Talent Hub Talk

Learning to code and writing your first line of Apex with Zabou Nicoul

Today we talk with Salesforce Platform Manager, Zabou Nicoul about her career journey in the Salesforce world so far.

Zabou learned to code in Salesforce having come from a non-technical background, and talks us through the roller-coaster journey of persistence and determination which has led her to the point today of being proud of the code she writes.

Zabou gives listeners advice, tips and resets expectations as to how a journey into Salesforce development is likely to unfold, as well as the rewards she feels being able to write Salesforce code affords in the current Salesforce ecosystem, and your own role.

You can follow Zabou on LinkedIn to ask any questions and continue to follow her exciting journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zabounicoul/

Learnings from undertaking a large-scale Salesforce transformation project with Robert Whitaker

In this episode, we talk with technology leader and Head of Salesforce Platform, Robert Whitaker, who was recently involved in one of the largest Salesforce transformation projects in the Asia Pacific.

We talk to Rob about the assessment and initial investment decision around why Salesforce was chosen, the value that they got from working with a consulting partner, and the key roles that are required on such a big project. He explained to us the challenges that they faced throughout the program of work as well as how they tackled them. We covered best practices, including the most critical points throughout a project, when commencing such a huge piece of work right through to delivery.

We touch on recruitment and ongoing learning, and reflect on how far Rob has come in his knowledge of the Salesforce platform.

Lastly, Rob shares what he loves the most about the Salesforce Ohana and the opportunity that the industry presents for collaboration with other business.

You can connect with Rob on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robswhitaker/

BONUS Q&A: Do I need to work for a Consulting Partner to be a CTA? Plus other questions from listeners, answered by Ben Duncombe

Did you know that you can send your Salesforce career questions directly to us, and Ben will answer a selection from listeners on the podcast. You can leave us a voice note via the Talent Hub website, or just send Ben a message on LinkedIn and let him know it's for the podcast. Make sure we answer yours next time.

Here are a selection that Ben answers on this week's show:

1) How difficult is it going to be to secure my first Salesforce role?

2) I am a Web Developer and looking to transition into Salesforce. Do I need to go down the Admin path first?

3) Someone said I should go for a Functional Consulting role rather than Admin as I am from a Sales background. Would you also advise this?

4) I am applying for roles but not getting much response. What am I doing wrong?

5) What is the best way for me to get sponsorship for Australia?

6) Is 'not having local experience' really a factor?

7) Do I need to work for a Consulting Partner to be a CTA?

8) Why aren't there more remote roles in Australia?

Employee experience that delights with Olga Rankin

In this episode, we talk with Employee Experience Director at Simplus, Olga Rankin, and take a deep dive into what the role entails and how she works day-to-day to effectively influence a positive workplace both generally, and specifically, within a Salesforce Partner environment.

We talk to Olga about recruitment - how to hire for attitude as well as skill set, and how to ensure an engaging on and offboarding process. She gives insight into retaining and managing staff through acquisitions and challenging projects, alongside the client site component, elements common within the consulting world, and how to build and maintain a good culture when teams can't always be together in the physical sense.

We also tackle the topic of pay increases, with the particular context of the Salesforce ecosystem, and Olga shares her views, as well as some tips if you're considering your own pay and how to approach asking for a raise.

Lastly, Olga shares what she loves the most about the Salesforce Ohana and the opportunity that the industry presents.

You can connect with Olga on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgarankin/

From NASA to Salesforce with Bhavana Singh

In this episode, we talk with Salesforce Developer, Bhavana Singh at Dreamforce in San Francisco to discuss her career before Salesforce, and her contributions across the globe that have led her to be awarded not only Salesforce MVP status but the Developer Golden Hoodie in 2018.

Bhavana comes from a really interesting background, having worked in the NASA control center before discovering the world of Salesforce, and opening her own business.

We discuss her advice for people looking to transition into Salesforce, and the thriving ecosystem in the USA; the events and Community Groups that are held there and how the WiT are on a mission to increase the number of female CTAs in the ecosystem across the globe.

We enjoyed finding out more about the others who inspire her in the Salesforce Ohana, such as the Ladies Be Architects group, led by Gemma Emmett, Charly Prinsloo and Susannah St-Germain, those in the RAD Women (Radical Apex Developers) group run by Angela Mahoney.

Bhavana talks about the support she draws on from having a study-buddy on her path to CTA and how she's been able to apply her natural flair for teaching in her role as a RAD Women coach.

