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SAP Article Classics from JonERP.com

Jon has been writing about SAP consulting trends and answering SAP career questions since 1995. Over the years, he's published many popular articles online that have disappeared from the Internet. In this section, we are reclaiming the "best of the archives" and sharing Jon's classic SAP articles from years gone by.

In each case, Jon will write a new introduction explaining the highlights of the article and how the market has changed since it was published. We're hoping to track down some of the interview subjects in these articles and get their updates on how the market has changed since these classics were first published.
The Art of the SAP Interview PDF Print E-mail
Article Index
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Page 2 of 2
How to Talk Money and Get What You Want

The best time to talk about money is AFTER the company wants you. And they can't "fall" for you if you screen yourself out with a "what's in it for me?" premature discussion of salary. 

The second biggest mistake SAP professionals make during interview sessions is resting on their professional laurels. While it is true that the SAP hiring market is largely controlled by the job-seekers, not the companies, most companies are wary of stories/tall tales they have heard about hit-and-run SAP contractors and want to know that you are genuinely interested in working for them.  

The biggest mistake is cutting to the mercenary chase and talking dollars and cents prematurely.  

Once you are ready to launch this part of the deal, be sure to have a checklist of negotiating points on hand. You may not get the base salary you were hoping for, but through careful negotiation you might well come ahead.  Base salary is only a part of what you should be seeking. Do not choose one job over another because of a measly $10,000 difference in base salary. Over a three, four, or five-year stretch, the benefits packages, vacations, and training alone can dwarf the difference in base pay.    

Negotiating Points (beyond base salary) 

Benefits               
   Health/Dental               
   Life Insurance               
   Retirement/Investment Plan 

Bonuses               
   Travel               
   Performance               
   Fixed 

Travel and Expenses               
   As Incurred               
   Per Diem 

Vacation 

Relocation (if and when) 

Training Provided (Guaranteed or Promised) 

Material Provided (laptop, software, etc.) 

Career Path 

Trial Period

Job Assignments (what leverage do you have to accept or reject a proposed assignment?)  

The SAP hiring market creates some unique and sensitive tension during the interview process. In some cases, the SAP applicant is going to enter at a higher salary level than the people who are interviewing him/her, a very tricky dynamic. You should be aware of the possibility that the hiring officials you are dealing with (especially if you are going through a human resources department) have probably worked years to achieve a benefits package/salary inferior to the type you already enjoy and want to equal or improve. 

The key here is not to settle for less, but to be sensitive to the needs and concerns of the company until they are sold on your services. The best time to negotiate fine points in the benefits package, salary, or the 401K plan is AFTER you have had a good in-person interview, or at the very least after your technical skills and value to the company are both firmly established. 

It is also important to not make a big show during the interview of all the other companies with which you have interviewed and the many offers you have received. Such an attitude leads quite naturally to a suspicion about you, as in, “Well, Mr. Satin, you have an impressive track record with successful projects in Buenos Aires, Monaco, and Puerto Vallarta. You also have huge offers from IBM, Price Waterhouse, and the Royal Saudi Family. Tell me, Mr. Satin, why would you give all that up to join little old us here in Milwaukee?” 

As an SAP professional, you may be worth a lot, you may even be in control. Once this is established, there is no need to dig it in.  

The classic rule is that the first person to name the price loses. In practice, this can be tricky. The company may be very determined to obtain your salary expectations before naming a figure. 

SAP hiring officials may raise the question of salary early on, perhaps even in your first phone interview, to make sure that they can afford the serious resume they see in front of them. If you are an SAP candidate, you may welcome this discussion of money - at least you will know for certain whether or not this company can meet your salary expectations - before you take a day off from work for the interview. 

There are many ways of tactfully handling the question of money if it is raised. Usually, it is best to come up with your own comments that echo the following sentiment: "At this point in my job search, I'm looking for the opportunity to expand/build-on my SAP skills in the [insert your expertise] area. Although I would like to receive a fair offer just like everyone else, my main goal is to find the right professional fit. So far, your company has a lot to offer in the [insert your expertise] area. I'm sure that we'll be able to settle on a pay scale that's fair for both of us, but right now I'd like to tell you about the skills I can bring to your organization." 

