Success Story - Gili Konforti, ERP Implementer, SIT Software for Data Technology

lack of experience is a stumbling block for many students who start looking for work after graduating. gili konforti, 31, encountered another difficulty: in addition to being a recent graduate of the department of industrial management at shenkar college, he also had to earn a living for his wife and their two small children. happily for gili, through jobnet his resume reached sit, which leads the way in hiring inexperienced workers and training them at the company.

"my lack of professional experience in the field worked to my advantage in this case.
i finished my degree in october 2006 and started looking for work, and after just two months i came to sit. this was really my first job as an industrial management engineer." the following article tells the story of gili, who found a job one year ago as an erp implementer in the field of logistics at sit.

sit was founded in 1996 and is involved in development, consulting and integration of software and hardware solutions. the company is an exclusive distributor of an erp program called mfg-pro, and distributes and implements m/s crm software. company clients include leading organizations in every field of industry, such as sargon, alvarion, applied materials, the military industry, etc. today the company employs 80 professionals specializing in providing comprehensive software solutions for organizations and enhancing business processes.

at the beginning of his professional career gili spent one year in the software engineering program at the university of tel aviv. he quickly looked for another direction, transferring to the department of industrial management at shenkar college.

what made you switch to a different field?
"i really love programming, but at the same time the work of a programmer - sitting long hours at the computer - is hard for me. i'm the type of person who looks for dynamism.
i love working with people and developing interaction. industrial management engineers combine planning, setup and constant management of the infrastructure of processes at every organization. the field is broad and includes many different areas - engineering, economics, data, organization and management - making my job more varied. also, as an erp logistics implementer, my chances of promotion are much greater."

gili konforti at the sit offices

what is an erp logistics implementer?
"a logistics implementer is in charge of all of the sales, purchasing, engineering, stock and production processes. the erp system includes numerous modules - logistical, financial and engineering - that work in perfect interaction. eventually the goal is to create an information system that allows a decision-making process and faster and more accurate implementation of processes."

after your degree, where did you look for work?
"i focused on two main channels of communication - the internet and the newspaper.
i quickly set aside the newspaper, which limited my search to tuesdays and fridays, instead following the positions advertised on jobnet. i think the internet is an excellent search engine for jobs. it's readily available, accessible, up-to-date and convenient to operate. when i looked for jobs suited to my skills and ambitions, i focused on the field of information systems. after a short time i got a response from a lot of companies, and eventually i was left with job offers from three large companies: teva, sanmina and sit."

how did you decide between them? they're all very successful companies.
"something [at sit] enchanted me. the first talk i had here was with ofer lipka, deputy director of operations. unlike interviews elsewhere, i didn't feel like an outsider, i felt very comfortable and relaxed. after the first interview i knew this was the place for me. later i had a second and final interview with rachel yakir, the finance and personnel manager, and that ended my recruitment process at sit."

rachel yakir, what is your formula for hiring new employees?
"we have a unique approach to hiring new employees that has proven itself in each and every recruitment. from our experience, we believe first and foremost in forging initial personal contact with the candidate. also, we make a point of hiring young, inexperienced people and see it as our task to train them our way and develop them at the company."

does your cooperation with jobnet streamline the recruitment process?
"last year our staff grew 15 percent as a result of numerous projects, and jobnet took part in this substantial growth. through the jobnet site we received many quality candidates, from low-ranking positions to executives, like a deputy director post that was manned through the site. gili's job, for instance, is a key position at the company and we have seen many fruits from his labors. he's been working for us for a year and he is already involved in several projects that require a great deal of responsibility." 

gili, how was your integration at the company?
"at first i was paired with a project manager and i was immediately given tasks on a demo system that are similar, in terms of their database, to systems that one of our customers has. i was presented with problems of varying levels of difficulty and i devoted myself to seeking solutions. the project manager evaluated me and gave me the right tools to deal with the system. after three months i was placed with a different project manager on his staff. erp is a broad and varied field, so the learning process is constant and intensive. every day you learn something new."

did you have concerns at first?
"it's always hard at first and i did have my uncertainties and concerns, but they proved false after a few days. thanks to the warm employees who surrounded me and the quick response i got to my questions, i felt like a part of the company after a very short time.
i can say that after just one week i felt at home here."

what can you recommend to jobseekers?
"in my opinion the best advice is to focus on the goal. for example, i looked for a clearly defined profession only through various internet sites. also, i came prepared to job interviews. before each interview i did my homework, looking into the company i had been called in to. i tried to overcome my lack of experience by conveying a sense of confidence, and presented myself as i am, without any masks on."

do you see getting hired at sit as a success story?
"after just nine months i took part in a very serious, complex project at the company.
i went abroad on my own for three weeks, representing sit. as part of the project i was given a lot of responsibility, because it involves very serious systems, i felt i had to justify the trip. at this point i realized i'd made the right decision.
this is a company that is unafraid of promoting employees with potential, even after a short time. i feel i will be able to grow here and plan to be at sit for many years to come."

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