Creating Talent in the Salesforce Ecosystem

I like to write optimistically about Salesforce - if you have a look at my previous articles this year, they are usually pretty hyped up about a particular topic, and why not?! The Salesforce ecosystem is where it’s at. There are so many opportunities for companies, entrepreneurs, and Salesforce professionals, and as the ecosystem has been so kind to me, I like to shout about it from the rooftops.?

But there’s a problem in the ecosystem that has been dragging on for a while; demand is massively outstripping supply. Ask any hiring manager and they will tell you the same thing. They cannot find talent fast enough and this restricts growth.?

This will affect end users who can’t maintain and improve their Orgs, SIs who can’t work on the number of projects coming at them, ISVs who can’t grow their applications, and of course, Salesforce. If the number of available consultants in the world can’t match the rate Salesforce is selling, this becomes a problem.

The people in this situation that do benefit are the candidates. It’s always been a candidate’s market in Salesforce but this is especially true in 2022. Crazy salaries are flying around and the ‘great resignation’ means that as people leave, talent becomes harder to come by, and roles harder to fill.??

So what can we all do to help? Let’s take a quick look.

Creating Talent

I entered the Salesforce ecosystem after joining a graduate program organized by a London-based consultancy. This gave me and 10+ other professionals a fantastic career opportunity and provided the consultancy with some relatively cheap resources that, after a few months of training, could be deployed into the real world.

I’ve seen so many examples of consultancies in London organizing these types of programs, with great effect, for both parties.?

But after running a Salesforce Consultancy for four years, I understand the strong temptation to poach talent from other consultancies. I’m not saying this shouldn’t happen - it always will - as it allows people to switch up their environment, but I think everyone needs to be aware that this doesn’t help the supply of talent.

Hiring entry-level talent isn’t exactly easy either. These professionals have to be trained up, hand held, and require a lot of time in order to be skilled up, and time isn’t exactly a resource that consultancies are abundant in.?

However, I feel that as companies are reaping the rewards of being in the Salesforce ecosystem, they also have a duty to help support supply, and they can do this by being open to hiring entry-level professionals.?

To make this entire process easier, it’s great to be aware of organizations that are helping to pre-upskill professionals, so they are job-ready to move into end-users, consultancies, or ISVs.

Check out some of these amazin organizations, get in touch with them, and understand how you can partner…

Talent Alliance - A Salesforce-run initiative that aims to bring new diverse talent into the ecosystem.

PepUpTech - A non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of unrepresented people in tech.

Merivis - An organization dedicated to training veterans in Salesforce and ensuring they are job-ready.

Pathfinder - A Salesforce workforce development program to train the next generation of Salesforce professionals.?

LDNApprentices - A London-based Salesforce training provider, specializing in apprenticeships.?

Supermums - A Salesforce training provider that focuses on empowering mums and dads to find Salesforce roles.

RefugeeForce - An organization that helps refugees learn Salesforce and land roles.

If you don’t own a company and can’t influence the talent supply by hiring, why not tell people about a career in Salesforce? I wouldn’t advise going on some crusade to make everyone drink the kool-aid. But I quite happily pitch Salesforce to my friends and family if they happen to mention they are looking for a new career.

The above training resources are also great to share with individuals that might want to receive training. Here are a couple of blog posts with extensive resources…?

• 10 Free Salesforce Training Resources
• 11 Training Resources for Entry-Level Salesforce Professionals

Summary

In a report published by 10k Advisors , they explore the diversity of the ecosystem, taking into account many factors such as age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and education level. The report is interesting and encouraging, but it also highlights areas where work still needs to be done.

One encouraging statistic shows that 41% of the people surveyed have only been in the ecosystem for less than a year, which demonstrates the amount of people pouring in, but this is obviously not enough.

One less reassuring statistic is that a whopping 86% of professionals have a bachelor's degree, master’s, or PHD. Whilst I would like to think that in 2022 people aren’t still judging an individual based on whether they have a degree or not, there is a huge market of individuals out there without a degree - people I’m sure would be completely capable and keen to cross-train into Salesforce. So keep your mind open.

Until next week.

SFB