How to Become a Successful SAP Consultant

In 2021-22, the most promising places in India for successful SAP consultants to work are Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Noida, Chennai, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi, in that order. The pay packet in Hyderabad is almost 10 lakhs per annum and comes down to 8,25000 lakhs per annum in Delhi. The present average base salary of an SAP consultant in India is 861000 per year and it will increase by end of 2022 as per market research. Of course, the qualifications, skills, and area of expertise of the applicant make a huge difference to the pay packet and boost the negotiating options.

How Popular is the SAP software?

More than the top 300 companies in India use the SAP software and some of the most prevalent industries are automotive, healthcare, oil and gas, consumer products, engineering, industrial machinery, pharma, chemical industry, and more. Some of these companies offer flexible work schedules, a pleasant and cool workplace, hybrid working hours option, even remote work facilities. This is to attract and retain talent so that the organization grows into the top ranks.

It all started with the SAP company. The SAP Solutions company’s scope of work is increasing year on year and is one of the most active organizations in the world today. It has more than 500 companies executing SAP programming for this one company. SAP stands for Systems Applications and Products in data processing. It is also an alternative name for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software.

The main features of an SAP software system include:

• ability to integrate all business processes of the organization
• ability to combine or use SAP modules separately
• great system functionality
• advanced reporting system
• ability to build your software products within the system, SAP® mobile application development for instance
• client-server architecture
• ability to reconfigure tools to suit the specifics of the business.

What is the role of an SAP consultant?

An SAP consultant is a subject matter expert who contributes to businesses making a relevant decision about using the right software solutions. SAP is the short-term of system, application, and products. Most specialists hold their expertise in one or two fields of SAP modules. If the professional belongs to a finance background, they help in finance function areas of the business. However, if the professional belongs to an engineering background, then they work closely with SAP software. An SAP Consultant is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in one or more of the following domains of SAP, based on his or her educational background and skills. He or she gives guidance, recommendations, executes projects.

 4 Broad Categories of SAP consultants

• Business/ sales consultants
• SAP Functional Consultant – Finance, Accounts, SCM, HRM, Production and Operations Management, Sales and Marketing, Project Management
• Development Consultant
• SAP Basis consultant

All these consulting roles are important for all SAP projects. It is better to get trained in modules that can be directly linked to one’s educational qualifications, knowledge, and skills.

The SAP Domains and Modules always in demand in the business world, 2021-22

SAP has more than 25 modules and add-ons suitable for educational background and each area of expertise. There are many institutes providing training and certification programs for more than 30 modules of different domains. The Henry Harvin ERP Academy has nearly 40 training programs that cover all domains and modules of SAP. Henry Harvin is a Global Edtech company based out of the US and India with a customer base in 97+ Countries. It ranks amongst the Top 500 Edtech companies globally and Top 100 Edtech companies in India.

Some of the modules, in high demand in the business world now, are-

• SAP/HANA (High-Performance Analytic Appliance)
• SAP BI (Business Intelligence)
• SAP SCM (Supply Chain Management)
• SAP HCM (Human Capital Management)
• SAP FICO (Financial Accounting)
• SAP ABAP ((Advanced Business Application Programming)
• SAP MM (Procurement, logistics or SCM)
• SAP SD (Sales and distribution)
• SAP BASIS (Business Application Software Integrated Solution)
• SAP PS (Project Systems)
• SAP PP (Production Planning)
• SAP PM (Plant Maintenance)
• SAP Hybris
• SAP SuccessFactors
• SAP BW (Business Warehouse)
• SAP Fiori

Prerequisites to get a job as an SAP consultant

• Must be a graduate or post-graduate in a discipline, preferably Engineering, Computer Science, Business Administration from a reputed institute or university
• Basic Knowledge, training in Information Technology and Computers, if not a graduate from this branch of knowledge
• Basic knowledge of ERP tools
• Good Leadership skills, teamwork, collaboration, presentation skills, and Verbal and written communication skills
• Certification in domains and modules of interest, linked to knowledge and expertise

Job description of an SAP consultant

SAP consultants need to be aware of or derive the business needs of their clients. He or she should be capable of integrating the SAP applications with the IT infrastructure by creating/customizing the SAP solutions. An SAP consultant should also be able to document the SAP processes. The client expects his or her SAP consultant to optimize the business operations.

