One of the pieces of information SAP Rankings provides is an experience ratings for the consultants.  

Let's be honest. It is difficult to rank SAP consultants based on quality.  There are so many variables that would go into tracking quality of an SAP consultant, and most are subjective. One of the characteristics we attempt to rate is experience. There are a few attributes that are objective enough to support an experience rating calculation also.

Here is a list of the current items we track for SAP consultants:

• number years of SAP experience
• year first started using SAP
• number of go-lives
• number of rollouts
• number of upgrade
• number times lead consultant
• SAP certification
• worked at SAP America as employee or contractor
• number years of industry experience

We are open to tracking more attributes but have found (after feedback) that this set is pretty fairly representative for calculating a good experience rating.  Perfect? No.

One of the attributes that was added after recruiter feedback and discussion was the industry experience attribute.  For example, let's say an SAP Quality Management consultant has been consulting for four years.  Not overly impressive by itself.  However, when we learn that the consultant spent 15 years in industry in a quality department and implementing SAP as an employee, that person is much more valuable.  Some companies would choose to have an industry guy with practical experience and limited consulting experience instead of a ten year Wharton theory consultant who has never physically moved product into a hold area for testing.

This SAP Rankings experience rating is not the panacea for measuring a consultant fit, but rather another tool in helping to evaluate.  It will augment your current process in sizing up the person you need for the job you have. You will still need to go through the interview process, but maybe the experience rating will help you select a better candidate or get the proper rate for the consultant's experience.

You need to be listed on the first page on SAP Rankings for your SAP specialization.

Of course it is nice to be listed on the first page of search results.  However, do you know it is absolutely critical?

Study after study shows that as we progress in the internet search world, the user is less likely to click to page two or page three to find what they are looking for.

Here are some  articles that should convince you how incredibly important it is to be listed on the first page for search results:

• 95% of traffic comes from first page of search results  

• First Page Search Engine Results

• If You Are Not On The First Page, You Are Dead To Us   

• First Page Or Bust: 95% of Non-Branded Natural Clicks Come From Page One   

• 2nd Page Rankings: You're the #1 Loser

So how does this relate to you and your SAP career?  If you want SAP job opportunities, you give yourself a HUGE ADVANTAGE over others if you are listed on the first page.  You may not even get noticed if you are on the second page of search results.

So make sure you as an SAP consultant are listed on the first page of SAP Rankings in your appropriate category. A small investment in your visibility to 6000 companies and 1000 recruiters could mean big dollars.

Results are in from a year of SAP Rankings surveys on SAP consulting rates in 2011.

The average SAP consulting rates for 2011 are noted below in over 70 SAP categories.  The overall average for all categories was $120/hour for SAP consultants with 10 years of experience.  As you would expect, the categories with the highest rates are the one with the more specialized categories.  The lower rates include SAP categories that are more common and mature.  

You can find SAP consultants to fill your SAP jobs on SAP Rankings.  This service is now free.  Just log on to browse the consultants that are categorized and ranked.    Contact the consultants directly about your SAP job opportunities.

You talked and we listened.  We added this free functionality so everyone can direct contact SAP consultants. That mean SAP companies, SAP recruiters, SAP consultants, SAP analysts can  use SAP Rankings to find SAP resources.

SAP Rankings releases the ability for users to rate SAP Consultants.  In the past, user ranking were only calculated from an objective algorithm based on SAP experience.  Based on the feedback from the users, we have allowed the ability for consultants to be reviewed.  This more subjective rating system will give hiring companies a better insight into the the type of consultant being reviewed.