You are an
experienced SAP Consultant,
novice in the field, or an
aspirant looking for a great career ahead, you will need to write CV, no matter you agree with its usefulness in current times or not when
LinkedIn has almost replaced its need. While you look for the templates, you’ll find number of formats (document and online) – most probably each providing space to write your Career Objective(s).
Having reviewed variety of CVs of SAP Consultants, suggested them in correcting some of common mistakes, and helped them in presenting themselves better in job market, I see the section a good place for SAP Professionals to tell
what really they want to achieve in their careers to their audience – insisting on seeing the CV and not the better ways of assessing the candidature.
Here’s what you could do, to write your career objective
better.
Experienced Consultant
If you are an experienced
consultant, you may have worked at number of projects and on different roles. While on the job you would possibly have faced situations, like everyone else, which you loved most or didn’t like at all. Recall all of those pleasant (and even unpleasant) experiences, summarize them in points, and choose few which you think you could perform better if a similar opportunity arises in future once again. Once figured out, think of and write down
- Context: what are the usual challenges which could be addressed by the job you think you could perform better?
- Justification: why you think you could do such job better than others – offering the same skillset?
- Proposition: how you could help your potential employer in resolving his/her problem?
- Reference: what did you do in past on similar role and how did you helped your previous / past employer?
As soon as you have answered the above questions, you could tell your audience what you have on offer, calling him/her to an action to contact you to know more about your qualifications.
Example: SAP Project Manager
A typical challenge SAP Customers have is to drive and deliver an implementation project. They may have hired a consulting business to implement the technical solutions but may not have someone who could mediate between the business and external partner.
If there is a challenge, there is a solution. A business may have challenge, which you could solve.
Now if you have managed SAP Projects before, you know how such challenge could be addressed. You therefore tell your prospective employer not only that you are a SAP Project Manager but tell what sets you apart from other such professionals. While you do so, you need to provide some sort of reference to win trust of the hiring manager.
For instance, you can see the big picture and know how to connect dots, you could mention it as your capability as a SAP Project Leader/Manager.
Junior Consultants
If you have started your SAP Career recently, most probably you would have followed either of these two paths; you took formal SAP training and joined an organization on some junior SAP role, or you were working with an organization on some other role and then shifted to SAP. Whatever your scenario is, if you are looking to grow your career and contacting employers for potential opportunities, you may need to write your CV with a clear objective. To do so you have to know
- Interest: why you chose a certain SAP module over other to learn?
- Reference: why you were selected by your employer?
- Testimonials: what you are most appreciated for at your work?
- Differentiation: what have you done which others haven’t?
If you manage to answer these questions, you can tell your potential employer why you are different than many others just through your career objective.
Example: SAP Specialist
There is a large number of SAP services providers and customers with various business models. While some of them require highly skilled and experienced SAP Consultants, there are many – usually with low budget, who can’t afford to hire a Senior Consultant for tedious tasks. They need people who have basic SAP Skills and some Business Knowledge to do routine work.
While Seniors Design a Solution, the Juniors could help in Developing it.
So if you could identify such need in the market, you could present yourself better to your to-be employer highlighting your area of interest, your current contributions and endorsements, as well as your best work.
For instance, you can mention in your career objective that you have attended a SAP Training, have an interest in a Business Function, have some / any experience of the tool or process, have learned why and how a SAP Solution is supporting certain Processes.
To-Be Consultants
If you are a fresh graduate and yet have to start your career, and have learned of SAP (while exploring your options) as one of lucrative choices, you must be wondering how to break into its job market. You therefore like to show your interest to your employer – a SAP practice. However, when you start looking, you find yourself nowhere; you don’t know how to write your CV let alone to take up a suitable position. Well, it is challenging situation I completely agree and, since I have faced it once when I started my career, I know how it frustrates. Let me help you, at least, with taking your first step i.e. to identify and writing your career objective in such circumstances. To do so, try to answer the following questions;
- Qualifications: what is your educational background?
- Specialization: what majors did you choose and why?
- Interests: which subject was your most favorite?
- Reference: how good you performed overall, in your specialization and in your best subject?
If you have answers to these questions, which you surely will have, you can express your interest to your future employer.
Example
Some of large businesses hire trainees, and develop them over time while engaging and rotating them on different jobs. Such employers usually look for outstanding graduates. If you are among such group, you may have brighter chances to be hired. However, if you are not, for any reason, you still could approach SAP Partners and Customers for internship.
SAP Solutions cover number of industries and support various processes, including those you learned.
Anyways, to proceed, start reading overviews of SAP Solutions, available at its website. You don’t need to know any detail, just spend some time to learn which of the solutions are related to your background. It’ll help you in defining how you could excel in certain module.
For instance, you have a Commerce / Finance background, you may know SAP has a Solution to support Finance Processes. You could tell how your educational background, your knowledge of and interest in a related SAP solution has some match, and just as you did great in your studies in Accounting and IT you’ve potential to perform same in your career. You may possibly refer to the assignments you did during your degree education.
That’s it for identifying and writing your career objective. However, there’s a last note which is also relevant to what I said above.
From time-to-time I receive many queries from SAP Consultants on how best they could present themselves in the job market. It is often difficult to respond promptly howsoever best I try. Considering such a limitation, I’ve started a series of career tips and blogs at different forums to extend my help to wider fellow SAP Community. To keep abreast of the new tips, you may follow me
here.
My current post is among such entries to help Consultants at different career levels. If you think the above tips have helped you, these may help other Consultants as well. Share to help them and comment to help me in improving my future blog entries. Wishing you a good career!
