Skills for Tomorrow: Crafting Admin Expertise

Embark on an empowering exploration of diversity recruitment in tech with guest Rochelle Rawls from Salesforce, guiding us through the labyrinth of breaking into the Salesforce ecosystem. Our discussion illuminates Salesforce's unyielding commitment to diversity and inclusion, setting ambitious targets and cultivating an environment where every individual can thrive, while also equipping aspiring Salesforce admins with actionable strategies to stand out in a competitive market.

Navigating the tech industry's competitive landscape requires more than just qualifications; it demands savvy networking and a resilient personal brand. This episode lays out the roadmap for building professional relationships that open doors to Salesforce opportunities and discusses the balance between certification and practical experience. We delve into the interplay of technical expertise and customer service acumen necessary at Salesforce. We debate the merits of certifications versus on-the-ground experience and discuss how working as an admin and learning through Trailhead can prepare candidates with diverse backgrounds for roles within the ecosystem.  Through profound conversations and shared experiences, this episode not only educates but also inspires, driving home the significance of diversity and the power of professional community engagement.

To register for the upcoming Salesforce North Dallas Meet-Up at Salesforce Tower, please register here: https://www.meetup.com/salesforce-of-north-dallas/events/299265710/

To register for WeDreamin, the first Salesforce community conference in North Dallas, please register here: https://wedreamin.org/registration/

Rochelle brings to the table a distinguished five-year career in the recruitment domain, marked by a notable transition into technology recruitment two years ago. This strategic move was a turning point in her professional trajectory, culminating in her attainment of a coveted position within Salesforce's Diversity Talent Attraction Team. 

Her unwavering dedication to identifying and securing top-tier talent is paralleled by a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which serves as a cornerstone in propelling her efforts to support others. Rochelle specializes in recruiting for diverse roles within the Customer Success division. She also serves as the Dallas Events and VTO Chair for the Salesforce Women's Network, and is actively involved in Boldforce and Black Women Experience, Business Resource Groups at Salesforce. Rochelle actively engages in local networking groups and conferences, assuming the role of an ambassador for Salesforce. She represents the company with distinction at events such as Dreamin' in Color, We Dreamin', Latinas in Tech, and AfroTech. 

Beyond her professional responsibilities, Rochelle finds time to give back to her community through volunteer work. Additionally, she pursues personal interests by exploring new travel destinations and spending time with her friends and family.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rothedeipro/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Good morning and good afternoon.
My name is Jacob Catalano andwelcome back to another episode
of Admins of Tomorrow.
So before we get started, Ijust want to say thank you to
all the listeners for beingpatient with us as we get back
into the swing of things.
I personally pride myself onbeing open, honest and
transparent, and so I can sayhonestly, the month of March has

(00:37):
kicked my butt.
There's been a lot of work todo, there's been a lot of events
going on in the ecosystem, andwhen there's a lot going on,
it's really easy to let stress,anxiety, workload just
completely beat you down and youget, as I've said on the show
before, horrible analysis,paralysis and there's just so
much going on and you just kindof freeze.

(00:58):
So, after taking some time tostep back and get the schedule
reorganized, I'm excited to saythat we're back in action.
We're here to stay for ourweekly schedule going forward
and also I can't say too muchmore, but we have a lot of
really cool guests lined up anda few surprises to come over the
next few weeks.
So be on the lookout on socialfor some really cool
announcements.
So enough talk about the lasttwo weeks.

(01:20):
Let's talk about today.
We're going to sit down withRochelle Rawls, a diversity
talent attraction partner forSalesforce.
So back to the theme of openand honest.
I've been waiting for the righttime to bring on someone who
works for Salesforce and I'm soexcited for that person to be
Rochelle.
It's going to be a blast thisweek while we sit down to share
Rochelle's background andknowledge for new admins.

(01:41):
So, like I said, I've beenwaiting for the right time to
bring on a Salesforce staffmember because I want this show
to be about highlighting newadmin stories, but also to bring
on guests who can give newadmins insights and knowledge to
help them get a leg up in theecosystem, which is why, this
week, rochelle and I had thepleasure of sitting down to talk
through what it's like being arecruiter for Salesforce, what

(02:02):
she looks for when findingcandidates and what are some
ways that new admins can standout against the competition in
the ecosystem.
So, without further ado, let'smeet Rochelle.
Well, thank you so much forjoining.