An SAP consultant should be able to –

• Develop and configure suitable SAP solutions
• Write scripts and programs to create user-friendly and enhanced functionalities.
• Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve issues
• Keep up with the latest developments and innovations in SAP
• Ensure compliance with the industry regulations
• Maintain detailed documentation of SAP processes and present reports on the progress of projects

Qualifications, domains, add-ons, and major functions

The table given below will help the aspirant link his/her qualifications, area of expertise, and skills.

Sl No	Function	Domain/Module	Additional Information	Preferred educational background
1.	Finance	SAP FI/CO+SAP s/4 HANA Finance, SAP RAR	SAP RAR is one of the latest concepts	MBA/M.Com (Finance), CA, ICWA, BBA/B.COM (Finance)
2.	Material Management	SAP EWM (extended warehouse management), SAP PM, SAP PM +SAP S/4 HANA Logistics	It provides strong support to projects. The increasing scope of work. Scope for good hikes in salary,	BBA/MBA/BCOM/MCOM with IT and Computers training
3.	Human Resources	SAP HR, HCM + SAP Success Factors	This is one of the latest technologies	BBA/MBA/BA/BCOM/MA/MCOM with IT and Computers training
4.	Administration	SAP Basis + SAP S/4 HANA Administration	There is a huge demand in this	BSC/MSc Computer Science BTech/MTech IT and computers and any other discipline
5.	Business Software	SAP BW +SAP BW4 HANA	Most of the  projects run on this	BSC/MSc Computer Science BTech/MTech IT and computers and any other discipline

The table that is given above states suggestions and combinations which can be tweaked or supplemented with more modules as per the interest, job, and experience of the SAP consultant.

Best companies using SAP

So, there is a list of some of the best organizations to work in as an SAP consultant according to some job portals. These could be national, multinational, SAP consulting providers or companies using the SAP software systems. The two lists given below are just sample indicators.

Top Six international SAP consulting providers available in India

Sl No	Name of the company	Rating	Head office	Office in India	Contact details /Mail ID
1.	SAP Solutions	5.0/5	Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, Germany	Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi	https://www.sap.com/india
2.	Accuity Inc	5.0/5	Evanston, IL, USA	Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Hyderabad	via Linkedin
3.	Dunn Solutions	4.8/5	Chicago, USA	Bengaluru	https://dunnsolutions.com/
4.	Boyum IT	4.8/5	Brabrand, Midtjylland, Denmark	Remote connect	+ 4540701180 or contact through Linkedin
5.	Navisite Services	4.7/5	Massachusetts, USA	Gurugram	[email protected]
6.	Dynatrace Consulting Services	4.7/5	Massachusetts, USA	Bengaluru	[email protected]

15 Best places  of work in India for An SAP consultant

Sl No	Name of Company	Rating	Location(s)	Industry
1	HPM Chemicals and Fertilizers	5/5	India	Manufacturing
2	Bluestream Software Solutions	5/5	India	IT services
3	Zenith Tech Labs	5/5	India	N/A
4	Metaphor Consulting	5/5	India	N/A
5	SAP Solutions	4.5/5	Five locations in India	Computer hardware and software
6	Schneider Electric	4.2/5	India	Energy
7	Titan Industries	4.2/5	India	Consumer products and manufacturing
8	Accenture	4/5	37 locations	consulting
9	IBM	4/5	37 locations	IT services
10	Tata Consulting Services	4/5	39 locations	Hardware and Software
11	NTT Data Business Solutions	4/5	19 locations	IT services
12	Deloitte	4/5	27 locations	Accounting
13	Fortis	4/5	India	Healthcare
14	Wockhardt	4/5	India	Healthcare
15	Mindtree Consulting (Larson and Turbo group)	4/5	9 locations in India	13 industrial consultants

Ladder of Success of An SAP consultant

As the diagram shows, there are seven rungs on the ladder of success in an SAP consulting organization. Each company has more or less the same hierarchy based on the scope and bandwidth of work. It takes 6 years and more to become a Senior consultant.

