My lockdown and a recovering market.

My Lockdown

In January and February of this year, I sat here in Ireland convincing myself that the Corona Virus outbreak would be contained in a similar fashion to SARS and MERS in the recent past. I put it to the back of my mind. I had bigger fish to fry – building a house, organizing a wedding, raising my 4 year old and turning the big three-zero.

I was surprised at the beginning of March with a birthday party and thinking I was going away for a few days to Belfast. My fiancée sprung a trip to New York on me instead – we had a fantastic week and travelled back the day they closed all the tourist attractions. I thought to myself, that was well timed. In the days and weeks that followed, I felt guilty for feeling this way when I saw how New York, along with the rest of the world was affected.

Things at home had started to deteriorate.

ICU’s overflowing, patients dying, people not allowed to visit loved ones. I heard this every day as my fiancée is a nurse in our local hospital ED. All very grim, and to boot, a lagging timeline on our self-build, uncertainty about our wedding going ahead as scheduled and adjusting to remote working while having a 4 year old around and trying to be his dad, his friend and his teacher.

We made the most of the situation we were in - walking in the woods twice a day, plenty of visits to the beach, building the house, we bought a family Kayak and did some lovely trips. All positive experiences in a trying time.

In April 2020, life hit me particularly hard. I was diagnosed with Remitting Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. I woke up one night with a tingling feeling in my left foot. Of course, I did the dog on it over the weekend working on our house and it spread all up the left hand side of my body. Initially they thought it was a stroke but after a couple of MRI’s it was clear it was not a stroke. I have since started a treatment program and have noticed some improvements but fatigue is a constant nuisance. I consider myself a resilient person - this certainly tested that.

If anyone has been recently diagnosed and needs to chat - don't hesitate in reaching out me. It is a daunting diagnosis and having someone to speak to makes it far easier.

It was during this time that I felt very isolated, even though I had my family around me every minute of every day. I had to pause for thought as to why I felt this way. It was not because of the pandemic and horrific global news every day. It was not because of my diagnosis. It was not because our family home was going to be delayed in getting completed. It was something more nuanced. I spent a couple of weeks thinking of what this could be.

When the playgrounds re-opened I set off early one morning with my son. He was so excited that the excitement spread to myself. We got to the playground, he ran from the car and then suddenly stopped at the gates. There were other children there. It took him a good 15 minutes before he decided play on anything or even look at another kid. It was like he had to learn how to do everything again - he never looked back once he made that initial jump. He established relationships, devised games and just had fun in general. This was my eureka moment.

I suddenly realised I yearned for the face to face contact I had everyday in the office for the previous 6 years. Working in a bubble at home, connected but disconnected at the same time - Remote working was not suiting me (funnily enough, it was something I had pushed for in the previous 6 years working with Oxford).

I readily made plans for childcare and returned to the office a few days per week in July and full time from August. The moment I walked back into the office I had the same reaction my son had at the playground. Excitement, elation, hunger.

A Recovering Market

Since I have been back in the office, I have never been closer to my network and in tune with what is happening in the market. I have the luxury of being able to work not confined to a single geography. So I have a good global view, but a very strong view on what is happening in the European contract market for ERP. I have had many difficult conversations with people about being out of work since February, lost loved ones etc. My message has been clear – this is the short term. Things will bounce back. 

True to word, the market is certainly bouncing back – we have a number of customers that are kickstarting global transformation programs as well as some customers continuing with their hiring programs for existing projects which had been put on hold.

We have some Brexit Readiness projects coming up here in Ireland and the UK mid Q4 2020.

Clients have adapted their onboarding programs and now do it fully remote. I expect this to be the new norm, even after a vaccine is discovered and rolled out.

All in all, my general feeling is that companies are genuinely going to try and grow during this difficult period and come out the other end stronger. I envisage a stronger Q4 for the end of 2020 and a significant uptick in our pipeline in December for projects kick starting in January. Onwards and upwards.

Some tips for job searching;

• Search using LinkedIn hashtags. A surprising number of senior ERP consultants do not know what a hashtag does. If you are in SAP and looking for a role – type “#SAPContract” – play around with some key terms. You will find something useful – whether that is a peer group, an opportunity or maybe an old colleague that is hiring.
• Try to work with an agency like ourselves here in Oxford that have a strong reputation and a long track record with international clients.
• Be vocal with recruiters – you call them. Stay in their face. You want to be the first person they call if they have a role which matches your skills. I give this tip vice versa to new recruiters - if a consultant becomes available unexpectedly you want to be the first person they call.
• Reach out to recruiters you have worked with before and ask them if there is anything going on at your previous clients specifically. They may just have a role open.
• Connect with peer groups – you are not the only job seeker and I have found contractors will look out for each other.
• Take this time to review your CV – is it outdated? How does it compare to some of your peers? How can I make it stand out from everyone else on the desk.
• It is a candidate rich market at the moment – and clients know it. They are looking for value. You need to be flexible on your rate as there are more people available for work and fighting for it. Find a balance here – ask your recruiter – what are other candidates gone across at…Make your pitch once you know. (this is where working with someone you have dealt with before gives you peace of mind) I would also look to have a +expenses rate vs all inclusive if at all possible – travel costs may soar next year – you do not want to be stung. 

Some words to keep in mind while job searching;

• ·        Resilience
• ·        Innovation
• ·        Flexibility

Some open jobs;

• SAP MDG Remote/Ireland
• SAP PP/FICO/SD Trainers in UK
• Production Planning Consultant (ERP Agnostic) - German speaking in Switzerland
• Head of Analytics - Paris
• COE Test Manager - Paris
• SAP Consultants - cross modular - to backfill internal employees - kicking off mid-October - fully remote
• SAP PTM (plan to make) - remote contract - est 72 days work
• SAP Trainer (SCM) - Toronto, Canada
• OCM Change Manager - Remote/Finland

Reach out to me today if you would like a discussion about any of the above topics or open positions.