Hiring the right Salesforce candidates can be challenging. Whether you’re looking for a developer, administrator, consultant, or project manager, it’s crucial to identify the key traits and skills that align with your organization’s needs.

This practical checklist is designed to help hiring managers navigate the complexities of selecting top talent in the Salesforce ecosystem. By focusing on these essential attributes, you can ensure a successful hire that will contribute positively to your team’s performance and your company’s growth.

1. Real-world experience specific to the demands of the role

Certifications are great. However, they used to be simply to test one’s knowledge of their real-world experience. Nowadays, they’re proof of learning, not of doing. Resist the temptation to believe someone can do the role simply because they have the right certification or the right combination of certifications.

2. Appropriate level of communication skills for the job.

While a developer may mostly interact with code, administrators, BAs, consultants, and project managers are generally internal or external customer-facing. Their ability to craft effective communications—such as emails, training materials, and project scoping, as well as an upbeat, positive attitude on the phone and in video meetings—is essential. A pitfall of many hiring managers is falling in love with a resume and then ignoring all subsequent signs of a bad communicator. Delays in responses through the interview process are a major red flag. A droll demeanor during an interview, while possibly due to nerves, is a major warning sign and requires further scrutiny. Don’t succumb to confirmation bias!

3. Perpetual learning

Just like doctors who invest in updating their education annually or CPAs who review changes to the tax code, Salesforce professionals must continually invest in their knowledge and skill set. With three major updates per year, new software releases, and even just product name changes that happen continually, hire candidates who can prove they stay current.

4. Business understanding

With so many new, eager prospects in the ecosystem, it’s easy to hire an employee who lacks business experience accidentally. Ensure your candidates understand the products you use are not for the sake of having software but have a bottom line, measurable impact on the viability of the organization. The more someone understands the reason for the software, the more adept they’ll be at being able to offer recommendations that improve efficiency, useability, and profitability.

5. Personal accountability

Hiring an employee who doesn’t own their mistakes (or their successes) drains leadership’s energy, team culture, and productivity. “I’m sorry about that. Thanks for pointing it out. It won’t happen again.” This should be on the tip of every employee’s tongue when faced with errors and outright failures. Ideally, this happens without tears. Behavioral questions in the interview can help separate solution-oriented candidates from those who don’t accept responsibility.

6. Durability

Job hoppers, or kangaroos as we call them in the industry, often have had so many jobs and interviews that they’ve become adept at hiding their faults. Be aware! Every job hopper has a story, and some of them are absolutely valid. However, the vast majority are outwardly focused and find ways to blame companies and their managers. Don’t fall for it. Dig, dig, dig into this area during interviews and press them. “Level with me. We are going to check references, were you let go for performance?” In short, avoid extending job offers to candidates who don’t have a recent reference stating they would absolutely hire them back if they could.

7. Truthfulness

We want consistency everywhere we look. Does the resume match the LinkedIn profile? Do they profess they are active in the community, but their social posts and community connections say otherwise? Candidates lie during interviews. They lie even more when they aren’t working, hence the benefit of hiring already employed candidates. Keep your lie detection radar up and on high alert. Anything that sounds conflicting or fishy must be investigated deeply until you have satisfactorily cleared things up or are left with a sense of dread and act accordingly.

8. Passion for the products and ecosystem

When a candidate cares about what they do, they do a better job. Checking for passion is straightforward. Do they attend conferences? Have they presented or expressed a desire to present sessions? Do they follow podcasts, vlogs, and blogs? Are they active in communities like the Salesforce Professionals community on X or the Ohana Slack? Involvement in the community means they are supported by and supporting others. That’s less work for you and confidence they are investing continually in their career.

9. Technical proficiency

The depth of technical proficiency necessary varies greatly from admin to enterprise architect. Familiarity breeds competence and efficiency, so confirm the depth of their product knowledge specific to the role. Whiteboarding, mini-projects, scenario testing, and references will help weed out those needing more practice time.

10. Self-reliant problem-solving skills

Few in the ecosystem would say they are NOT good at problem-solving, but how they solve problems can be the difference between a successful team addition and a problematic hire. When faced with a challenge, what steps do they take to efficiently find the answers they need? Leaning on Google, LLM AI platforms, and documentation first is a sign they protect others’ time. That said, too much of a good thing is a very bad thing. Certain personality types never ask for help and waste hours of production time hunting for solutions that a team member could easily answer.

BONUS. The candidate was recommended by Salesforce Staffing

There’s no greater chance of success bringing on a new hire than working with Salesforce Staffing. Whether engaging us for top-notch recruiting or protecting your team by using our screening services, you’ll de-risk your investment, reduce turnover, and be able to build the team of your dreams.

Ready to find the perfect fit for your team? Trust Salesforce Staffing as your trusted partner to enhance your hiring process and contact us today.