

Regards,
Roy Brookes FFA,
FInstBA,SAP Financials Expert

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