Blog

​Speller International is running its Graduate and Career Changer Information Sessions for the second year, giving emerging SAP and ERP professionals a better understanding of the Australian market and where their career could go next. Jack Bland recently caught up with past attendee Feruz Akhmedov to talk about what he took from last year’s sessions, how they shaped his next steps, and why he thinks others should get involved.

​

Where I was in my SAP career before the sessions

When I first heard about the sessions, I was studying a master’s degree in Business IT after spending five years working as an SAP technical consultant. Before that, my studies were in mathematical engineering, so I wanted to learn more about the business IT side of SAP and understand where my experience could fit.

I saw a post about the program on Speller International’s LinkedIn page, and it caught my attention because I wanted to better understand how the Australian SAP market works. I was interested in whether the market was more focused on consulting, agencies, or direct employers, and I wanted to get a clearer picture of how everything connected.

What I wanted to understand about the Australian SAP market

I already had hands-on experience with SAP products and implementations, but I didn’t know as much about the broader SAP ecosystem in Australia. The sessions helped me understand where SAP sits in the market, where demand was coming from, and what employers were starting to look for.

One of the biggest things I took away was the insight into which SAP skillsets were most in demand. The area I had the most experience in was not one of the stronger areas at the time, but I realised that integration was becoming a really important space within technical SAP. That helped me decide where to focus next.

How the sessions helped me choose what to learn next

After the sessions, I decided to put more focus into SAP integration. I completed a couple of integration-related certificates and started to think about integration as its own specialist area, rather than just something that supported the development process.

With technologies like BTP and CPI becoming more important in SAP projects, it gave me a different perspective on where the market was heading. It also helped me take practical steps toward an area that I could see becoming more relevant in future projects.

The practical job-search advice I found most useful

The job-search advice was one of the most practical parts of the sessions for me. It wasn’t just about learning what SAP roles exist; it was also about understanding how to present yourself properly when you are trying to enter the market.

I found the advice around CV structure, interview preparation and confidence really useful. Speller sees so many CVs and speaks to so many employers, so hearing what makes a CV clear, what employers expect, and how to talk about your experience gave me a much better idea of how to approach the process.

Why hearing from industry professionals made a difference

Hearing directly from people already working in the SAP industry gave me the chance to ask questions I had been thinking about for a long time. It felt very open and candid, which made the advice more useful because I could ask about real situations and get practical answers.

One example that stood out was hearing Jonathan Thorpe talk about integration in a large company environment. He shared that they worked with more than 1,000 integration partners, which helped me understand that the reality of SAP projects can be much broader and more complex than what you might imagine from the outside.

The value of building my SAP network

The networking side of the sessions was also really valuable. I added industry professionals on LinkedIn, which made it easier to stay connected, follow what they were talking about, and see the kinds of skills and roles they were interested in.

I still keep in touch with some of the people I met through the sessions. If I need guidance on a particular technology or want to understand something better, I can reach out and get advice from people who are already working in the industry. That kind of access is hard to get when you are just starting out or trying to move into a new market.

My advice for graduates considering SAP or ERP

If you are a graduate or career changer thinking about SAP or ERP, I would say the sessions are worth attending. You can learn a lot from your studies, but these sessions add something different because they give you access to people working in the market and insights that are not always publicly available.

For me, the sessions helped connect my previous experience with where the SAP market was heading. They gave me a clearer view of where I could fit, what skills I should focus on, and how to take practical steps toward building a career in the Australian SAP ecosystem.

Speller International’s Graduate and Career Changer Information Sessions are designed to help emerging SAP and ERP professionals better understand the market, hear directly from industry leaders, and build the confidence to take the next step in their careers.

If you’d like to attend this years sessions, please sign up via our website - here