If your interviewer presses you on the specifics of the money you are looking for, and clearly wants you to name a price, one possible approach is to mention the rate or salary you are making now, and say that you want a fair increase from that. Never  mention the offer amounts you've been given by other firms. There are many reasons for this: 

a)     This interview is not about other situations, and no two situations can ever be reduced strictly to financial factors. 

b)     The question of retention of new consultants is more and more in the forefront; too many SAP consultants have job-hopped in past years. If you try to leverage for more money, you are shouting out that money is your primary element of decision and the pursuit may end right there. No one wants to hire you with the notion that you could have had a pile more money elsewhere. 

c)      Unless you are merely in a mercenary posture, you should be looking to create the foundation for a major part of your career. If you inevitably stay with the firm for only two or three years, you will be better served if you have carved out a situation in which you can succeed and grow than if you merely grab the brass ring. 

d)     Money in SAP is a given. Unless the initial offer is truly short of your expectations, you may express this. It could be that the employer has the wrong idea of your worth. It may be that you have the wrong idea of your true worth. You may have to simply sever the negotiations.  

If you are transitioning to low travel, you may even want to emphasize your willingness to look at less pay for the quality of life a low-travel position can provide. Even a contractor, who is understood to be looking for an hourly rate, can benefit from this approach. Like many other contractors, you might have chosen that route primarily for the money, but in your interviews, focus on the skills you have to offer and the challenges you can meet for your new company. If you can honestly say that salary is not the only key issue, you will be sending a welcome signal to the client.  

During your interview, simple things like stressing your enthusiasm for the firm will set the right tone, and create the best atmosphere for a later talk about salary. Ideally, this talk will take place after, or at least at the very end, of your in-person interview. Once a company wants you, you can be the negotiator you have wanted to be all along. In some cases, you might even turn down an offer that was less than you expected, only to see the company turn around a few days later and offer you $10,000 more than they said they were willing to pay. As a rare, special SAP professional, you may well be calling the shots in this job market, but you would do better to conduct yourself as if the opposite is the case. 

Although the technical standards applied to SAP hires are becoming stricter (it is more difficult to obtain an SAP position unless you have at least six months of experience) the vast majority of unsuccessful applications are due not to lack of technical skill but to slip-ups during the interview process. 

Closure 

Many of the following tips will seem very basic, but are not meant to be condescending. Most of the tactics that will give you an edge over other applicants during your face-to-face interview are surprisingly simple. 

At the end of the interview, ask for the job. This is very important. Shake the hiring official's hand, and state clearly your interest in the company and the position. This may feel a bit gung-ho for you, but it will make a major and lasting impression. Even if you have some misgivings about the firm, give some indication of your continuing interest. 

Pick up business cards as you go if you do not already have them, so that you have addresses and names and job titles of the key people who interviewed you. 

Within 48 hours or less, write a thank you note. Thank them for the opportunity, and once again re-emphasize your interest in the company. Remember this:  less than an hour after your interview, you are already history. Business just keeps coming, as much for the interviewer as for you.  By sending along this note, you are igniting the interviewer’s memory of you in a positive way. This is not a Hallmark card, this is the trigger to a solid offer. Include something specific and memorable in your note. It is your coda, your asterisk, your last tossed flower.  

Go home, relax, and debrief. If you are using an agency, this is a good time to call and report the highlights of the interview. Your agency can help you work out the fine points of the offer from a more neutral vantage point. In addition, they can be instrumental in ironing out any misunderstandings that occurred during the interview, and will probably know before you do how your interviewer felt about the event. 

With these pointers in mind, you should find yourself achieving the best possible result of any SAP interviewing situation – walking away with an offer either in hand, or on the way. Once you obtain the offer, then you can decide if that offer is the best possible situation for you, or negotiate your position further.  

Some of these pointers may seem simple, but they have been used to great effect. We hope these tips help you in your SAP job search. You can apply most of these tips to contract interviews as well, though in contract situations, you don’t have to talk as much about your future with the company, relocation, and other topics that come up in “permanent” SAP jobs searches.

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