SAP and LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, have announced a marketing agreement that will support the recruiting efforts of SAP channel partners in the small and midsize enterprise (SME) market.

With more than 140,000 SAP consultants using LinkedIn, the collaboration will provide SAP partners in the SME market advanced recruiting methods to find the best talent.

This is the first collaboration announcement following the broader strategic relationship announced in October 2008, when SAP Ventures, a division of SAP AG, invested in LinkedIn Corporation.

Partners benefit from a special offering, the LinkedIn Recruiter Basic Starter Package, designed specifically for the recruiting needs of SAP channel partners with up to 1,000 employees.

The package includes LinkedIn Recruiter, an online recruiting solution that searches the LinkedIn network for the best candidates based on individually definable criteria. SAP channel partners can then easily contact and track those candidates via LinkedIn Recruiter.

Additionally, the package includes LinkedIn Jobs Network, an online job posting service that partners can leverage to promote job openings to the LinkedIn community. The offering is immediately available to all SAP channel partners worldwide.

“SAP is the first software company we are working with to provide such an offering. Over 1,000 leading companies already depend on LinkedIn’s recruiting solutions,” stated said Brian Frank, director, Sales Operations and Alliances, LinkedIn.

“The agreement with LinkedIn is part of our ongoing initiative to help provide partners with tools and resources to boost their recruiting efforts,” added said Pat Hume, senior vice president, Global SME Indirect Channel, SAP.-TradeArabia News Service