SAP Galway

Dr McManus

Does anyone know what SAP are like to work for?
I have been offered a job working for them in Galway.
I would like to know what they are like.

skwinty

hey,

sorry i can't actually help you with finding out what they are like to work for, but i just to ask, are they hiring?

Dr McManus

skwinty wrote: »

hey,

sorry i can't actually help you with finding out what they are like to work for, but i just to ask, are they hiring?

Yes, check out their website for current vacancies:

www.sap.com

galah

depends on which department you'll be working in. But there's a good atmosphere, free lunch, and a good few perks.

Wompa1

I've heard mixed reviews. I haven't worked for them but a couple of people that I worked with in my current place of work have left to go there. SAP in Dublin is meant to be alot worse

biko

From Work forum
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055010286
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055022993

More info
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=work+for+SAP+Galway+site%3Aboards.ie

Friend works there and likes it.

JohnCleary

If you can stick the 9-5 routiene then it's a great place.

Suppose it does depend on which dept but I liked it, learned a lot, very good to staff, free food/tea/coffee, never got given out to for being on the mobile/taking lots of ciggie breaks.

Mrs OBumble

In the current climate, you could do a lot worse.

Like others, I've heard both good and bad reports. Always good about the (free) cafeteria though.

(Do you mind me asking where you're working now? Just guessing that they might have a vacancy coming up ... )

Dr McManus

JustMary wrote: »

In the current climate, you could do a lot worse.

Like others, I've heard both good and bad reports. Always good about the (free) cafeteria though.

(Do you mind me asking where you're working now? Just guessing that they might have a vacancy coming up ... )

I am Managing Director of my own company.
My company has no current vacancies.

civis_liberalis

Dr McManus wrote: »

My company has no current vacancies.

A lot of questions though, seemingly.

I know a few people that work/worked in SAP. Extrememly positive, especially when you stack it up against working for Irish companies.

mike kelly

I heard good things about it

galah

JohnCleary wrote: »

If you can stick the 9-5 routiene then it's a great place.

well there's flexi-time in some departments as well - start between 7 and 10, and work to 3.30 and 6.30...

Mrs OBumble

galah wrote: »

well there's flexi-time in some departments as well - start between 7 and 10, and work to 3.30 and 6.30...

There are, or at least were, some folks serving the American market who were regularly on 4-midnight (though some reported that they didn't always have to do those hours, it depended on whether customers/partners actually wanted meetings at the end of their business day).

JohnCleary

galah wrote: »

well there's flexi-time in some departments as well - start between 7 and 10, and work to 3.30 and 6.30...

I realise that, our Dept. was open 24hr. I just meant "9 - 5 job" as in stuck in an office

galah

I know that that's what ya meant...;-) but still, it's a perk!

RossD1983

Worked there for a year myself, was in the CIC. Have to say, no negatives really, free tea / coffee and lunches, training was decent, we got a free taxi home after a certain time (not entirely sure if they still do that). Friend of mine started in the CIC and has moved up a fair bit in the pecking order so to speak in the course of two years. Building can be a bit creepy if your wandering around from floor to floor (on night shift) and its practically empty though

civis_liberalis

Dr McManus wrote: »

Does anyone know what SAP are like to work for?

They're all saps.

Dr McManus

civis_liberalis wrote: »

They're all saps.

Very poor joke.

Dr McManus

JustMary wrote: »

In the current climate, you could do a lot worse.

Like others, I've heard both good and bad reports. Always good about the (free) cafeteria though.

(Do you mind me asking where you're working now? Just guessing that they might have a vacancy coming up ... )

I have decided not to take the job.
Agreed, in the current climate I could do a lot worse.
However I could also do a lot better too.
I have been offered something better, so will be taking that job instead.

Mrs OBumble

Dr McManus wrote: »

I have decided not to take the job.
Agreed, in the current climate I could do a lot worse.
However I could also do a lot better too.
I have been offered something better, so will be taking that job instead.

Congratulations!

Can I wonder if you're multi-lingual? Or particularly attractive in some other way? (Just nosy, you understand ...)

Dr McManus

JustMary wrote: »

Congratulations!

