SAP jobs are growing in Canada and around the world. Above: Canadian Flag made out of maple leaves – Photo Courtesy: Mike Gabelmann
Canada’s IT job market is growing in leaps and bounds with many job opportunities opening up in SAP software development and consulting. Being a SAP consultant is a fairly prized position that’s both lucrative and challenging. But the marketing is becoming increasingly competitive, which means that you won’t be able to land a consulting job if you don’t have the right skills and experience.
Here are some pointers to keep in mind if you’re thinking about this particular career path:
Focus right from the start
Consultants usually come in one of two forms: functional or technical. Ideally, you should have skills in both, but your area of expertise should focus only on one. Your qualifications and experience will usually determine which one is your specialization.
According to ERPTips.com, functional consultants tend to focus on areas such as finance, customer relationship management and supply chain management. Technical consultants, on the other hand, usually focus on development and engineering aspects. There are various positions for either specialization across Canada, no matter which side you lean towards.
Understand business intelligence
According to ERPTips.com, business intelligence has impacted all SAP roles, so you need a strong understanding of what it is and how it works. Data has become a valuable resource all over the world; it’s almost considered the new oil. Business pays big money to have their data managed, analyzed, and stored. A consultant plays a vital part in this process. According to Wired Magazine, you need to understand how business intelligence can help organizations, as well as how to solve specific data challenges. You’ll also need to know a fair deal about cloud architecture and development.
Get hands-on experience
In order to land a SAP consultant job, you’ll definitely need SAP implementation experience. This usually requires two to four years of solid practical experience with an SAP project. These skills will differ, depending on whether you have functional or technical experience. For example, functional consultants will need a hands-on background in product configuration and complete life cycle implementation whereas technical consultants need experience in customizing reports and developing third-party interfaces.
SAP FICO
Finance and Control are vital aspects of any business enterprise, and FICO represents the same here. If you are interested in developing a career in finance, it would be advisable for you to master the SAP FICO modules and to also obtain FICO certification in order to cement your job security in this field.
However, having expertise in SAP’s FICO software doesn’t imply that you can go for the ‘numbers’ side of finance only. In fact, there are a number of SAP FICO related jobs in Canada, and the rest of the world, where you could become a SAP FICO systems analyst or a consultant for an established organization.
If you meet these requirements, your career as a sought-after SAP consultant is practically assured. To get started, post your resume on Canada’s job boards and send it to recruitment agents. Being a consultant is a highly skilled position, and there are plenty of well-paid opportunities across Canada, and throughout the world.
Written by Ang Lloyd on behalf of SAP Careers, a niche job board that advertises specialist SAP-related jobs in Canada, South Africa and Ireland, and other destinations around the world.
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