Success Story – Talia Ben Tzur, SAP Systems Instructor, John Bryce Training / By Hadas Shimoni
all her life talia ben tzur has been involved in teaching and training. the rich background in education she acquired over the years includes youth organizations, teaching for the jewish agency, a bachelor’s degree in education, working as a music instructor and more. her career as a technical instructor for information systems got started without any prior training at wizo. after two years talia decided to develop in the area of technology, specializing in erp. six months ago she was happy to find her present job (as a sap fi financial models instructor) at john bryce training through the jobnet site.
on john bryce training:
john bryce training, the training branch of the matrix group, is the leading company for computer studies and it training as well as management skills, service and sales training. john bryce is also the authorized training center for the world’s leading computer, communications and software companies, such as microsoft, oracle, ibm, check point, mcafee, hp, bmc and more.
what made you decide to look for a new job?
“i wanted to join a technological environment in a large, stable workplace with various opportunities for advancement. moving to john bryce and taking the job of sap fi instructor was really a natural extension of my previous job as an aviv erp financial software instructor at wizo; after two years there i wanted to specialize in a second field of information systems. also, as a school for computer professions that includes both training centers and employee placement at large organizations, the move was a big step forward for me.”
talia ben tzur at the john bryce training offices
without having studied sap, how was your transition to a high-tech company?
“i spent two years acquiring a lot of knowledge on training for financial systems, so there was a perfect match between the job profile and my abilities and urge to advance and specialize in sap. i had a wealth of experience in financial models through my previous training courses, which enabled me to get hired at john bryce.”
how did the jobnet site help you?
“i entered the site and did a word search for ‘technical instructor.’ i applied for select instructors’ jobs at a number of companies and got an immediate response, but the job at john bryce appealed to me from the start. it sounded very challenging and interesting.”
how was the placement process for the training job conducted?
“the process was orderly and quick and was done entirely at john bryce. eventually i was assigned to work as an sap instructor for john bryce at a worldwide shipping company, zim. initially i met with recruitment coordinator sharon ozeri, who told me about the training job and the company’s area of operations. the sap instructor’s job involved a lot of foreign travel, which appealed to me a lot. after the interview i prepared a presentation on a financial topic and in the next and last phase i was called in for an interview with yaffah hayush, zim’s training manager. after the interview with yaffah i had a good feeling i’d get hired, and that’s just what happened.”
why did you eventually settle on john bryce?
“first of all, the fact that john bryce is a highly reputable and stable company that specializes only in high tech really drew me. i also had planned to sign up for a course on information systems, so i was happy to get hired at an organization where i’d also receive excellent information systems training and teach it, gain experience and advance.”
how did your first days at the company go?
“i got acclimated to the company very quickly. just one month after getting hired i flew to canada for my first training program before zim employees. at first ron asher, manager of john bryce’s training projects and assimilation department, welcomed me to the job and wished me good luck. the financial instructors gave me a warm welcome and straight away i was given a course on sap systems with professional guidance by the finance instructors and doron tzioni, our immediate supervisor. after undergoing thorough training on financial models i traveled to montreal, where i joined a team of instructors at the canadian agency, and gave a short and successful lesson on suppliers.”
what do you like most of all about high-tech training?
“the high-tech world, especially information systems, is becoming more complex so there’s a need for a teacher who can make the user connect with the technological innovations. the aim of the system, which serves as an aid for financial management of the organization, is to make it easier for the user and to provide him a large amount of information in a short period of time. as a technical instructor at john bryce i also get to do dynamic and challenging work, and am exposed to many cultures as i train zim workers around the world.”
what exactly is it that you do in your job at john bryce?
“i provide sap fi training for the zim shipping company in israel and in other countries. most of the work is done at the various zim agencies abroad. before setting out i have to prepare a training program in accordance with the country i’m traveling to. every country is different in terms of its needs, so i have to get updated on changes in the financial system at every agency and adapt the training program accordingly.”
what do you feel are the important abilities for people who want to go into training?
“i think every teaching job requires articulateness, experience appearing in front of groups, self-confidence and being presentable. the end users need an instructor with a lot of patience and willingness to help, an instructor who is aware of the needs of the organization and its employees and an instructor who is capable of visualizing the financial system and adapting the training program to the target group accordingly. he or she must also know how to simplify matters, provide examples to clarify the system and allay the fears and concerns the user has upon starting to work with a new and unfamiliar program. this way the instructor makes the user connect with the new system, which provides a lot of gratification for both sides.”
how many instructors are there in the training department?
“i belong to the information systems assimilation department at john bryce, which has over 300 employees. the project itself has 15 instructors, including sales instructors and logistics and finance instructors.”
what kind of company is john bryce in terms of the atmosphere and the people?
“the people i work with are high-caliber and supportive. in our project every instructor serves as a source of information you can learn from and get help from at any time. as john bryce instructors, we receive information on workshops related to advanced technologies and can take the various courses held at the company.”
as an information systems instructor, do you see yourself continuing to have an impact and develop at the company for years to come?
“definitely. as a sap instructor i’m challenged on a day-to-day basis and full of motivation. the financial and corporate aspects really captivate me. also the intensiveness of the job, the global proportions and the field itself really fascinates me. in the future i’m might want to advance in the direction of software applications and development and of course continue to develop in the world of training.”
tami lavi, human resources manager of the information systems assimilation department at john bryce, to what extent has your collaboration with the jobnet site met your recruitment needs?
“the exposure we get through jobnet allows us to reach many job candidates, thanks to the website’s reputation among jobseekers. in general the percentage of candidates looking for work via websites is very high among the employees hired to work for us at the company.”
talia, in conclusion, what advice can you offer job hunters?
“first of all, the job-hunting process is a job in and of itself, and requires devoting time and effort. before looking for a position you have to update your resume and know in advance which direction to focus on. to increase your options you should send out a lot of resumes on a regular basis. in any case i recommend you always be optimistic, not compromising for a job that’s ‘almost’ or ‘sort of,’ but aiming for the job that’s as close as can be to your aspirations and individual capabilities. and i wish us all a lot of success.”
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