Can I wonder if you're multi-lingual? Or particularly attractive in some other way? (Just nosy, you understand ...)

I read Latin at Oxford.
I do not speak any foreign languages.
I have been offered every job I have ever applied for.
The reason being that my; skills, experience, and suitability have matched (or exceeded) the criteria.
In my experience if you apply for jobs which you are over qualified for, you will inevitably get the job.
For example; if you apply for a job where the criteria is a Masters Degree, and you have a Doctorate, you will get the job.
In a recession, with a labour rich market, employers will seek to capitalise (exploit) an applicant with higher than minimum qualifications.
Another factor which I find helps my applications, is that I have built and managed my own business from scratch. When you are the Managing Director of your own company, you find that employers will offer you jobs more frequently, than if you have only ever worked for someone else.

Head The Wall

Being overqualified doesn't guarantee you getting the position as employers sometimes think that if a better suited job comes up you will leave for it, this is not a new phenomemen so you are wrong there.

Dr McManus

Head The Wall wrote: »

Being overqualified doesn't guarantee you getting the position as employers sometimes think that if a better suited job comes up you will leave for it, this is not a new phenomemen so you are wrong there.

Agreed, being over qualified doesn't guarantee you getting the position.
However; being over qualified, experienced, and suitable, does.
Inevitably in a labour rich market during a recession, you will have applicants with Degrees applying for minimum wage jobs. Employers know full well these applicants wont be staying permanently, they still take them on though.
Not taking on someone who is over qualified is a myth. They wouldn't get to the interview stage if that was the case. Obviously an applicants CV will show they are over qualified prior to the interview selection. I have interviewed candidates for positions myself; and when faced with a short list of applicants with same experience, and suitability, I will choose the applicant with the higher (over) qualification. This is a natural selection process. How long someone will stay in the position is not related to whether they are over qualified or not. You will get job hoppers who are not over qualified too. Employers know this, and therefore don't base their selection criteria on excluding over qualified applicants from the recruitment process.

swe_fi

Dr McManus wrote: »

Agreed, being over qualified doesn't guarantee you getting the position.
However; being over qualified, experienced, and suitable, does.
Inevitably in a labour rich market during a recession, you will have applicants with Degrees applying for minimum wage jobs. Employers know full well these applicants wont be staying permanently, they still take them on though.
Not taking on someone who is over qualified is a myth. They wouldn't get to the interview stage if that was the case. Obviously an applicants CV will show they are over qualified prior to the interview selection. I have interviewed candidates for positions myself; and when faced with a short list of applicants with same experience, and suitability, I will choose the applicant with the higher (over) qualification. This is a natural selection process. How long someone will stay in the position is not related to whether they are over qualified or not. You will get job hoppers who are not over qualified too. Employers know this, and therefore don't base their selection criteria on excluding over qualified applicants from the recruitment process.

Dude, is your line of work HR?

Dr McManus

swe_fi wrote: »

Dude, is your line of work HR?

I don't work in Human Resources.
I am Managing Director of a my own company.
When I built my company I interviewed employees myself.
I have sat on both sides of the desk; as interviewer, and interviewee, so I have a full understanding of the recruitment process.

Eviledna

...and the apparent modesty of a fig leaf in eden.

To be MD of your own company may be an achievement, but using language like "built" my own company and referring to your over-qualification when your username is Dr McManus runs the ever-so-slight risk of sounding less than humble.

Just a thought?

Dr McManus

OpenBake wrote: »

...and the apparent modesty of a fig leaf in eden.

To be MD of your own company may be an achievement, but using language like "built" my own company and referring to your over-qualification when your username is Dr McManus runs the ever-so-slight risk of sounding less than humble.

Just a thought?

Agreed, I have been called many things in my life; humble was not one of them.

Mrs OBumble

Dr McManus wrote: »

I have sat on both sides of the desk; as interviewer, and interviewee, so I have a full understanding of the recruitment process.

I've also sat on both sides of the desk. And I can assure you that several times (in my former life, BTW) we quite deliberately did not hire the most qualified or even most experienced candidate, because their salary and conditions expectations were wayyy over our budget. Instead, we took the one with enough quals and and experience to grow into the job who was the best fit into the team.

