When the time comes to move onto your next SAP role it is important to make sure you take the time to write a successful CV. The first thing a future employer generally uses to decide whether they will consider you for the job is your CV. Learn how to write a successful SAP CV and you will impress very quickly whilst a bad CV will be disregarded even quicker!
Your SAP CV is a showcase of yourself, and will give off an immediate impression to your future employer, therefore its important you consider the following areas before writing your SAP CV, as well as ensuring you highlight your talents and experience in order to stand out from the rest of the SAP crowd.
- The look and feel: a successful SAP CV should look crisp and clear not only to be aesthetically pleasing but to ensure it is easy to follow.
- The structure: the structure of your SAP CV should be logical and not confusing.
- The style: this is not only in terms of the visual look of the CV, the language, tone, and punctuation also speaks volumes. SAP is an industry with its own terminology and specifics; ensure that your knowledge of this comes across in the style (more on this later)!
With SAP becoming a more and more of a crowded market, and many employers making their minds up almost instantly after reading a CV, it is crucial that you know how to write an SAP CV that has considered these points and understands what SAP employers are looking for.
How to write a successful SAP CV
The look and feel, layout, structure and style are all important in writing a successful SAP CV. The use of bold, spacing, alignment and bullets can really help employers quickly view the information that is important at a glance.
Sticking with a neat structure and starting with a professional profile that paints a brief picture of your career achievements, skills and experience will dramatically improve your SAP CV.
Make sure to include each of these within your SAP CV:
Profile and/or objective
- This is where you do your perfect sales pitch. 5 sentences maximum, giving a rapid snapshot of your main area of expertise, which industry sectors you’ve worked in, and what you’re looking for now. The reader needs to be able to quickly identify who you are and if you are suitable.
Education
- Ensure the most recent qualifications are given priority! SAP certifications and qualifications such as Prince2, ASAP, or PMP, as well as MBA or Bachelor degree, should be clearly listed!
List SAP and Technical / Functional Skills
- Remember that recruiters search on keywords! Ensure repetition of the skills you want to be located for. A simple skills matrix listed in order of expertise and the no. of years worked on within that area is easy to read and quickly delivers the required information.
Key achievements
- Bullet point 5 or 6 measurable key achievements during your SAP career. It might be quantifiable cost saving brought to the business through your work, or implementing £x projects according to x timeframe and budget. Using something such as the STAR answer method will ensure you make it clear what the business benefits of hiring you are!
Company names with clear dates / Job titles / Responsibilities
- Give emphasis to the most recent projects and less to the historic. It’s an easy trap to fall into where you update your SAP CV each time you move, resulting in a 10+ page SAP CV with a whole page devoted to a project you worked on 10+ years ago! Keep it brief and punchy, giving enough information to demonstrate your position without boring the reader.
Inject some personality!
- Keep it brief, show you have a healthy work/life balance with interests or something interesting the potential interview can talk to you about.
When structuring the above details it is important to be logical. If you have a mass of experience in the SAP field ensure that your experience comes first, however, if you are just entering the market, highlight your education and training along with your key skills.
An untidy or illogical layout can be fatal, equally, it is just as important to ensure the content is strong, so once it’s typed up and before you consider it finished, run through the following questions:
Does it match what the employer will be looking for for this role?
- Always read around the employer, role, and job description. If you are working with an SAP recruitment agency, talk to your SAP recruitment consultant. Understanding what the employer is looking for is key to successfully demonstrating it on your SAP CV.
Does it use SAP terminology, keywords, and skills?
- Ensure you get found by including key SAP terminology and keywords as well as adding SAP into your job title (e.g SAP Retail Consultant)
Does it include important facts & figures?
- Particularly with Change Managers within the SAP sector, it is crucial to highlight the size of projects worked on and a number of stakeholders dealt with.
Does it provide details not only of previous experience but also your skills and personal characteristics?
- List the skills you have as well as any SAP training and accreditation you have completed. Ensure to state how many years’ experience you have with any SAP modules you have trained in (e.g FICO / PM /QM, etc.)
If you are happy all the above points are covered, it is well worth asking a friend to or specialist recruiter to read through to check for typos, make sure it makes sense, and it fits with the role and company. Additionally, before you consider sending your CV to anyone, make sure you know your CV and the facts and figures you have included. It is amazing how many people will quote different facts to those detailed on their CV!
Take into account all these points and you’ll be able to write a successful SAP CV in no time and will be well on your way to securing your perfect job.
Our specialist SAP recruitment team have put together the below SAP CV Template to help you on your way. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact for any further help with your SAP job hunt or career (we’ll also be more than happy to review your CV for you).
CLICK HERE FOR A SAP CV TEMPLATE TO WRITE A SUCCESSFUL SAP CV
At Eligo we have a team of specialist SAP Recruiters working with clients and candidates to aid in their SAP recruitment needs. Eligo Technology enjoy SAP Vendor Status, and are one of three official SAP suppliers to the Middle Eastern region. If you would like to discuss your SAP career, SAP job vacancies, or your SAP CV with us, please get in touch, we’d be more than happy to help!
At Eligo Recruitment we offer a personal, consultative recruitment service, happy to review your CV, and advise on interview techniques and how you can secure your next dream job. We listen to you and provide specialist advice to help match you to the right job opportunities.