Talent Hub Talk

Kristian Jørgensen on the best approach to ensure Salesforce project success

In today's episode, we’re joined by Kristian Jørgensen, Salesforce Solution Architect and the author of the Salesforce End-to-End Implementation Handbook.

We discuss Kristian's early career and the various roles he held before finding his way into the IT industry and building a Salesforce career. He shares his first exposure to Salesforce, why he decided to move into a Salesforce role full-time, and how he progressed from Functional Consultant to Solution Architect.

Kristian explains what he noticed about Salesforce projects that led him to write the End-to-End Implementation Handbook, what some of the key upfront decisions are that can impact a Salesforce project success, how a company goes about estimating ROI on a Salesforce project, and what factors influence the decision around project delivery models.

Finally, Kristian explains what a Salesforce Centre of Excellence is, how BAU should really be viewed, and shares some tips for companies transitioning out of project mode.

 

You can follow Kristian on his LinkedIn page and purchase a copy of the Salesforce End-to-End Implementation Handbook by clicking here!

 

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Ben Duncombe on effective questions you could ask for Salesforce job interview success

In today’s episode of Talent Hub Talk, Ben Duncombe shares some tips around asking questions in your Salesforce interview from a job seeker's perspective.

This is your opportunity at the end of an interview or throughout it to ascertain whether this is really the right environment, role, and team for you. They also convey to the hiring manager that you’re interested, have a natural curiosity, and have prepared for your interview with them.

We give you some ideas of useful questions to ask, and why.

We hope you find this episode useful!

Alexander Lapa on living the solo Salesforce consulting and Digital Nomad life

In today's episode, we are joined by Alexander Lapa, Founder of Dryad Consulting and Salesforce Architect. Alex shares insight into what first attracted him to a flourishing career in IT, before taking two years out to travel the world.

We find out why Alex chose to focus on Salesforce and not-for-profits on his return to Canada and how he structured his business as a successful solo Salesforce Consultant.

Alex talks about how he splits his time in Canada and Spain living the digital nomad life, and how he shares with customers his ways of working.

He also provides advice for anyone who may be interested in running a similar business, how he had to change his pricing model, and the importance of having a specialism.

You can find out more from Alexander if you follow his LinkedIn page.

We really hope you enjoy the episode, and we also recommend checking out Alex's podcast- Agents of Nonprofit, as well as his newsletter!

Lars Malmqvist on scaling a business, becoming a CTA and a published author

In today's episode, we’re joined by Lars Malmqvist, Salesforce CTA, and twice-published author. We cover a breadth of topics in this episode, including his passion for studying, his career through consulting, launching and scaling a Salesforce services business that became a product business, becoming a CTA, writing to Salesforce books, and much, much more.

Lars blew us away with all that he has achieved in his career and we genuinely question when he finds time to sleep. A really, really interesting episode and we hope you enjoy it!

You can follow Lars Malmqvist on his LinkedIn page!

We’d like to thank FlowRepublic for their support in bringing you this episode and you can find out more about their programs on their website.

Enjoy the episode!

Analysis of the ANZ Salesforce market in Q2 2023

In today's episode, Ben shares a quick update on the market and what he has seen in the last quarter, April to June 2023. He touches on vacancy volumes, redundancies, job applicant numbers, managed services offerings, and how Salesforce salaries are tracking.

Our aim is to give some context and commentary as we navigate between the headlines, and as always, we hope you enjoy the episode.

Sandhya Mangrulkar on becoming a Salesforce CTA as a Presales Architect

In today’s episode of the Talent Hub Talk, we’re joined by Sandhya Mangrulkar, Senior Manager and Salesforce CTA.

Sandhya shares the details of her early career, how she came to work with Salesforce, and what she has seen to be the differences between working both onshore and offshore. She talks through her different Salesforce roles and how she had focused on certain products and industries before finding her way into the pre-sales space.

Sandhya explains the benefits and drawbacks of working in a pre-sales role when it comes to attempting the CTA. She explains where her gaps were and describes what it was like to pass the CTA Review Board. Finally, Sandhya shares what is next for her in her career!

You can follow Sandhya Mangrulkar on her LinkedIn page.

We’d like to thank FlowRepublic for their support in bringing you this episode and you can find out more about their programs on their website!

Enjoy the episode!

Mark Good on the world of Salesforce AI

In today's episode, we’re joined by Mark Good, AI expert and Founder of AI Force Training.

Mark provides fascinating insights into the world of AI and explains how Salesforce professionals are currently using GPT tools and where opportunities exist for future transformation. He talks us through some of the key points from the Salesforce AI Day and shares the vision of his company, AI Force.

We learned a lot from this conversation with Mark, including the best ways to approach interacting with Chat GPT, and we hope you get as much from the conversation as we did.

You can follow Mark on his LinkedIn page!

For more information and updates on his company, you can follow AI Force Training on Linkedin.

GPT Dreamin’ is happening in August 2023 and you can find out all the details at gptdreamin.com.

 

Enjoy the episode!

Waruna Buwaneka on stepping into an Enterprise Architect role as a Salesforce CTA

In today's episode, we're joined by Waruna Buwaneka, a Salesforce CTA and Enterprise Architect.  Waruna talks us through his education and early career, including his initial exposure to consulting and some of his early lessons.

We discuss what Waruna learned from working in a family-run business for several years and how he had a varied and broad role when he returned into the consulting world, and why this was beneficial.

Waruna explains why he wanted to pursue the CTA and what gaps he identified that he had when he started the journey. He shares how he benefited from being part of a CTA study group and how his skillset grew.

Since becoming a CTA Waruna has stepped into an Enterprise Architect role, so we discuss why this appealed to him, what he does day to day, and how it feels to work with a broader audience, who may not necessarily understand the significance of the CTA, or the sacrifices it takes to achieve it.

You can follow Waruna on his LinkedIn page.

 

We'd like to thank our episode sponsors, FlowRepublic for their support in bringing you this episode and you can find out more about their programs on their website.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Chris Pearson on leading Salesforce teams and managing large environments

In today's episode, we are delighted to be joined by Chris Pearson, an Enterprise CRM Applications Director.

Chris talks us through his early career, how he came to work with the Salesforce platform, and what the transition into leadership was like for him. We discuss the importance of still staying close to the technology as your responsibilities and teams grow, and what changes when you manage bigger and bigger environments.

Chris provides some tips on what a Salesforce Leader can do to make a quick impact when joining a new business, how he approaches building trust with team members, and talks candidly about some of the team retention challenges he faced over the last couple of years.

Finally, Chris shares some advice on working with Salesforce Partners and Account Executives and discusses about leadership lessons he wishes he knew earlier in his career.

You can connect with Chris on his Linkedin page! 

We hope you enjoy the episode.

MARKET UPDATE: Chris Hopper and Ben Duncombe on the Salesforce market in 2023

In today's episode, we catch up with long-term Talent Hub friend, USA-based Salesforce Recruiter, Christopher Hopper, for a chat about Salesforce recruiting in the current market.

We look at both the USA and ANZ markets and delve into topics such as what’s happening with Salesforce salaries, the current timeframes to fill Salesforce roles, and whether there is a demand for industry-specific product knowledge.

We regularly catch up with Chris on the podcast as he's a popular voice with our listeners and it’s useful to cross-reference the US and ANZ markets. There are several previous episodes that we have recorded at past Dreamforce events and throughout the year with him, including candid chats, predictions, and observations. If you've missed any of these, then head back through the show to catch up on what you missed.

Chris comes from a technical background himself which gives him a unique insight. You can find him on his LinkedIn page!

Enjoy the insights!