(02:27):
I really appreciate you takingthe time out of your busy day to
kind of talk with us todayabout skills for new admins,
whether they want to find theirfirst admin job or whether they
are wanting to work forSalesforce itself.
We want to have thoseopportunities and have that
discussion about what new adminscan be thinking about.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
So thank you so much, rochelle, for joining us today.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
This is a unique episode and one I'm really
excited about, because youactually work for Salesforce.
You are a diversity and talentattraction partner for
specifically around customersuccess roles at Salesforce.
So I've been putting off havinga Salesforce employee on the
show just because I, in my ownway, I feel like there's a

(03:10):
little bit of a stigma of likehaving someone from the
mothership on the show insteadof hearing from admins.
But your story is a little moreunique just because you and
correct me if I'm wrong but youhaven't really been an admin in
the ecosystem prior to workingfor Salesforce.
Is that correct?

Speaker 2 (03:25):
No, I actually didn't come from tech at all.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
I came from healthcare recruiting before I
got in at Salesforce, so that issomething that interests me a
lot, because so many admins kindof want to hear from other
admins, but I think there's aspecial perspective to hear from
someone who just knows what tolook for when hiring for a

(03:49):
specific role, especially for acompany like Salesforce, who is
so particular in hiring not onlyjust the right talent but
making sure that the talent isdiverse.
There is inclusion involved,and that's such a big initiative
for Salesforce over the lastfive or six years, and so I'm
very excited to talk to youabout this today.
So, before we dive intoeverything I always start to

(04:11):
show off of, I want to talkabout you.
I want to learn your backgroundand kind of understand a little
bit how you got started.
Ultimately, how did you go fromhealthcare recruiting to being
a recruiter for one of thelargest tech companies in the
world, as well as going on tothen speak at conferences about
being a recruiter for one of thebiggest tech companies in the

(04:31):
world?

Speaker 2 (04:32):
So my degree is actually an international
business, so recruiting reallywasn't on my radar.
I actually got reached out toon LinkedIn.
So I always say that's why yougot to keep your LinkedIn up to
date as a recruiter.
And then I got my start at AMNHealthcare within healthcare
recruiting.
So the program that they have,they pretty much train you how

(04:53):
to be a recruiter.
So before then came in with noexperience, it was a lot of cold
calling early on, so definitelynot my favorite thing to do,
but I think it's definitely mademe more agile and be able to
pivot.
So when I got the opportunity,I was actually a referral.
My uncle, he first startedworking at Salesforce on the

(05:16):
sales side and he was like, hey,like this is a great company,
like a very young company, likeyou should consider it.
And I was like, sure, so Iapplied.
You know Salesforce.
I'm like, yeah, it's thebeginning of callback.
But they actually did interviewme and actually initially I
interviewed for a tech recruiterand they told me that I did not

(05:36):
have the experience needed forit.
But, long story short, I prettymuch do that now.
But they actually extended tome.
They were like, hey, we havethis new team that we're hiring
for within diversity.
So of course this is at theheight of George Floyd and
everything going on in the worldat that time.
So they were looking to createthis diversity team.

(05:56):
So the sole focus initially waslike underrepresented
minorities and groups.
We kind of sense expanded fromthat.
So we went from a team of fourto now we're actually a team of
14 and we're internationally.
So if that just speaks volumeabout Salesforce as a company,
what they're really trying to dowhen it comes to equality and
driving those numbers, becauseif anyone's been paying

(06:21):
attention, you know the SupremeCourt overruled like affirmative
action and things like thatwithin DEI.
So a lot of companies areactually getting rid of their
DEI teams and all the effortsthat they're doing.
So long story short, they arelike, hey, we have this great
opportunity.
So I came onto the team, had notech recruiting experience
whatsoever.
I will say I think what reallyaided me was when I was in

(06:45):
healthcare recruiting.
I pretty much built, like I didsub specialties, so I did like
neonatologist, cardiologist, soall those allergy specialties
and I actually focused on onewithin hyperbaric wound care.
So like I built that from theground up like anyone that
reached out to anyone at AMNhealthcare, they knew that I was

(07:07):
a recruiter that focused onthat.
So I think me pivoting to thensupporting CSG, which I came in
after someone but she wasn'treally at the company long.
I kind of had to start from theground up again.
So that's why I found it reallyimportant for me to, to your
point, getting within thecommunity.

(07:28):
So that's why I think it's veryimportant in what I do to show
people my face.
Yes, I'm fully remote but Ihave the capabilities.
I do local conferences.
I go to local networking events.
I've been to the North Dallasuser group events, the snowflake
events and, to your point, I'mnow kind of branching into

(07:49):
talking at conferences.
So I'll be speaking at theupcoming dreaming and color
conference and actually got theopportunity to attend last year
and I was like wow, like this isa conference, like so many
people that look like me talkingabout different things and, to
your point, like everyone who'sinvolved and maybe one day wants

(08:09):
to come work for the mothershipas everyone refers to it.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
until I started at Salesforce I was like what is
this?

