С помощта на собствена академия и обучения KPМG IТ Service привлича специалисти за голям ServiceNow екип
"What is an IT specialist? A person who fixes a problem you didn't know you had, in a way you don't understand". The old joke about developers clearly demonstrates that their work can sometimes be quite incomprehensible for people outside the industry. However, thanks to their skills, new technologies are introduced and implemented that support all businesses without exception, thus making them more digital and efficient and therefore more successful. There are tens of thousands of excellent software developers, IT specialists and consultants in Bulgaria, working on various projects for clients from all around the globe. Yet, their number is still insufficient. Every time the sector is mentioned, the old issue of manpower shortage is brought up. Professionals have the opportunity to choose between many employers, projects and technologies, and the companies which are able to offer them something new and challenging are usually preferred. KPMG IT Service believe they have found the right answer - they offer work on interesting projects for clients all over the world, on a rapidly growing platform - ServiceNow, as well as an opportunity for training and certification in some of the most sought-after technologies.
Dream Team
Years ago I lived in Berlin and applied for a job in the local KPMG ITS team. They offered me a position, but I had already decided to return to Bulgaria, and they mentioned the possibility of joining the company's Sofia team. As a result, in 2016, I came here when there were only 30 of us. I went through all stages of development within the company. Although it is a corporation, the teams have the dynamics of smaller flexible companies with a startup spirit and culture. A while ago I decided to transfer to ServiceNow from another team where I was working on software solution architecture. There were two reasons for changing my focus - the team and the platform itself. It has been on the market for a few years, but it is very promising and gaining momentum.
The main difficulty is the shortage of qualified personnel for ServiceNow, and we are working on building the team. The foundation we build on is very important, so that we can go beyond dozens of specialists. We have no concerns with regards to the projects, there are multiple interesting possibilities. ServiceNow has an important advantage - it covers many functionalities and modules, and almost all business processes within a certain organization can be implemented in the platform. It is not quite suitable for small organizations, but it is exceptionally good for medium-sized and large –scale ones and currently it has no alternative on the market. This is also its main strength.
We need ambitious people who are willing to develop and constantly learn. The best option, of course, would be to have some experience with ServiceNow, but for now this technology is exotic in Bulgaria. Our solution is to develop these people. We are looking for a variety of profiles. JavaScript specialists are better suited for platform development and various applications, while people possessing business experience and analysis are good at communicating with the customers, as well as translating business requirements into technical implementation. We are also looking for specialists to implement the solutions at the client’s site.
SPECIAL PROJECT FOR
IDEA AND EXECUTION
his year KPMG IT Service and ServiceNow significantly expanded their cooperation in the region, aiming at developing a large team of new experts for ServiceNow in Sofia. The American company's cloud platform provides a variety of solutions for digital transformation and business process management in areas such as IT, HR, GRC and ESG. KPMG IT Service is a leader in technological consulting and IT engineering services on the Bulgarian market, employing more than 400 specialists, and globally, KPMG has been an elite partner of ServiceNow for years. One of the main goals of the organization is to make ServiceNow consulting services and implementation an essential part of their business.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
MINKO MINKOV
TODOR ATANASOV
The expansion of the ServiceNow team has already brought examples of such specialists who have transferred from one skill to another within the company, as well as junior developers who have advanced exceptionally in this field within a very short period of time and are already working on international projects. One of them is Vasil Vasilev - a software architect who is currently transferring from the development and design of another platform to ServiceNow. He explained that the main reason for his decision was the team and the potential for development. "There is such a major demand for specialists that it is extremely important to establish a good team. This will bring opportunities for selection of interesting projects to work on," commented Vasil (refer to the box). Boris Paunov decided to change his job in another field and following a short training course in an external academy, he quickly made progress in ServiceNow, taking certifications in various technologies at KPMG ITS and continuing to develop constantly. "I like being part of a large international company with branches all over the world, which allows me to work with international teams on a daily basis," he said.
There is no specific limit set for the number of people the ServiceNow team will include by the end of this year, but the minimum will be at least 20. In time, with the support of the academy, their number could reach a hundred. This will turn the KPMG IT Service's Sofia hub into one of the leaders for such solutions on the European market.
Main priority - talent development
So far I have obtained four major certificates and dozens of minor ones. And that's just the beginning
Typically, the KPMG ITS team dedicated to the implementation of a ServiceNow solution for an external client, consists of several main roles.
