Talent Hub Talk

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!

Ben Duncombe on the most common ANZ Salesforce market questions in 2023

In today's episode, Ben answers the questions he's asked most frequently, such as is there currently an oversupply of available candidates? Are companies offering employer-sponsored visas for overseas applicants? And what exactly is a "hidden" job market?

We hope you find this insight useful and that you enjoy the episode!

Martin Vyskocil on being immersed in the CTA journey for over 2 years and the challenge of maintaining peak performance

In today's episode, we’re joined by Martin Vyskocil, a Salesforce CTA and Associate Partner at IBM in the UK. Martin talks us through his early career, how he came from a non-I.T. background initially and explains how working in different sales support manager roles has actually benefited him in his Salesforce career.

Martin explains how he first came to work in I.T., why he felt the company gave him the opportunity to take on a leadership role at the time, and what he first made of Salesforce when his company moved to the platform from Oracle.

Having spent a number of years with one company, Martin shares what attracted him to the consulting space and how working for Salesforce compared to working with more recent Salesforce partners.

Finally, Martin opens up on his CTA journey, how it played out, and how he tackled health and scheduling challenges along the way, leading him to be in Review Board preparation mode for a considerable period of time. He reflects on what this meant for his mental health, what it felt like to finally pass, and goals that are important to him now.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode and you can connect with Martin on his LinkedIn page.

 

We'd like to thank our sponsors FlowRepublic for their support in bringing you this episode!

 

Anita Hedges on how Salesforce is able to drive sustainability and a spotlight on Net Zero Cloud

In today's episode of Talent Hub Talk, we’re joined by Anita Hedges, Social Impact Lead for Merkle in New Zealand. Anita provides insight into her early career, how she came to work with Salesforce, and what she had initially focused on.

We discuss how she came to focus on sustainability before stepping into the Social Impact Lead role and why this was important to her. Anita talks us through Net Zero Cloud, what it is, and how it can be used, as well as how she sees the market growing in this space.

As part of Anita's sustainability focus, she is also the head of the sustainability council at Merkle. She explains the changes the business has made and the impact these changes are having.

Finally, Anita describes the work that she does with not-for-profit businesses and the enjoyment she gets from working in the social impact space compared to previous roles.

We hope you enjoy the episode and you can connect with Anita on her LinkedIn page!

 

Srini Munagavalasa and a deep dive into the Salesforce Business Analyst role

In today's episode, we're joined by Srini Munagavalasa, a Vice President for the Salesforce COE at MUFG Financials and the author of the Salesforce Business Analyst Handbook.

Through the episode, we discuss how Srini moved into customer-facing business engagement roles, having started his career as a Developer in SAP. We look at what has made him passionate about the role of a Business Analyst, who in the Salesforce team he feels needs Business Analysis skills, and how he differentiates between a Business Analyst and a Functional Consultant.

We discuss key factors to successful Salesforce projects, what you can learn from failed projects, and how Srini stays on top of releases and the latest and greatest from Salesforce.

We hope you enjoy the episode, and make sure you're following Srini on his Linkedin page!

Click here so you can purchase Srini's Salesforce Business Analyst Handbook!

 

Ben Duncombe on the ANZ Salesforce Manager Survey 2023: Insights (PART 2)

In this week's episode, we cover the results of Talent Hub's annual ANZ Salesforce Survey, of which Part 2 focuses on the results from Salesforce managers.

Click here to download your copy of the ANZ Salesforce Market Survey!

In this podcast episode, listen to Ben's response to the data, what he believes that it means and why, and how it compares to what he's seeing on the ground day to day.

We look at what Salesforce managers are prioritising when making new hires, how many expect to expand their teams in the next 12 months, and which Salesforce-related Clouds/products are predicted to see the most growth, amongst other data points.

Whilst this survey relates to the Australia and New Zealand regions, we'd love to know whether it falls in line with your region. Tell us in a written review in whichever app you use to listen to your podcasts what you're seeing, as we're keen to hear from other areas of the world.

You can also take a peek back at our 2022 survey to see how the market has evolved over the last 12 months, by clicking here!

 

We hope that you enjoy the episode!

Ben Duncombe on the ANZ Salesforce Talent Survey 2023: Insights (PART 1)

In this week's episode, we cover the results of Talent Hub's annual ANZ Salesforce Survey, of which Part 1 focuses on the results from Salesforce professionals, followed by next week, where we bring you insights from Salesforce managers.

Click and download your copy of the ANZ Salesforce Market Survey!

In this podcast, listen to Ben's response to the data, what he believes that it means and why, and how it compares to what he's seeing on the ground day to day.

We look at what Salesforce professionals look for in a new role, where their ambitions lie, and where they most want to work, amongst other data points.

Whilst this survey relates to the Australia and New Zealand regions, we'd love to know whether it falls in line with your region. Tell us in a written review in whichever app you use to listen to your podcasts what you're seeing, as we're keen to hear from other regions.

You can also take a peek back at our 2022 survey on our website to see how the market has evolved over the last 12 months.

We hope that you enjoy the episode!