Speaker 2 (08:16):
But if you talk to architects, anyone that's very
technical, they that's how theyrefer to Salesforce.
So I get it and that's reallyhow I got my start and I've just
kind of been growing from there.
I'm heavily involved in ourbusiness resource groups, which
is employee resource groups thatother companies.
So I'm the bench chair for theDallas women's network.

(08:39):
We call it SWIN.
So I do.
I'm actually helping to planthe event that's later this
month that we're having and I'mactually having Abby, who you've
actually had on your show.
She'll be coming to speak atour event.
And then I'm a part of boldforce, which is our African
American ally group, and severalother ones.
But I think it's alwaysimportant in anything that you

(09:02):
do, like you have your kind ofnine to five, but if you have
the opportunity to fill your cupin other ways, that's why I'm a
big advocate for being involvedin your company at that level.
I'm really finding yourcommunity as well.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
I absolutely love that that's.
It's so cool that again brandnew to the ecosystem as a whole
and immediately, not only justto better yourself for your role
, because obviously this isbenefiting you as a recruiter,
but it's also just a really coolway to give back and find new,
meet new people in general andalso just find ways to do good

(09:38):
in this ecosystem.
I always find it very clichewhen we talk about it's an Ohana
and I've said this before onthe show and that it's just so
weird to me that all theserandom strangers are like, no,
you're a part of my Ohana, butit really does ring true at the
end of the day of so many peoplewanting to give back to others.

(09:59):
What took you frominternational business to just
recruiting in general?
Those two things in my minddon't line up.
So I'm curious what got youfrom point A to like G?

Speaker 2 (10:12):
So within my degree of international business, you
actually cover like everythingin business.
So think of it kind of as abusiness admin type of degree I
think that's what it's called.
So you kind of cover everythingand I had a focus on marketing.
So if you think aboutrecruiting, we actually do do
kind of a lot of marketing, alot of content, especially on
LinkedIn.
So I think that's why it reallyworked for me and I honestly

(10:38):
would have never thought to getinto recruiting, but I think
someone just took a chance on meand then I just kind of hit the
ground running with it.

Speaker 1 (10:44):
Completely Pivoting, then, from the healthcare side
to the tech side.
You mentioned all of theseamazing user groups you are
getting involved in, and you'vementioned that it's kind of you
have the nine to five, findsomething else to kind of give
you joy and give you passionwith that is work related.
What's kind of been your driver, though, to have that mentality

(11:06):
, because a lot of people justkind of say, cool, nine to five,
five o'clock's done, where'shappy, are going, and so I'm
curious, what is giving you thatmotivation to say no, I need
more.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
So, even as I've worked in corporate America,
I've always been an entrepreneur, so I always have something on
the side that I'm doing.
If COVID taught us anything andespecially tech layoffs
unfortunately they're stillhappening you can never really
rely on one source of income andinflation is so bad Even just

(11:39):
that one source isn't going tocover everything that you need
or all the goals that you want.
So for me, really, if you wantto get a job nowadays,
especially at Salesforce, youneed a referral.
If you've got 100% of referralsgoing to get you in the dorm
from someone, versus you justapplying.
I have people that come up tome at conferences.

(12:02):
They're like I've applied toSalesforce 10 times and I'm like
, ok, great, did you reach outto a recruiter?
Did you have a referral?
Because the thing is we hadsome jobs that I've had over
1300 applications and, yes, youcan use the functionalities of
AI, but you still need thatpeople aspect to it.
So it may filter it for us, butwe're still going through each

(12:25):
and every resume and I might getsome hate for this, but this is
just my personal opinion.
Working at a big corporation,I'm not going to read your cover
letter.
I don't think hiring managersare going to read your cover
letter.
The first thing we're going tolook at, especially myself as a
recruiter, because I've linkedin recruiter.
I'm in that all day, every day,even outside of some of my work

(12:50):
hours.
I'll still check messages if Ineed to, and things like that.
So you need to make sure yourLinkedIn is up to date, because
it's great you have that.
You worked you might haveworked at Cognizant, you might
have worked at Deloitte, butwhat did you do there?
Because each company, thattitle and what you do differs.
So, if you don't have like,just give me five bullet points

(13:10):
so I can know a little bit aboutwhat you did.
If you work in sales, you needto have your numbers, just
things like that.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, I could be wrong in this assumption, but I
feel like we're past a point inthe world of tech to where
you've worked matters Unless youare former EVP, ceo, like super
executive level.
That brand name of havingworked there only helps you out

(13:37):
so much.
It used to be.
Oh, I used to work at Deloitte.
I'm a shoe in for so manydifferent places where I used to
work for.
Insert company name here.
That's just not the case.
I'm seeing, at least from myconversations with others who
are in the recruiting spaceAgain, kiro being one of the
people I've had plenty ofconversations with.
So I am curious, though, foradmins and again bringing it

(14:01):
back to the premise of the showfor the admin of tomorrow,
thinking about whether it'sfinding your first admin job or
trying to again work for themothership itself.
I'm curious your take on.
You mentioned referrals.
Why do you think a referralspecifically from someone, even
outside of just having yourLinkedIn update, why is a

(14:22):
referral really important?

