Blog

Last month we launched our new blog series, Bang Your Drum, discussing what to highlight in the Key Achievements section of your CV and your LinkedIn profile, and ways to get the interest of hirers when looking for your next role.

In that first installment, we looked at the key attributes to optimise for SAP Functional Consultants, and offered a few handy suggestions to follow.

This month we turn our attention to another vital role in SAP, and bang the drum with SAP Technical Consultants. Read on to get the scoop on what’s going to make you the go-to guy or girl when it’s hiring time.

WHAT TO KNOW

Given the fast pace and flexibility of the industry, your agility and adaptability are fantastic assets to highlight for any hiring manager – especially if you have what they’re looking for in terms of key skills.

It’s not simply about up selling yourself however. A lot of the time, success comes down to being proactive, and knowing when to lean into something new in order to secure yourself an edge in the competitive candidate marketplace.

Let’s take a look and things you could be doing, if you aren’t already.

​

1. Keep up!

It almost goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway… it’s up to you to stay abreast of the latest technologies. Gone are the days of a traditional SAP ABAP and SAP Basis Consultant. Clients are now looking for those experienced in newer technical areas such as Fiori Development, UI5, and PI/PO integration. Experience with SAP HANA Migrations is an especially useful feather in your cap, too. Be across what’s happening in the market in relation to trends emerging best practice, or be left behind.

​

2. Network = access

Further to the first point, if you don’t have ready access to the technologies or experience that will upskill you in the above areas, think laterally about how you can gain access to that experience. Start conversations, read up, introduce yourself and GET ACCESS to those companies and people who are actively working on projects involving these newer technologies. It’s how you will ensure your skills stay relevant in the coming years. Plus, isn’t nice to make new friends from time to time and build your professional network?

​

3. People really do matter

Increasingly, technical roles are no longer ‘back room’ jobs, and are now more customer-oriented. This means that strong communication skills are effectively a mandatory requirement. Technical resources are now expected to go and meet with business, to better understand their requirements and issues and foster those relationships. Anyone who continues to think they can just implement a technical spec and be done with it are on the wrong side of history.

​

4. Lets get flexible

Remember what we said above, about finding those avenues that would grant you exposure to new abilities and project skills? Key to accomplishing this is having a degree of flexibility. Let’s say a job comes up outside the city. The pay isn’t amazing, but it’s not bad.

Now, you may not want to live where the job listing requires you work, but do a cost/benefit analysis and consider if it might help a bigger door open down the way. If an opportunity presents that will give you exposure to some new technologies, we’d advise being a little flexible with your rate or salary and location, as the experience you gain will likely pay dividends in the long run.

Our guest blogger Debra Linder recently provided an interesting perspective on matters such as this – it’s the perfect length to read over lunch.

​

5. Be the expert!

In our previous Bang the Drum about Functional Consultants, we noted that generalists have something of an upper hand in that space. That’s less the case here. In the SAP Technical space, it can really pay to specialise in one key area.

For example, look at SAP PI/PO integration. Previously, SAP PI/PO integration was just part of a broader technical SAP ABAP role. Now however, clients are clamouring for candidates with specialised skills in SAP PI/PO. Becoming a specialist can now be more marketable than having broader skills, so long as you maintain a general awareness of where the wind is blowing across the wider market.

​

There’s no one path to get you where you might want to go in SAP, but commitment, hard work and a degree of planning can certainly put you in sight of whatever your personal goals might be.

As clichéd as it sounds, it really is up to you to be doing all you can to bring attention to your qualities. Keeping the above in mind should certainly provide some strong leads as to what your next move should be, if you’re looking to get out in front and land that dream project.

This has been Part 2 of BANG YOUR DRUM, an ongoing series looking at Key Achievements and Attributes hiring managers are looking for in consultants, and how you can most clearly get their attention. Want to know more? Follow us on Twitter and/or LinkedIn, and get the latest insights into SAP Recruitment and the SAP industry at large.