You can follow Bhavana on Twitter at @singhbhavana8, and find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/singhbhavana8/.

How to build your personal brand online with Zachary Jeans

In this episode, we talk with top tweeter and VP of Marketing at AbsenceSoft, Zachary Jeans, all the way from his home in Washington, at Dreamforce in San Francisco. We sit down to discuss his career before Salesforce, how he first got into the ecosystem, and how it has led him all over the world on many exciting adventures. Having joined the Salesforce Ohana a decade ago, he sheds light on what it was like back then, and how it has evolved since. With a Twitter following of close to15k, and VP of Marketing in his role, Zachary, it is fair to say, knows his stuff in the world of marketing and online connections. He explains the power of social media in the Salesforce world and in fact, any industry, and gives his tips for getting started. He explains the benefits and enjoyment in leveraging it's potential reach, and the value of having an online presence. Zachary is a self-described elevator of people, and he shares his thoughts on a range of topics as well as making his suggestions for people to follow on Twitter for valuable and useful content. We enjoyed finding out more about the others who inspire him in the Salesforce Ohana, and the great work he does in the local market and beyond. You can follow Zachary on Twitter at @zacharyjeans

The Salesforce ecosystem in India with Rupesh Bhatia

In this episode we talk with Salesforce MVP and 13X Salesforce certified Application Architect, Rupesh Bhatia, at Dreamforce in San Francisco to discuss his career before Salesforce, and his contributions across the globe that have led him to be awarded Salesforce MVP status. With TDX India coming up on 19th December 2019 we talk about the event and what attendees can expect.

We discuss his advice for people looking to transition into Salesforce, and the thriving Salesforce ecosystem in India; the events that are held there every year, and how this region has the second-largest Salesforce Developer community outside of the U.S.

We enjoyed finding out more about the others who inspire him in the Salesforce Ohana, and the great work he does in the local market and beyond.

You can follow Rupesh on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupesh-bhatia/and check out TDX India at https://www.salesforce.com/in/trailheadx

Setting up a Salesforce Implementation Partner with Sauce Consulting

Today we talk with the Founders of Sauce Consulting, Albert James, Martine Campagna and Hiral Swala on location in San Francisco.

Sauce has recently been launched in the Australian Salesforce market, and between them, the Co-Founders bring a wealth of Salesforce experience. We met up with them at Dreamforce to discuss the process of becoming a Salesforce Partner, the value that they, as a business, put on Salesforce certifications, and the importance of having complementary skills between business owners.

Sauce are refreshing in their approach to hiring, with a big emphasis placed on hiring for potential and passion, and we spoke to them in more detail about what makes them different.

Finally, they shared their key takeaways from the huge week at Dreamforce.

You can follow Albert on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertjames/, Martine at https://www.linkedin.com/in/martine-campagna-4b7093117/, and Hiral at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiral-sawla-a2917299/.

Their website can be found at https://www.sauceconsulting.com.au/

We hope you enjoy the episode

Salesforce conversations uncut with Chris Hopper, John Knight, Ben Fuller and Andrew Echevarria broadcasting from Dreamforce

This episode is brought to you from Dreamforce and is a collaboration and a collision of Salesforce opinions, authentic views and real experiences from five personalities in the Salesforce ecosystem from across the world, who have come to find each other on LinkedIn. Featuring alongside Ben Duncombe; Chris Hopper, The CRM Recruiter, John Knight, Salesforce Practice Lead at Marketwake, Ben Fuller, President of Cloudtrailz and Andrew Echevarria, Salesforce Technical Lead at Deloitte. All are very active on LinkedIn and so we recommend you introduce yourselves for educational snippets and un-bridled Salesforce content. Chris Hopper - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thecrmtechrecruiter/ John Knight - https://www.linkedin.com/in/knight2413/ Ben Fuller - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdfuller/ Andrew Echevarria - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewsfdc/

The modern Salesforce Developer with Sameed Khan

Today we talk with Salesforce Developer, Sameed Khan to discuss his background from electrical engineering into software engineering, and ultimately into Salesforce. We delve into why he chose Salesforce as his specialism, and how he approached his own self-development and use of resources to upskill.

Sameed sheds light on the nuances of Salesforce versus other development languages and domains, and how software engineering can be viewed as an art. Find out more in this episode about the repercussions of good quality versus sub-quality code, and how companies can attract upcoming Developers like him, for their teams.

You can follow Sameed on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameed-khan-1a637670/