Salary of an SAP consultant

A fresher to the job can expect anything between Rs 2,50,000 to Rs 4,50,000 per annum with Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 as a yearly bonus from the start. As in any other job, it keeps increasing as the experience, certifications, and places of work keep increasing or changing. As stated earlier, the location of the job and the organization make a difference to the pay packet and other perks. An SAP consultant with 10 years of experience can get anything between 15 to 40 lakhs based on profile, skills, expertise, and the organization.  The seven highest paying companies in India, for an SAP consultant, are Tata Consulting Services, IBM, Accenture India, HCL Technologies, NIIT Ltd, Wipro, and Deloitte.

The starting point of an SAP consultant’s career

The following suggestions are more for freshers on starting their career as SAP consultants–

• Join a consulting company – If you have good business/domain knowledge, you could consider joining an IT consultancy company like IBM, Deloitte, Infosys. etc as a junior SAP consultants job.
• Join as a Trainee or in SAP support– Consider joining a company that has SAP implemented and work as a Trainee or support personnel. The company may later sponsor your SAP certification and training.
• Join SAP Project as a non-SAP person– Many SAP projects require skills outside of SAP. For instance, lots of projects require a data conversion individual. If you are good at database and SQL, you might consider joining the project and later teach yourself SAP.

SAP Consulting – Soft Skills crucial for Success

“ Business is clear that developing the right attitudes and attributes in people – such as resilience, respect, enthusiasm, and creativity- is just as important as academic or technical skills. In an ever more competitive jobs market, it is such qualities that will give our young talent a head start and also allow existing employees to progress to higher-skilled, better-paid roles.” – Neil Carberry, Director for Employment and Skills at CBI.

Universities and experts have researched extensively in 2020-21 to identify the crucial soft skills required to match the rapidly changing work culture and environment due to the pandemic, a new normal business world that is here to stay.

We have the growing online jobs, the mandatory off-line/in the office jobs and then there is the hybrid variety of jobs in which employees need to be flexible to adjust/adapt to the everchanging day-to-day work environment. Work, especially remote work, needs the strength and confidence given by soft skills. Between  March 2020 and May 2021, market research identified 10 types of largest remote and hybrid workforces and attributed 5 essential soft skills to each.

Based on the research recommendations as stated above, the growing number of SAP consultants (at any point or level of their career) require the following set of soft skills other than teamwork and collaboration, which have to be two very important components in the toolbox of an SAP consultant.

Desired skills

1. Work ethic and integrity – As a consultant, it is crucial to project a self-brand and lead by example. Qualities like honesty, ethics, hard and right work, self-motivation, time management, integrity, high personal values need to be exhibited constantly.

2. Interpersonal skills and Positive attitude – An SAP consultant is expected to be cordial, presentable in person and online, nurturing, empathetic, patient, sociable, and optimistic, and confident.

3. Flexibility, Professionalism, and Responsibility – Adaptability and adjusting to different projects and teams are expected from an SAP consultant. To keep up with the fast-developing and changing technologies, he or she needs to be a fast learner, accept new things. A professional has to be businesslike, well-groomed, poised, accountable, reliable, responsible, and be result-oriented.

4. Business communications (Verbal, non-verbal, and written) This is the “big umbrella” skill under which most of the other soft skills fall. In verbal communication, three important sub-skills needed to succeed as an SAP consultant are being assertive, adapting to the media through which communication takes place, and documentation skills. Assertiveness is to create a win-win situation between the speaker and the listener(s) through bold, enthusiastic, and confident expression and interaction. It helps in customer management too. Adapting to a medium of communication is about being aware that talking on the phone or video conferencing or face to face interaction or talking to a single person vs a group requires changes in voice modulation (volume, speed, clarity, etiquette) position, and posture. Grooming is essential in all situations. An SAP consultant must be thorough in documentation (must know how to store it)and email etiquette as these stand proof for work done or process adherence in the present/future and written communication is for posterity.

5. Presentation skills – This skill is a combination of oral/aural/ written communication, interpersonal skills, technical knowledge, and professional skills. A successful presentation builds relationships, broadens the clientele base and networking, projects a powerful and dynamic self-image, and promotes the work being done.

6. Critical thinking – This is the intellectual ability that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis, and evaluation to assess key information objectively. It helps in taking decisions, understanding whether to comply or resist a suggestion, proposal, or situation. Any plans, rules, and directions made for the organization need critical thinking skills. This skill also includes being objective and promotes analytical ability with an emphasis on logic and fact-based evaluating over feelings, resulting in clarity, thoroughness, productivity, and problem-solving.

