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​There will be times when the market slows down. It may be caused by an upcoming election, an economy down-turn or based on the time of year.

History tells us that when the SAP market slows, it’s generally not for long but what happens when it coincides with the end of your contact or career move? Here are a few suggestions to help keep you ahead of the game.

Network. Network, Network…

Meet old work colleagues, give your trusted recruiter a call, attended the conference, be active on LinkedIn and social media … basically, reach out to your network.

Often roles are filled prior to being advertised purely from referrals and word of mouth. Clients are looking for candidates that are recommended by their peers. This ensures that they are easy to work with, have similar work ethics and are good at their job. Alternatively, having a good relationship with your recruiter will keep you front of mind and ensure that any advertised roles that you fulfil the criteria will be put forward to you.

Upskill yourself

Use your downtime to upskill. SAP, as we know, is changing rapidity with new products, functionality, services and technologies. That’s why it’s easy to get left behind if you don’t keep yourself up to date. Take advantage of some of the free OpenSAP courses available or splash out and get that certification you’ve been putting off for years. A certification isn’t going to be the golden ticket to a role in that specific space, but it certainly helps you stay relevant should the opportunity arise.

Update your CV

Take the time to reformat your CV in a clear and concise manner. Ensure its relevant to the job market and detailed – unlike most other industries, SAP clients and recruiters are looking to read in detail each role you’ve had.

Quick Tip: Break each role into 3 separate parts. Role/Project overview, skill and tasks completed and then a list of any specific achievements. Aim for 5-6 bullet points for each section and it will quickly paint a picture of what you’ve done, your ability and skills.

Lastly, know what you’ve done

Too often we see candidates interviewing for a role and only focus on their most recent position. Don’t forget to mention past roles that are relevant to the position you are interviewing for. Take the time to think of some good examples across each of your roles that illustrate what you have achieved and learned for each situation. Remember to highlight your professional and personal strengths and weaknesses … remember “working too hard” is not a strength.

So, if you’re looking for your next role during at flat period take these few bits of advice, don’t panic as things always pick up and enjoy a bit of “me time.” You deserve it.

If you would like to know more about the SAP market, why not read our Quarterly Crunch? It gives a breakdown of how Speller and the SAP market perform each quarter.

Follow Speller on LinkedIn for further updates and advice!