From Here to Where? Auckland User Group Salesforce Careers Q&A [VIDEO]

In Salesforce experts by talent-hubLeave a Comment

Today we share the rebroadcast (at the bottom of this page) of the Q&A session that Talent Hub’s Ben Duncombe and Carl Thomas of Upper Echelon NZ , took part in with the Auckland Salesforce Community Group. The topic was Salesforce careers, as we navigate through the sometimes challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 period, and talk about how the Salesforce market has been impacted, if at all.

We summarise below, some of the main questions that were candidly tackled:

Is it a good time to be upskilling my Salesforce skills? 

There’s never a bad time to upskill, particularly around what interests you, or which parts of the platform you’re passionate about. Now is as good a time as any, to assess your own skills and ask yourself where your own gaps are. Could you improve your communication skills for example, to improve your career prospects, or effectiveness in your role?

Are there more functional or technical Salesforce roles available at the moment?

Typically, we always see more demand for Developers than functional resources across the ANZ Salesforce market. However, that isn’t to say that you should be aiming to become technical if you’re more suited to, or enjoy being, a functional Salesforce professional.

If you play to your strengths, a talented and passionate Salesforce professional will always be in demand in the market.

Is the Salesforce market still as bouyant as it was prior to COVID-19?

There is definitely hiring happening in the Salesforce market in ANZ. Perhaps not quite at the level that there was 6-12 months ago at this moment in time, but there are opportunities available. We have seen hiring activity ramp up again after a very short period of more limited activity when COVID-19 first hit.

New Zealand is more of a project based Salesforce market than Australia typically. Therefore, hiring activity is more team based, and we have seen projects continue to push ahead.

Will remote working mean that New Zealand Salesforce professionals start being hired into Australia based Salesforce roles?

It’s a possibility, although it depends on the role and the company.  We’re seeing more remote work and we do wish to see more of it, but it will only happen when there’s a mindset shift. Throughout COVID, Salesforce professionals have demonstrated a proven ability to work remotely, and so it may become more commonplace in the future, although perhaps in a varied capacity. For example, Functional Consultants are more likely to remain largely office-based, or on client site, than perhaps Technical Architects and Developers, due to the nature of the way in which they perform their roles.

Should Salesforce professionals remain in the Salesforce space?

Not a lot of people are losing their jobs in the Salesforce space by comparison to other industries, even if the growth of the market has temporarily slowed, and so no, we see it as being a resiliant market.

It could be prudent to look at other technologies as a complement to Salesforce perhaps, but we see no reason that the Salesforce market won’t continue to remain strong during economically challenged times.

What advice is there for people seeking entry level or Graduate Salesforce roles?

Use your networks and be resiliant, because you’re likely to have more success independently. Don’t rely on jobs boards; rather go to the Salesforce User Groups and Meetups, as the more contact you have with potential hiring managers, the more likely you’ll make a connection that benefits your job search.

Even when restricted to virtual networking until in-person events are safe to resume, you should use every opportunity that you can. For example, connecting with everybody that has attended a virtual meetup that you have, afterwards on LinkedIn or Twitter, with a personlised note.

Are any of the jobs being advertised online not actually live jobs?

Some of the jobs that appear online are no longer live, although it’s rarely deliberate. Occasionally online aggregators will scrape historical job adverts and repost as if they are newly created.

Sometimes companies will ask to be represented by several recruitment agencies which will skew the data. Therefore, whilst there could be three job adverts posted, there may only be one role available, despite all three adverts being legimate and offering a current opportunity. All three are that same one opportunity.

Should Salesforce professionals be pursuing contract or permanent roles?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, it depends on which roles are available, and whatever works best for your individual circumstances and work preferences.

How long will the Salesforce job market in ANZ take to recover?

Nobody really knows at the moment, and it’s the unknown that’s preventing hiring managers from signing off headcount, however, we have seen improvement in recent weeks.

How can I make myself my stand out when applying for a Salesforce role?

Create your own experience using a Developer org to creatively showcase a topical piece of work. For example, you could build it to track your applications and interviews.

Then use LinkedIn to talk about the pieces of work that you’ve built. You have something tangible to show in an interview, that you can apply your knowledge in a practical capacity.

Main tip to create an effective Salesforce resume..

When writing your resume, apply figures to the facts to tell a story, and give context to your experience, rather than listing your responsibilities and tasks.

Is there a maximum length of resume that’s recommended?

It’s a myth that any longer than one page is too much. Whilst the first page should be attention grabbing, engaging, and dressed to demonstrate suitability to the role in question, there’s no rule on resume length.

Make sure that every single line is relevant and successfully sells your skills and expeirence to the hiring manager, and if you need to go to two pages or longer, then you can.

Should I accept a lower salary at this stage in the COVID-19 period?

Unless your salary expectations are very high, or you’re desperate to secure a role in order to meet your financial obligations, then there shouldn’t be a need to. If the market has consistently been paying a particular rate, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to secure that rate at this time. There were perhaps constraints on rates and salaries in the very early stages of COVID-19, but this by and large, has passed.

What annual take home pay can be expected for Salesforce contractors?

This varies. You shouldn’t rely on multiplying your daily rate by 365 days per year, as contract roles are project based. Each project will vary, and there will be variations between different industries and companies. There are markets within a market. Rather than relying on salary guides, have conversations to get a feel for the market and the projects available at that point in time….

______________________________________________________________________________

We hope you enjoy the Q&A, and if you have any other questions or would like to talk further, then don’t hesitate to reach out to Talent Hub to talk with Ben.

Thank you for watching, we hope it was useful. Stay tuned for upcoming Talent Hub Talk podcasts and LinkedIn Lives, coming soon. Remember, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel for past and upcoming content.

If you’d like to become involved as a guest, we’d love to hear from you!

Leave a Comment