From a graduate to consultant: My early talent journey

Infor’s Early Talent Program is an academy-like experience designed to equip young professionals with comprehensive product knowledge from scratch. The invaluable experience that Early Talents gain during the program prepares them for success in customer projects and go-lives.

During the Early Talent Program (ETP), I experienced a unique learning environment at Infor U Campus where instructors, study materials, and sandboxes are readily available. I had the opportunity to immerse myself in rigorous training sessions, enabling me to become proficient in Infor's products. The program also encouraged me to engage in case studies and demonstrations that enhanced my presentation skills.

I believe that one of the standout features of the program is the inclusion of real Infor customer projects at a very early stage. By working directly with customers, I gained hands-on experience, bridging the gap between theory and practice. I also visited customers and witnessed the application of learned concepts in real-world scenarios that is instrumental in my success as an Infor Consultant.

A memorable experience

There are many “firsts” key moments during the program—from receiving a very warm welcome on my first day at the office, my first customer visit, and my first case study and presentation of the end-to-end business processes in the system.

The most memorable experience is my first on-site visit to a customer. It was an amazing opportunity to have worked on-site and collaborate with people in the office. We gathered information to better understand the customer’s needs and business requirements, followed by discussions on how we could configure, develop, and deploy Infor solutions to make our customer happy.

In the process, I developed a shared passion and became curious about the customer's business and how to implement solutions based on Infor’s products. I learned to love the customer's industry and I truly felt that I was a one of the customer's most dynamic resources.

After completing the ETP, I was equipped with a strong foundation in Infor's products that will enable me to propose tailored solutions that will precisely address customer requirements. Not to mention, the ETP graduation day in Paris was also unforgettable!

A day in a life of an Infor Consultant

Today as an Infor Consultant, my day is full of challenges and learning. I prepare for my workshops where I lead different topics related to supply chain and logistics. I do end-to-end process demos and customer presentations and help set up the customer's environment for system integration testing, key user trainings, and user acceptance testing. I am by the customer's side until we go live.

I try to be as informed as possible about product releases, company updates, and other news and information released by the company. Infor has evolved significantly in recent years in many of the required processes across the Customer Journey. One of which is rolling out a new implementation methodology for our customers during the delivery phase. Previously, implementations were time-consuming, but with our predictable, repeatable approach that is mapped to what was sold, customers realize value faster with lower costs and less risk and complexity. Furthermore, we are equipped with powerful tools like Infor Process Catalog (IPC) which provides preconfigured data and process materials integrated into our core industry processes, and ADO (Azure DevOps), a project management tool that stores the implementation methodology for repeatability and visibility for our customers that helps differentiate us in the market.

Infor's culture, innovative mindset, and commitment to growth make it a leading company to work for in the industry. Our success is deeply rooted in our core principles of Principle Based Management (PBM). Today, in my position, the values and goal alignment allow me to better understand how my work contributes to the overall vision and strategic goals of the company.

Advice to new Early Talent graduates

As an Early Talent graduate and now a Consultant, I consider Infor one of the best companies to work for today. Infor fosters an environment where employees are encouraged to speak up, are offered feedback and encouraged to challenge the status quo.

For fresh graduates now looking to become consultants, the Infor ETP is a transformative journey and will equip you with the knowledge and experience needed to be successful in customer projects and go-lives. The program enables you to improve on both hard and soft skills, positioning you to thrive professionally. Overall, Infor’s commitment to continuous improvement and alignment with Koch Industries' principles will provide you a platform for career growth and success.

Eirini Patrinou

If you would like to learn more about working at Infor, please visit Infor’s careers site, or join our Infor Talent Community to be alerted about jobs.