If you’ve stumbled upon this blog and want to find out more about what a Salesforce ISV is and why you should work at one, please check out part 1 of this mini-series: Why work for a Salesforce ISV?
As part of my role, I am directly involved in recruitment at a scale up ISV. In this second part of our mini-series, I’m going to share what I’ve learned along the way through many hiring processes.
We’re going to take a look at some of the key skills you need to work at a Salesforce ISV, regardless of role, as well as a few top tips to give you the edge over the competition. There’ll even be a sneak peak at some real job interview questions!
What skills do I need to work at a Salesforce ISV?
Being adaptable is going to be incredibly important in having a long-lasting career at a Salesforce ISV. Not only do you have to keep up to date with the ISV’s product releases but you also have to be two steps ahead of Salesforce releases too. This goes hand in hand with having to be super organised. If you can prove that you have these two skills, you’re going to go a long way!
Another thing that I look out for is passion. Regardless of relevant experience, if you can show passion and determination to learn and get stuck in, there’s a high chance you will be able to get your foot in the door to begin your career in this industry.
What will give me the edge over other candidates?
Get on Trailhead! It is a FREE online learning platform filled with bitesize modules which are applied to real life scenarios to help users understand every aspect of the Salesforce platform.
Not only will it help you to understand if this industry is right for you but it will also give you the competitive edge. Not sure where to start? I recommend this module to begin with.
What are the interview questions like?
Having interviewed plenty of people here at ProvenWorks, the most common questions I ask for an entry-level role are:
- What are the main benefits of using Salesforce?
- Can you explain what a CRM is to someone who has never heard of it before?
- What is the app store called that has over 5,000 Salesforce applications on it?
- What product(s) do we sell?
- Why would a customer want to use our product(s)? (This one is crucial: I want to know if you understand the value of our products)
Top tips from Salesforce experts
You’ll find that people who work in the Salesforce ecosystem are always happy to collaborate. So when I reached out to a variety of people that have either worked with ISVs, previously worked at an ISV or currently work at one, they were happy to share their experience.
Ben McCarthy
Ben McCarthy has been in the Salesforce Ecosystem since 2012, and is the founder of SalesforceBen.com, the largest Salesforce news site in the world. He’s spent his career working across end-users, consultancies and ISVs.
ISVs are a great place to thrive as a Salesforce professional, but it can require a mindshift when moving from an end-user or SI.
ISVs sell Salesforce products, and therefore no matter where you are working in the business, sales, marketing or customer success, you need to understand the value the product provides. Even if you are not in sales, employees of an ISV should always be looking for ways to further help their customers, and help them extract more value from the product.
Ensuring you learn about the industry and product of the company you are applying for is a sure fire way to impress your interviewers.
💡 Check out a wide range of ISV opportunities all over the globe at SFB Jobs!
Mike Davis
Mike is currently the Founder of GTM Guides, a consulting company that helps smart teams with great tech become successful companies in the Salesforce ecosystem. Mike has been navigating the Salesforce ecosystem for over a decade and has developed a deep knowledge of what works within it. His experience includes time at Xactly, Conga, and TaskRay. While the majority of his career has focused on the revenue side of the house—specifically in sales and alliances leadership—he has experienced every functional aspect of the Salesforce ecosystem within ISVs.
If you are new to the ecosystem, your most likely entry point into an ISV is going to either as a Support analyst or SDR/BDR in the sales function. I personally started as a support analyst and it gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn the Salesforce platform and customer service skills that served to inform my approach to sales (and all things go-to-market).
When you are applying for any job, know that there are hundreds of others that submit their resume alongside yours – how do you bubble up to the top 10 that get a phone screen?
If you are spending 10 hours per week applying for jobs, I would recommend spending 2.5 hours per job and apply to 4 jobs vs. spending 30 minutes per job applying to 20 jobs as you need to stand out. Someone needs to understand why they are going to take a chance on you as an unproven candidate in the ecosystem. Showing up with “why you and why them” messaging and Trailhead badges completed are two easy ways to stand out.
Summary
Now you’re all clued up on why you’d want to work for an ISV and how to get a job at an ISV, why not check out our careers page! We look at every CV we’re sent, even if we’re currently not advertising for a specific role.
And remember, even though it can feel really tough at times trying to move into a new sector, there are things you can do to set yourself apart. Keep going, it WILL be worth it!