Challenges in finding SAP resources

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗔𝗣 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 — 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗨𝗦 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀. Across both the US and Europe, I’m seeing the same pattern of frustration from SAP contractors on this platform — and it’s happening again and again. 🚩 Companies think they’re working with specialist recruiters to fill critical SAP roles. 📉 In reality? The role is passed down the chain — through 2, 3, sometimes 4 layers of agencies — and lands with someone who was recruiting healthcare workers yesterday… and is now “sourcing” an SAP Enterprise Architect. Yes, this happens. Yes, I’ve seen $67.50/hr offered for that exact role. No, it’s not a joke. This is what happens when companies don’t vet their suppliers. This is what happens when a company is unaware of who is representing them and outsources hiring responsibility to vendors without control. (This should never happen.) This is what happens when SAP hiring is handed to generalist staffing vendors who throw roles into the market like darts in the dark. The result? 💥 Diluted fees for hard-to-find skills (this should never happen). 💥 No understanding of skillsets or market dynamics 💥 Terrible candidate experience 💥 Damaged brand reputation (often without the company even realising it) 💥 No contractor ↔️ recruiter relationship that helps you retain top talent. No recruiter benefits. 💥 And worst of all — you lose out on the very people you were trying to attract Recruiting for SAP isn’t the same as recruiting customer service reps or forklift drivers. Recruiters need a strong understanding of the market, the roles, and all the nuances that come with it 🛑 If your recruiter has no 'real experience' in the SAP market — they have no business representing your brand. 🛑 If your recruiter has the personality of watching paint dry, they’re not building any kind of relationship with the contractors supporting your SAP projects. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 — 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴. 🛑 If your role is being passed through multiple hands before it reaches candidates, you’ve already lost control of the search. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵. 💡 Ask who is actually going to market on your behalf. 💡 Ask what your recruiting partners are doing to attract and retain contractors. 💡 Ask for transparency. 💡 Ask if your suppliers genuinely understand the SAP space — and have a proven track record. (𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.) Because if you don’t… you’re trusting your brand, your hiring outcomes, and your ability to retain SAP talent to the wrong people. #sap #saprecruitment

This is one of the biggest paradoxes in the SAP job market: 🔹 SAP professionals say, “There are no openings!” 🔹 Recruiters say, “We can’t find suitable candidates!” 𝓢𝓸, 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽’𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰? ✅ Skills vs. Demand Gap – Companies aren’t just hiring “SAP consultants”; they need experts in specific areas like SAP BTP, RAP, and S/4HANA migration. If your skills are outdated, you might not match what’s in demand. https://lnkd.in/gEb44y6P ✅ Expectation Mismatch – Candidates expect high salaries, while companies have budget constraints. Recruiters struggle to match both sides. ✅ Application Strategy – Many SAP professionals apply randomly or wait for referrals instead of targeting roles that align with their expertise. ✅ Hiring Process Delays – Even when recruiters find candidates, long interview cycles and indecisive hiring managers slow things down. 𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓑𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓰𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓖𝓪𝓹? 🚀 For SAP Professionals – Upskill, specialize, and align with market trends. Tailor applications instead of mass-applying. 🔎 For Recruiters – Be clear on must-have vs. good-to-have skills. Sometimes, a strong learner is better than a perfect fit. SAP hiring isn’t broken—it just needs alignment. What’s your experience?

I'm always wary of LinkedIn posts that start with "I had a conversation with an SAP leader the other day"—but this time, it actually happened. We discussed the topic of "SAP Talent shortages" and it really got me thinking — are we looking at the SAP talent shortage the wrong way? 🤔 Hear me out. They are struggling to find the "right" candidates, but when we dug deeper, it wasn’t a lack of people—it was HOW they were searching. Job Description:- 1. "Must have 10+ years of experience" – In an SAP area that hasn't been around for 10 years - i think not - what about specialists with 5 years of deep expertise in the latest SAP innovation? 2. Ignoring industry crossovers – Skills in ERP, integration, and business process transformation often translate across industries - examples could be, pharmaceutical and chemical or wholesale retail and grocery retail. 3. Over-prioritising "culture fit" – If we were all the same, would things really change? Sometimes, a fresh perspective is exactly what a team needs to drive change. So, is the real shortage only "just about numbers" — or is it about recognising the right talent and hiring smarter. Where do you see the biggest hiring blind spots in SAP?