I’m Alex, a Salesforce specialist head-hunter at #SteadmanBrown. I want to explain how we understand what you do as a #SalesforceProfessional, under the surface.
Personally, I specialize in #SalesforceDevelopment and #SalesforceArchitecture. Many recruiters will speak to a candidate, gain basic information and pass several #CVs over to a client hoping that one sticks. However, if you know anything about Steadman Brown, you’ll know this is NOT how we work.
When I speak to candidates the basic information such as salary expectations, #hybrid or #remote working preferences, and even Salesforce product knowledge, isn’t enough to accurately match a candidate’s experiences, skills, and NEEDS to what our clients are looking for. As a whole, there are numerous ways in which I have gained insight into what my candidates do day-to-day, what goes into small to enterprise level projects, and what specific skills differentiate one Salesforce professional from another.
1. Speaking with you
There are so many blogs, videos, and sites to go on that offer information about Salesforce, but for me, one of the most effective ways to learn about the skills needed for Salesforce roles is to speak directly to my #SalesforceCandidates! When I speak to candidates, I can gain a clearer understanding of projects, where Salesforce sits within the business, and the team set ups.
For example, understanding more complex setups, usually including integrations and how a developer uses #APIs. Over time doing this, I can now ask the questions that give me even more insight into a candidate’s experience, such as, ‘why for that solution did you choose a programmatic route rather than a declarative route?’ or ‘how come the business is sticking with aura components and not migrating over to LWC?’.
Speaking to Salesforce candidates directly also gives me the opportunity to ask THEM to teach ME... I previously asked a candidate what the difference is between #SOQL and #SOSL. As a result of explaining the difference, I also learned when and how to use each!
To round this up, if you are on a call or meeting with any of us at Steadman Brown, give us a bit of time and a thorough conversation and you can expect a well-rounded understanding of what you do and what you want, thoughtfully matched Salesforce opportunities and specific market advice.
2. Trailblazer
I think we all know where I am going with this one. Every Salesforce Professional out there will have a #Trailblazer log-in, badges and #SalesforceCertifications. So, what’s stopping me from using it as a learning platform too?! This is a great way for me to learn technical skills from the source.
All of us at Steadman Brown use Trailblazer as part of our initial training, and all continue to use it throughout. Training is not compulsory for us. Rather, it is a choice, a choice to stand out, a choice to have a better understanding - a choice that can only help our #CareerDevelopment and the people we work with.
When a candidate speaks of their declarative skills, such as ‘creating fields’. This is no longer just “key words” to me. I have tried out the Salesforce playground and now understand how you actually do this task.
The #SalesforceEcosystem consists of truly talented people. Now I am not expecting to be one of them. But using Trailblazer brings me as close to that as I can get.
3. Simple Google research
I would be shocked to find out that people are not using Google in their day-to-day lives. Personally, I do not know what I would do without it! This is the easiest, most straight forward way to discover and research things.
If I am speaking with a candidate and they tell me a tool they are using (if I haven’t used point one to ask what the tool is), I will note it down and put it straight into a #google search after a call. Some of the main subjects I have searched google for is Integrations, finding diagrams explaining APIs and Middleware tools, and also getting explanations on #DevOps tools.
Another key reason I use Google is to keep up to date with the #SalesforceMarket. I can look at comparisons on other #SalesforceRoles and their salaries, I can find blogs, websites and the latest #SalesforceNews and updates.
This links nicely with the use of #socialmedia such as LinkedIn, which is such a powerful platform when it comes to Salesforce. The groups, profiles, once again finding Salesforce news and updates, really being able to embed myself into the eco-system.
As a #SalesforceSpecialist, when I speak to my candidates, I really need to know what I am talking about. Talking ‘a load of waffle’ might get you a few wins out of pure luck. This is not good enough for us at Steadman Brown. We have high standards regarding how we separate ourselves from other agencies. Researching things on Google is the bare minimum.
4. Colleague experience
- Our Director, Lewis Steadman, now has over 10 years’ of experience working with the Salesforce ecosystem.
- Salesforce Development and Architecture Team Lead, Joshua Printer, has 4.5 years’ of experience with Salesforce.
- Salesforce Consultant and Project Management Team Lead, Kyle Taylor, has 4 years’ of experience with Salesforce.
- Salesforce Administrator and Manager Team Lead, Connor Howe, has 5 years of recruitment experience.
I believe in, constant #innovation and development. There are always things to learn and ways to grow. This notion keeps me humble and helps me not get stuck in my ways and bad habits. I have the support of my colleagues in learning about the Salesforce eco-system or/and #recruiting at a high level. Any questions I may have, from the simple to the complex, they will be able to assist me with. There are times when diagrams or technical explanations need to be explained more clearly, and I am fortunate to have a talented team at my disposal to assist me in doing so.
I report to Joshua Printer. At least once a day we find a tool or language we don’t know too much about. We both go away and do a quick 5-minute research before coming back together, discussing our findings and learning what such a tool does, why you would use it and if it is a key bit of experience we should be looking for.
#RecruitmentAgencies have such a stereotype, and truthfully there are a lot of agencies out there who live up to them. I hope from reading this you can see that we are different and understand how much we put in behind the scenes to get it right!
We may not be able to sit down and write #Apex, create a #Lightning Web Component or configure #CPQ... BUT we will always try our best to understand how YOU do it.