Erik Palumbo is a corporate recruiter at ModelMetrics, Inc. They're looking for a Salesforce.com Technical Architect, and finding it to be a real challenge. He has posted to multiple LinkedIn user groups, tapped his traditional network for talent acquisition, and says he's finding "little interest".
I wouldn't categorize it as "little interest", but rather "supply and demand". Salesforce.com is hot right now. Admins, Developers, Technical Architects, Contractors, and Consultants are in short supply. David Taber commented similarly in his recent CIO article, "The CRM Talent Shortage: Here, Now".
I have also heard this repeated in the local Salesforce.com User Group meetings I facilitate and other CloudForce user conferences I attend. At Comcast, I've been helping our HR department find additional Salesforce.com talent, and it's been challenging for us, too. The number of personal calls and emails I've received from recruiters is up sharply in the past two months, averaging 3-5 per week. It's really surprising!
I gave Erik many of the same recommendations I gave my corporate HR department:
1.) For LinkedIn job postings, I recommend the Salesforce.com Professional LinkedIn Network. It is one of the oldest LinkedIn Groups, and is managed by Salesforce.com employees (Jeanine Thorpe, Erica Kuhl, Tom Wong, and Jamie Grenney). It's the forum were Salesforce.com posts their own job opportunities, as well.
2.) The Salesforce Community discussion boards have a Job Board for Admins and Job Board for Developers. You may find a pool of candidates there, who don't frequent or participate in LinkedIn groups.
3.) On one of Erik's job descriptions, I read that he didn't want to be contacted by 3rd party / recruiters. In Erik's case, that makes sense: he IS the corporate recruiter for his company. For most other companies, I would encourage they use recruiters. Don't be fooled by this crazy job market. Even though unemployment is high, skilled Salesforce.com CRM talent is in great demand. You may need to work harder at luring those candidates toward your company. A technical recruiter may be your best bet for filling an internal Salesforce.com Ninja position quickly: you need a hunter to help you find the right talent.
4.) Consider spending your budget dollars to TRAIN the right candidate, rather than RECRUIT the right candidate. Don't wait for Salesforce.com talent to fall from the Clouds! You may find it easier to find someone that has some of your core requirements, and put them through a rigorous Salesforce.com Boot Camp program. Find a talented business analyst / java developer / project manager, and introduce them to Salesforce.com. Put that firehose right down their throat and have them drink deep. For the near term, this may be the best chance for getting your internal Salesforce.com job postings filled quickly.
A final note to employers who already have Salesforce.com talent: hold on to them. I don't see this CRM talent shortage ending soon.
Good luck!
JP - I couldn't agree with #4 more.
ReplyDeleteWhen you can't find someone with the exact skills or experience hiring a person who is switched on, fired up and "gets it" is an excellent alternative hire. Then, as an employer, all you have to do is get them trained, provide support and point them in the right direction (oh, and give them a minimum contract of 12 months thus ensuring you hang on to your investment).
Yeah it seems that the tech is hot property right now. The London demand has more than double in a year and a bit: http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/london/salesforce.com.do
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