Challenges in SAP Talent Acquisition and How to Overcome Them

Acquiring top SAP talent is a critical challenge for firms seeking to implement or maintain their systems. With the pace of SAP’s advancements and a high demand for skilled professionals, companies often struggle to attract and retain the right candidates. Below, we outline 6 key challenges in SAP talent acquisition and provide strategies to overcome them. 

6 Common Challenges and Strategies

Shortage of Qualified SAP Professionals

The demand for SAP professionals often outstrips supply which leads to bidding wars for talent. With SAP’s evolving technology stack, including S/4HANA, Fiori, BTP, IBP, and other cloud solutions, finding experts with the right blend of experience, certifications, and soft skills is increasingly difficult. 

Firms can mitigate their time searching the talent market by investing in existing employees. Upskilling, for example, can elevate high-performing individuals without incurring the costs of a new hire. Firms can also partner with leading staffing firms and leverage remote work pools to access skilled professionals beyond local markets. 

High Competition Amongst Employers

Given the limited amount of talent, companies often face uncertainty with how to attract top candidates. Large corporations often rely on high compensation packages, which are difficult for smaller organizations to compete with. 

Beyond compensation, firms can enhance their employer branding and highlight unique work culture benefits. For example, non-monetary perks like remote work flexibility, work-life balance, career development opportunities, and project diversity may mean more to a candidate than a higher salary.  

Additionally, engaging in proactive networking through LinkedIn, industry conferences, online events and webinars, and SAP user groups, like ASUG, can help build relationships with potential candidates before they enter the job market. Finally, offering referral bonuses to current employees can also be an effective strategy to bring in high-quality talent. 

Long Hiring Cycles

SAP hiring processes can be lengthy due to extensive skill evaluations and multiple interview rounds. This delay can result in losing candidates to competitors with quicker and less frustrating hiring processes. 

Firms should thus seek to streamline their recruitment processes. Automating parts of the hiring process, such as resume screening and initial technical assessments, can expedite the process. Additionally, companies should ensure that hiring managers and HR teams are aligned on to prevent unnecessary delays. Finally, referrals can supplement the need for extra interview rounds if trusted employees are able to vouch for the technical or soft skills of a candidate.  

Technical Skills Assessment

 requires a deep understanding of both technical and functional expertise from the interviewer. Consequently, traditional interview methods may not be sufficient to gauge an applicant’s ability to handle complex SAP situations. 

Organizations should thus seek alternative SAP assessment methodologies. Some solutions may include standardized technical assessments or involving experienced SAP professionals in the interview process to ensure an accurate evaluation of candidates. Practical coding tests, real-world SAP problem-solving scenarios, and hands-on assignments can also provide an accurate view of a candidate’s abilities. 

Retention of SAP Talent

Even after securing top SAP talent, firms must still face the challenge of retaining them. SAP professionals are often headhunted and presented with lucrative offers from competing firms. As such, firms must remain attractive to a candidate even as they gain tenure.  

Updating competitive compensation, maintaining a positive and supportive workplace culture, providing continuous learning opportunities, and outlining a clear career progression can enhance retention. Softer elements of an employee’s experience are also critical, so firms should seek to create an engaging work environment and recognize employees’ contributions to ensure they feel valued. Additionally, mentorship programs and team building activities can help individuals feel more connected to the firm. 

Keeping Pace

The rapid evolution of SAP solutions alongside AI and cloud-based platforms requires professionals to constantly update their skills. Companies may thus struggle to find candidates proficient in the latest technologies. 

Firms can overcome this by encouraging continuous learning and fostering a culture of innovation. This might include sponsoring employees for SAP certifications, hosting internal knowledge-sharing sessions, or paying SAP training providers to keep the workforce up to date. Additionally, hiring processes should give weight to candidates with transferable skills and demonstrated ability to learn. 

Overcoming Challenges in SAP Talent Acquisition

The challenges in SAP talent acquisition are vast, but with proactive strategies in place, organizations can successfully attract, hire, and retain skilled professionals. Upskilling your workforce, optimizing hiring processes, offering non-monetary benefits, and investing in continuous learning are some of the many strategies companies can leverage to build a robust SAP workforce.  

Connect with BCTG today for help finding the SAP talent you need. 

Contributions from Jake Park-Walters