The word ‘consultant’, especially in IT/Tech companies, is enough of a hint towards a high-growth, lucrative career path. One of our alumni, Muskan Dhingra, graduated from her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), specialising in HR, in 2020. Today, she is an HCM consultant at a premiere Oracle implementation specialist, working on a large UK-based client.

Lets understand from her what exactly the role is, and how she got here.

Can you tell us a little about how you got here, and how you zeroed in on this career path? 

• After pursuing MBA, I had various options to choose from. I chose to work in an IT firm not only for the growth and career opportunities, but it would provide me with a platform where I could learn much more and forge an interesting career path for myself – one that merged my background in HR with the latest technologies and best practices in a world heavily influenced by tech.
• I had no idea of the role in the beginning. I didn’t know what Oracle was, how to work with Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP), or what a Human Capital Management (HCM) consultant should really be doing. That’s where Apps2Fusion came in. I started with basic ERP fundamentals course, and carried on from there. It gave me a solid foundation, and helped me build expertise Oracle HCM. I still go back to the training materials whenever I have a doubt.
• Immediately after that, I got absorbed in a UK-based project and got to work on multiple Oracle modules.

Describe to us a day in the life of an HCM consultant?

A day in my life looks like –

• I have a client-facing role wherein the work starts from analysing the client requirement TO the effective & efficient delivery of the demands and Change Requests
• Within the tenure of 12-14 months, I had hands on experience on 4-5 modules (Implementation and Support)
• Daily routine involves- development, deployment, testing, and reporting
• Basically, helping clients realise how the automated HR process is different from traditional HR process and the advantages of having such kind of transformation in terms of work process – easy, smooth, and cost and time effective.

3. Who else can be an HCM Consultant?

• Pre-requisite is having the Domain knowledge via MBA or any other course/degree specialising in human resources.
• It is a great opportunity for working professionals who have knowledge working in HR departments and those who wish to switch their profile to consultant.

4. What would your advice be to someone interested in making a career in consulting, where can they start? 

1. Basic Knowledge of ERP solution- Enterprise resource planning
2. Strong communication skill
3. HCM processes clarity- TA, Onboarding, absence management, Employee records, data management

• Anyone who is planning to build their career as a HCM consultant can enter this industry starting with concept & process clarity with the help of training sessions, workshops, videos.