7. Productivity- The SAP professionals manage work projects, so they are expected to display productivity and enhance the value of their on-site or remote work.

8. Leadership skills- Almost all the soft skills, qualities, and attributes listed here come under leadership skills. A person demonstrates qualities that help oversee processes, guide initiatives and steer employees toward the achievement of goals if leadership skills are there in him or her.

9. Time management- It is the ability to use time productively and efficiently in the workplace. Decision-making in time management is based on the 4Ds – Do, Defer (Delay), Delegate, and Delete (Drop).

10 Stress management – Stress management is about making changes to your life or reducing stress at work by practicing self-care and relaxation techniques. This helps in the increase of productivity, focus, and decision-making.

Three ways to strengthen soft skills –

• Assess self and understand the skills one already possesses. Psychometric tests help too and are available on the internet for free on some websites.
• Join training programs to learn the skills one needs to improve in.
• Observe people around and interact with those who are strong in some of the above skills and take tips.

Preparing for an interview for the job of an SAP consultant

The interview process is not the same across companies, across industries. It is a crucial stepping stone whether the person seeking the job is a fresher or an experienced professional. So here are some tips –

1. Research the job

     – Get a detailed job description

     – Make a list of daily tasks to be performed on the job

     – understand not only the hard skills but also the soft skills needed for the job

     – go through the website of the company, their vision, mission statements, their annual    reports, and whatever information is available

   – Understand the specifics of the company’s SAP landscape, the SAP modules being implemented and their versions. Check out their plans on improvements and innovations on SAP.

– Be ready with the latest trends of the industry.

2. Get to know the interview format from HR or the POC.

    – Structure of interview – number of rounds, types, etc

    – details of the interview panel

3. Get to know about the interviewers

  – Internet will help in getting the profiles of the interviewers

   – Check out their Linkedin, Facebook profiles

   – Understand their areas of interest and expertise especially in SAP

4. Prepare a cheat sheet of probable questions to be asked at the interview

   – Research on the typical technical/non- technical questions asked in an SAP consultant’s interview

 – Prepare personalized answers

 – If having prior work experience, pepper your answers with examples from work done in the past

5. Prepare a set of questions to ask the interviewers

  – If given a chance to ask questions at the end of the interview, don’t miss it. These questions show the level of interest and commitment to the job

6. Take care of logistics beforehand

    – Personal grooming and checklist on everything to be taken including food and water, if necessary

    – location, the time needed to travel and mode of transport

  – Ensure to have a soft copy and some hard copies of the CV 

    – Have enough sleep and relaxation so that an active, focused, energetic and pleasant image is presented at the interview

7. At the interview

– Have hard copies of your CV, any other documents, paper and pen arranged neatly, in front of you.

– Be conscious of body language and eye contact.

– Be honest and upfront in your responses. Don’t fake it! Admit if you don’t know.

8. Post the interview

– Seek feedback on your performance, if possible, whether you get the job or not. Take tips from the feedback for better performance.

These tips will help in boosting the confidence to face the interview!

 Conclusion

“Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine.” – By Peter Sondergaard

The number of industries using the SAP solutions will keep increasing as it gives information across all departments in real-time. SAP ERP system provides control on different business processes. The centralized system enhances productivity, provides better inventory management, endorses quality, decreases raw material cost, enhances effective HR management, reduces expenses, and ensures profits.

The forecast for the next five years is quite encouraging for SAP consultants. An aspirant for the job of an SAP consultant needs to be sure to fulfil the prerequisites of eligibility, keep learning, and strengthen himself/herself in the hard as well as the soft skills to keep up with the fast-growing new technologies and competition. There will be many new suites of products that will arrive that will build on top of the new S/4HANA platform. SAP will be increasing the functionality, and everything will be at least in Fiori in the next five to six years. Predictions are that more and more big pharma companies are going for SAP solutions.

Recommended Reads

• 10 Best SAP Training Institutes in India
• Top 15 SAP FICO Courses in Hyderabad with SAP Jobs for Freshers
• Top 35 SAP FICO Interview Questions and Answers
• 15 Best SAP HR Courses In India 
• Best 10 SAP Training Institutes in Delhi

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