Illumiti Innovation Blog

What does it take to be hired as an SAP Consultant?

Date: February 18, 2021
By: Brian Jacobson

Young woman shaking hands

When an organization invests in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, it’s investing for the long haul—making a commitment for a solution that will sit at the center of the business for a long time. And when investing in an ERP solution, organizations are also investing in a partnership with SAP and the system integrator (SI). By trusting a qualified SI, your business will be building on a relationship that you’ll need to rely on for years—and with 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touching an SAP system, there’s a pretty good chance that an SAP solution is the right fit for your business.

So, it only makes sense to partner with an SI that brings the necessary talent.

Illumiti has been hiring highly talented SAP consultants for more than twenty years. It’s become a great opportunity to build a boundless career while helping clients develop and implement SAP systems to improve their business processes and outcomes. Our consultants determine client needs, create customized solutions, and smoothly integrate applications. It’s a career path that is growing and producing thousands of job opportunities just as SAP continues to grow.

There’s a host of things we look at when hiring the right talent to fulfill our needs and our clients’ unique needs.

 

How is a Consultant at Illumiti defined?

How an SAP Consultant is defined is fairly straightforward, but there are technical and functional aspects of the position that need to be understood. All of our consultants are smart and creative problem solvers and client-facing strategic advisors responsible for providing hands-on configuration and support. Some may provide a more technical approach—programming and software—to addressing client needs, while others focus on the functional areas of the SAP solution for optimal business management—finance, procurement, and supply chain, to name a few. Either way, our consultants bring a variety of perspectives and levels of experience that are beneficial for our clients.

 

What does a Consultant do at Illumiti?

Our SAP consultants are experts—or on their way to mastering a solution—focused on SAP software and specific modules. They advice clients in a variety of ways:

  • Understand current business challenges and current systems to propose a solution to improve their operations.
  • How best to use and get the most out of their new ERP solution.
  • Manage the implementation of projects and program software.
  • Manage teams and individuals.
  • Advice on SAP best practices and achieve business objectives.

Coworkers fist bumping

What type of background and experience is best suited, and what does our ideal candidate bring with them?

As an SAP Consultant at Illumiti, you’ll learn while you work and create a multitude of career opportunities. And as you grow with us, you’ll remain active and engaged. For the sake of our clients’ investments, we need to ensure your personal growth is top-of-mind to help you become a successful consultant.

Here are just a few of the traits and qualities we look for:

  • You should be hungry, smart, patient and humble, complemented by a good attitude.
  • Be an excellent communicator, verbally and in written form.
  • A strong business acumen and a post-secondary education from an accredited institution.
  • Hands-on experience with SAP configuration.
  • You have a background in Information Technology.
  • Eager to learn more—we want people who are continuously learning and improve their skills.
  • You’re technologically savvy, able to explain complex solutions to audiences with different levels of technological knowledge.
  • Experience with one or more SAP modules with an understanding of the business implications.
  • Customer service skills to provide clients with the help and guidance they need.
  • Both interpersonal skills and analytical skills

As mentioned, we expect you to be eager to learn new skills and software—it’s important, especially in an ever-evolving landscape. Plus, you’ll be expected to focus on being a valuable team player who possesses the right soft skills to interact with Illumiti team members and clients alike. Ideally, and

 

What technical skills are required?

For technical roles, candidates should have a technical background and an affinity to continuous learning. New technologies are always emerging, so candidates should demonstrate a desire and drive to learn new skills and technologies. Skillsets and experience in a specific technology are required in addition to hands-on SAP configuration experience, as well as experience completing end-to-end implementations of SAP ideally within a consulting company.

 

How can you leverage current skills to make the transition (even if you’re not so techie), and if you’re not coming directly from another consulting-type position?

On occasion, we post positions that may require a level of experience that we can use to help an individual grow and learn. We understand how difficult it can be when making the transition to being a consultant, but with a lot of patience and dedication to learning an SAP product coupled with the right attitude, we’ll help you make this a very enjoyable, rewarding process.

 

Man at desk on computer

Is being a Consultant a typical “9 to 5 job?” Is consulting always glamourous?

Not always—that’s one answer for both questions. 

There’s a fair bit of work involved that can mean an intense work schedule, all driven by the need to meet important deadlines especially during implementations and go-lives. However, with flexible hours, a variety of different projects, and various industries and modules, we’ll always keep things interesting.

What’s exciting to many is that work can be accomplished remotely, whether from your home or one of our offices, and will often require travel to client sites—this means globally and at some exotic locales (think of a new mine in the remote jungles of Mexico) far removed from the comforts of a city. At the end of the day, the focus must always be on doing whatever it takes to make the client successful at implementing their new solution. 

 

Consulting is challenging work. Will a candidate’s abilities be stretched to the limit?

As a consultant, as with many positions with great responsibilities, you’ll occasionally face challenges that will push your skillsets to the limit. But these are also considered exciting aspects of the role. You’ll learn to think differently but you won’t do it al alone—there is an incredible support system at Illumiti and you’ll always have access to other skilled team members and senior level personnel to support you. As you grow in this role, you’ll experience the reward of deeper expertise, coupled with the satisfaction of seeing how your efforts contribute to the success of others. 

And, of course, you’ll be well compensated—for your passion, commitment, and desire to meet a client’s needs, all while being empowered for personal growth.

As a Consultant, and in addition to being asked to deliver great products, many are asked if they will also be contributing to supporting new business. The answer is “yes.” Our consultants are often asked to contribute to other aspects of our business, since their expertise and knowledge may lend well to areas like pre-sales and demonstrations geared for potential new clients.

 

What’s the difference between Solution Based and Staff Augmentation?

With our Solution-based services, we commit to delivering a strategic outcome to our clients with a clear and defined scope where pricing is tied to the services levels and volumes. With Staff Augmentation, we provide a capable resource who will perform a specified activity with an already existing team with pricing tied only to hours worked—the customer manages the delivery and maintains the responsibility for outcomes. 

 

Ready to lead the way in powering the intelligent enterprise? Eager to help a variety of clients solve complex business challenges? Want to take charge of your career?

Learn more about Illumiti and SAP, and discover more about SAP’s training and certification. And check out our career openings. We can’t wait to hear from you.

About the Author

Brian Jacobson

Stay in the know.

Let’s Talk!

Is “digital transformation” just a buzzword? Thoughts from a tech CEO on how we can give meaning back to the phrase

When an organization invests in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, it’s investing for the long haul—making a commitment for a solution that..
Read More

SAP SuccessFactors Talent Management: An Introduction to Recruiting and Onboarding Modules

When an organization invests in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, it’s investing for the long haul—making a commitment for a solution that..
Read More