"We invest in young people who want to develop and transform, as well as in those who need upskilling - people with business experience who want to change their development path towards the role of a functional consultant or an architect. The profiles we are looking for include solution architects, who had the opportunity to design and develop other technology platforms, experts with previous experience in implementing business solutions, as well as such who possess knowledge in the field of business analysis, customer communications, but lack technical expertise. Throughout their career path they will have the opportunity to develop and acquire new knowledge," added Milena Docheva. As for young talents - we are looking for people who have completed technological training such as given at "Telerik Academy" and want to develop further. Previous work experience would be an advantage, but is far from mandatory.
We are looking for talents,
willing to develop and learn
At the beginning of the pandemic, I started thinking about my future and had focused on the IT sector, having previously been involved in totally different activities. I took a course that sparked my interest and directly after completing it I started at KPMG IT Service. I entered the academy easily, since I was on a learning curve and my work started with a short training, which I did not consider any difficulty and things happened quite naturally. I am currently a developer and a consultant. I write code in several programming languages, and the consulting part of my work consists of guiding our clients and offering them the most optimal solution for their specific situation. I talk to different teams on a daily basis, more than 90% of them are international, the projects are large, aimed at managing processes in huge corporations. I developed a lot of skills while working here - both technical and consulting ones. The truth is that one develops while working and the environment here predisposes that to happen naturally. Our company puts a lot of focus on training and certifying people and keeping them up to date with the latest developments. So far at KPMG IT Service I have obtained four major certificates and dozens of minor ones. This is only the beginning. And this is what I love most, because I find it very important to be provided with an opportunity for continuous learning. I want there to be challenges. I don't consider learning as something separate from work – it is part of the entire process. I plan to continue my development within the company.
I want to work with colleagues who are willing to develop. The advantage of the IT industry is that, unlike my previous job, it is not a stressful environment at all. I am currently actively working on two projects. One I absolutely adore is related to the medical industry - I love that it has a real impact on people's lives.
How many specialists does it take to put together a complex ServiceNow puzzle?
Boris Paunov,
developer and consultant
Vasil Vasilev,
software
architect
T
The shortage of professionals who are familiar with ServiceNow is observed not only in Bulgaria. "Specialists possessing the necessary expertise are very difficult to find, not only on the European market, but on the global market as well. The reason is that the platform is developing rapidly and experts cannot be trained at the rate of the demand for such specialists," said Milena Docheva, senior manager for ServiceNow at KPMG IT Service. Therefore, the company has a clear strategy to expand the competences of its team in this segment - both through retraining people from and outside the IT sphere (the so-called reskilling), as well as through the training of junior experts (upskilling). The term used by ServiceNow for the desire for development is “growth mindset”.
PMG IT Service uses its considerable experience in training and building the ServiceNow Consulting team. It will launch an academy that develops specialists for the platform in a variety of roles - from developers to architects. The company has experience in such training programs in various fields - from cloud technologies to ERP. "We are looking for all profiles that are suitable for the platform development - developers, functional consultants and architects, regardless of whether they are just starting their careers or have already become senior experts", commented Milena Docheva. Our goal is to deliver projects from the solution architecture stage to its implementation. We want to be recognized as ServiceNow consultants and suppliers on a global scale, offering the highest quality against industry standards. Our main objective is for our experts to have access to the latest technologies, for us to invest a lot in their training and development, and to expand their knowledge," she added.
К
The architect designs the scaffolding on which the solution for business process management with ServiceNow is built.
The functional consultant, together with the architect, is responsible for the communications with the client and must clearly understand their requirements in order to assist in the development of the most suitable solution for the relevant business. Language and communication skills are important here.
The developer develops and upgrades the software that the platform runs on.
We also have a coordination role, which is the glue between all the participants in the project. In addition, we work in virtual teams with colleagues from around the globe. However, regardless of the role, the most important thing is to strive to succeed.
There is such a major demand for specialists that it is extremely important to establish a good team. This will bring opportunities for selection of interesting projects to work on.
Vasil Vasilev
software architect
Milena Doncheva
Senior Manager for ServiceNow
KPMG IT Service
Vasil Vasilev
Software Architect
Specialists possessing the necessary expertise are very difficult to find, not only on the European market, but on the global market as well. The reason is that the platform is developing rapidly and experts cannot be trained at the rate of the demand for such specialists
Milena Doncheva
Senior Manager
Специален проект за
Идея и реализация
Фотография и видео
Минко Минeв
Тодор Атанасов