'Tis horses for course, of course. But someone I'm picking that in the current market Dr Mc has some very specialised, and valuable, skills.

Backstreet Moyes

I can't seem to find out what they do, would their be much point applying with a finance degree?

Dr McManus

Nuts102 wrote: »

I can't seem to find out what they do, would their be much point applying with a finance degree?

A good start would be to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_AG

I always find that searching on google to see if a company has a wikipedia page is helpful.

Your finance degree may be useful if you are applying for a graduate calibre position. Experience and suitability for the position are as important as qualifications.

In the current economic climate it is worth applying for anything and everything you think you can do. You never know, you may get the job.

Mrs OBumble

Nuts102 wrote: »

I can't seem to find out what they do, would their be much point applying with a finance degree?

Applying for what?

I guess partly it will depend on whether any vacancy they have requires research skills.

forumfiend

Dr McManus wrote: »

Does anyone know what SAP are like to work for?
I have been offered a job working for them in Galway.
I would like to know what they are like.

Dr McManus wrote: »

I am Managing Director of a my own company.

If you are managing director of your own company and it's as successful as you imply, what made you consider taking a job in SAP?

Dr McManus

JustMary wrote: »

Applying for what?

I guess partly it will depend on whether any vacancy they have requires research skills.

Applying for a job.

Dr McManus

forumfiend wrote: »

If you are managing director of your own company and it's as successful as you imply, what made you consider taking a job in SAP?

Attractive; salary, working conditions, training, benefits.
Also to grow my business further, I thought the contacts I would make with SAP internationally would be of benefit. Networking in other words.
I was head hunted for a position by SAP, but declined the offer.
I was also offered another job at the same time, and decided (after much deliberation) to take that offer instead.

TristanPeter

Dr McManus wrote: »

Attractive; salary, working conditions, training, benefits.
Also to grow my business further, I thought the contacts I would make with SAP internationally would be of benefit. Networking in other words.
I was head hunted for a position by SAP, but declined the offer.
I was also offered another job at the same time, and decided (after much deliberation) to take that offer instead.

How a reasonably good thread to start with can turn into something awful. It's like a pedestal for you to blow your own trumpet IMO.

user1284

I've just applied last week to a technical writer position at SAP. Does anyone know what the hiring process is? I've heard there are 3 stages to it. And does anyone know how much an (inexperienced) technical writer would make? Cheers!

TristanPeter

I applied for that position also but I didn't get it because I failed the first round exam. They were looking for a 90% minimum score in the grammar test. That was part one of the examination overall. Part two was a nightmare. They gave me 3 long technical passages in a word doc. They were all over the place (format, sequence, fonts, grammar everything) so I had to rearrange them all and try to make sense of them. I was really constrained by time in part two. I wouldn't like to do it again that's for sure. Then again, that was just my experience. Maybe if you have a knack for that kind of thing you would be okay. The grammar was fine but I don't know where I failed overall in the examination because they don't give feedback. I may have been a bit complacent perhaps. I mean how difficult could a grammar test be? :eek:

Hope this helps. Oh yeah, make sure you know your MS Word shortcuts and no offence but your grammar in the test would need to be a bit better that the grammar/word structure in your post.

TristanPeter

Before I forget; I also had to answer/describe the following:

1) Explain what the internet is to your grandmother in 3 sentences.
2) Describe how a telephone works.
3) Why do I want to work for SAP?
4) What can you do for your manager? (That sounds dodgy but you know what I mean.)

So apart from completing the main parts of the test, these have to be completed also and the time goes VERY quickly during it.

user1284

Thanks for that, it's very informative! (Point taken about the grammar of my previous post, but I think you're being rather pedantic. This is the internet, after all. It isn't as though I'm trying to get a job based on my writing in a boards post. :rolleyes:) But the rest of it was very good information, thanks again!:D

TristanPeter

user1284 wrote: »

but I think you're being rather pedantic.

My apologies. I was just pointing out that that's the kind of thing they will be looking at in the examination if you get one. Otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it. Best of luck with it.