This month, we sat down with Lindy, Senior Associate at Oliver Parks. Lindy specialises in SAP and ERP, primarily in the German market but also in Austria and Switzerland.
In our 5-minutes with Lindy, we hear about the interesting developments she has seen in the SAP and ERP German job market, what matters most to candidates, and why people are leaving their current roles.
What have you found your candidates are looking for most in their next role?
We discovered a pattern of people changing jobs because they were dissatisfied with their current benefits package. We’re finding that many candidates are putting less emphasis on money. The salary package is not their key drive anymore, in my opinion. Obviously, it still has a big impact. However, candidates are looking for roles where they can develop themselves, where they get the opportunity to learn more and grow more as a person.
New technologies also have a big impact. Because they work with technology every day, it is critical that they use the most up-to-date technologies. Within SAP, there is a trend now that more and more companies are updating their versions of the software systems they’re using to S/4HANA. Some medium-sized enterprises are not keen on changing because it's super expensive. But this is one of the aspects that many of my candidates are currently looking for. If they want to change companies, they need to have new developments and new technology, as well as a nice team and a personal connection.
Remote working is also a very important topic for many people. I often hear candidates express that, as a developer, why do I need to be in the office if I can code with no distractions at home? So I think this is something that more and more companies should become very flexible with, especially in the German market.
Why are people leaving their current roles?
I think it goes back to technology and self-development. Some companies are not keen on implementing S/4HANA or changing from SAP to other ERP systems. This is causing candidates to want to leave their current company because they will not gain experience in popular and relevant software for their future.
The lack of remote working is another reason. Many companies want people back in the office, but so many employees have gotten used to working from home and want the flexibility.
I would say they are the two main drivers I am currently seeing.
What job titles are most in demand?
So currently, for my clients I source primarily developers as well as IT-consultants. We can see a trend shifting towards there being more in-house employees. Not many people in Germany want to work for consultancies anymore; they’d rather work as an in-house consultant and developer due to the lower demand of business travels and to improve work-life balance. Additionally, we can see a trend moving forward that many companies want to hire internally rather than hiring external consultants to improve efficiency and to reduce costs. Also, they prefer having their experts within their teams which they can utilise if needed.
I'd say there's also a trend toward more project management and leadership positions being advertised. Even though it used to be that companies preferred promoting internally. However, we can see more and more team leader and project manager roles being advertised which might be since companies want to have their SAP Team internal and not rely on external consultancies.
Has the standard interview process changed in the past year?
I would say that the process of recruitment has improved. It's gotten quicker and faster, which in turn is getting a good response from the candidate. The new norm is that the first interview is online and then the second one in person.
In Germany, normally after two interviews, a company makes a decision. But some clients who are desperately seeking a new candidate are making offers after the first interview. However, after just one interview, some candidates are not ready to accept. Our suggestion is to have two interviews, at minimum, because after the first interview, candidates and clients cannot be sure that the person or company is the right fit.
What’s exciting about your market in particular? What developments have you seen?
I think it's quite interesting that we have such a high demand for talent, particularly in the German market.
I see companies looking for more talent because they want to update to the newest S/4HANA version, and for that they require a bigger team. So I can see a trend there that more and more of our clients are actually seeking to hire more people.
On the other hand, we actually have a lack of qualified consultants and developers in the German market. So, nowadays, it's not just the candidate who has to convince our clients that they are the right fit; it's the other way around as well, simply because the candidates often have a lot of companies to choose from due to demand. So, I would say that is quite an interesting shift within the market itself and, for sure, will impact hiring processes in the future.
What is the best way for people to contact you for advice, Lindy?
I would say, just give me a call! With a quick phone call, I can get a good idea of what it is you are looking for and start the process (if that is what you decide) as soon as possible.
Of course, people are also welcome to email me if they prefer.
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