Transitioning from HR to SAP HR: What Challenges and Opportunities Should You Expect?

Dear All,

I wanted to hear from those informed about the transition of an HR professional with 4-5 years of good multifaceted and functional HR experience into SAP HR. What are the perceived roadblocks and the prospects? Is certification helpful at this juncture? Appreciate it.

Regards,
Nalin

Hi all,

A similar question - I'm doing my PG in MBA (HR), I have an engineering background, is it beneficial if I go in for a SAP certification?

Thank you in advance

Hi all,

The best practice before you jump into SAP is:

1. Form your own circle of SAP friends.
2. Be a member of different SAP groups.
3. Until you are placed, do not exchange details of your own circle with anybody. The purpose is 'you better be placed then help others'.

SAP Certification will definitely help you out, but those Institutes/Companies that conduct training programs also sometimes offer quality programs. Before joining, make sure that the consultant is not a trainee. You cannot access experts during working hours, i.e., 0930 to 1800 hrs. In certain cases, you will find good trainers who work in UK/US shifts. I prefer more focus on quality training than SAP certification. You can study and go for certification in Singapore/USA, etc., and appear for Rs. 25,000/- only. References will introduce you to the SAP environment. Please ask me if you want any further clarifications at spsp_venky@rediffmail.com.

Regards,
Venkatesh

Hi Venkatesh,

Could you please recommend a few good consultants specializing in SAP-HR? Also, is it necessary to have functional experience before transitioning to SAP HR? If so, how many years of experience are typically required?

Regards,
Shashank

Hi,

I suggest that if you have a technical background, you may go for SAP HR. But at present, you should complete your MBA and gain hardcore HR experience of 4 years before moving into SAP. To be a SAP functional consultant, one needs to know the ins and outs of each and every HR activity, step, and process.

Regards,
Sapana

Hi Venkatesh,

You have suggested going for some certification. What sort of certification and where can I get info about it? I'm doing my MBA (1st year) and planning to get into HR. I have an engineering background and 2 years of experience - 1 year in manufacturing and 1 year in HR. Please guide me on what I should do apart from my regular course.

Bye with regards,
Suyog.

Hi Venkatesh,

Thanks for the info. Where would someone who has enough functional HR experience for about 4-5 years hope to get into an SAP project? Are there any particular firms that provide this chance?

Dear All,

In India, Siemens and Genovate are the two best-certified training centers for SAP and have locations at multiple places. The course is expensive but best done in India. In Singapore, the cost of the training and certification for SAP HR is almost 16,000 SGD, almost 5 lakh INR.

As for the functional experience - the moment one gets to understand the key steps in the concerned HR processes, the exposure is good enough.

Regards,
Nalin

Please speak to me at 09871295325 during slack hours only (2100hrs till 2330hrs). I will share my experience.

Venkatesh

Dear Venkatesh,

I came across your post on the Cite HR Forum. It was really informative.

I have completed a Masters in Personnel Management (Pune University) this year and am currently placed with an IT firm as an HR Executive. I wanted to know if there are any HR certification courses (preferably distance learning) that can be helpful in the future.

Please guide me on this. Awaiting your valued suggestions.

Warm regards,
Antara Chowdhury
antarachowdhury_82@yahoo.co.in
send4antara@gmail.com

Hi Venkatesh,

I went through the information on SAP HR careers provided by you. The information you provided has been really informative.

A couple of things I would like to know are:
- The best place where I can do training/certification in the Delhi region.
- For a starter in this field with functional experience of 4-5 years, would plain training suffice or is certification essential? What do you suggest?

Regards,
Jyoti

Hi,

You don't think an MBA is important, or you think it is not compulsory. Anyone can learn SAP. It is his education and experience that will take him to becoming a Configurator or Consultant.

Venkatesh

Hi Everyone,

I am a fresher in the HR field, so kindly forgive me if my suggestion seems incorrect to anyone. Sometime ago, while I was in my last semester of post-graduation in HR, I did inquire about SAP-HR. I learned two things: Firstly, there are many institutes that offer SAP courses in HR; however, only the SAP-HR certification from Siemens is considered valid in the job market, so I was advised not to join some other institute in a hurry. Secondly, I talked to the Siemens people about this: they said that doing SAP-HR is feasible only after I have at least 2 years of solid hardcore HR experience in a good corporate environment, not before.

Their fee is roughly around Rs. 3 Lakhs, and that would be a 6-week certification program, I believe, and that includes placement as well.