Speaker 2 (14:24):
A referral is really important because someone is
going to be able to vouch foryou.
They're going to be able tospeak on what you've done.
So that's why I suggest this topeople.
That's why partly going tothese network in a group because
I've seen fellow Salesforceemployees there Maybe they work

(14:44):
as some of their partners andeveryone gets involved in some
capacity within the ecosystem.
So maybe this person works at apartner but they have a great
friend that works at Salesforceand the two of you get connected
and they're like wow, like Iheard, one of my colleagues has
this great opening.
Let me send your resume over toher.
Things like that.
You never know the power ofconnecting and creating those

(15:06):
networks because the reality iswhen you apply for large
companies, you are just anothernumber.
Essentially, you can be the topof your company and that's
great, but when it comes down toit, it's just they're pickier.
Now I've been saying this a loton calls.

(15:28):
Sometimes I do take calls like15, 20 minutes where I'll
connect with people to yourpoint.
Maybe they're looking to try tobreak into tech, so I kind of
give them some tips and tricks.
I always recommend that theytake on trailhead.
They have a career quiz.
So some people they're like,hey, I'm new to the Salesforce
ecosystem, I'm not sure what Iwant to do.
I always suggest that quiz andthen finding those user groups

(15:52):
because yes, I work atSalesforce as a recruiter but
I'm not going to know the insand outs of someone.
That's more technical and, toyour point, like an admin.
When you have that admin certand you come from that
background, you can go differentroutes.
So I've talked to these pastcouple quarters I've been hiring
for technical support engineers.
So sometimes some of thoseadmin can kind of pivot to that

(16:15):
role because, to be honest, Idon't ever see any admin roles
at Salesforce.
They are renaming roles all thetime.
So maybe there was one but somepeople kind of get into that
role.
Or sometimes if you come froman admin background, you could
look into like a technicalaccount manager, depending on,
like, what other certificationsthat you get and how technical

(16:37):
you want to be.
In addition, I just feel likethere's a lot of different
routes you can go to be honest,and you might be able to speak
to that a little bit more basedon your background.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well, it's funny you say that just because I'm not
actively looking for Salesforceat Salesforce roles.
But it's funny you say thatlike the titles keep changing
and you don't really see a wholelot like admin roles at
Salesforce.
And it kind of makes sense inthat the role and we talked
about this on the show before,but like the role of the admin
used to be very black and white.

(17:09):
It would used to be very, verydefined.
And now with the introductionof customer 360 and so many of
the different clouds wementioned it on one of the last
episodes it's kind of like youare now an unofficial full stack
admin, so you have to know alittle bit of every single cloud
to be considered what you'reneeded for your company, because

(17:30):
a CEO of a small mom and pop ora medium sized company isn't
going to be able to say, cool,you're an admin, you only focus
on sales cloud, you only focuson, like, the people management
side of Salesforce.
They're going to come in andsay, cool, you know how to code,
you know how to build thisreally cool automation, you know
how to do all this stuff.
Awesome, bring it, let's, let'sgo, let's have a conversation,

(17:51):
and you may not have thatinsight.
So, to the point, though, oflike referrals, I love that
recommendation of meeting withpeople in the community.
The referral doesn't have to bejust your former boss or former
colleague.
It can be someone who can vouchfor your work.
I feel like, though and this isjust my own kind of perception
on it please correct me if youthink I'm being off based but a

(18:15):
lot of times referrals can besuch a double edged sword,
especially for the situationyou're describing of hey, I just
met you at an event.
You work for Salesforce.
Can you give me a referral?
When you are asking people and Isay you, as in the general, you
of like I'm a new admin lookingfor a job, if I'm asking
someone, say, hey, could yougive me a referral, could you
vouch for me?

(18:35):
What are some of the things Ishould look for in that person
to to vouch for me?
I mean, I don't want someone tobe.
I want people to be honest,obviously, but I worry that.
Do they really know me?
What are they going to sayabout me?
There's probably a little bitof a voice in your back, in the
back of your head, saying canyou trust the referral will be

(18:56):
good, and I can't to that point.
What is something you shouldlook for when finding the right
person for referral?

Speaker 2 (19:04):
So in that instance I would say don't ask them right
off the bat.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
Definitely try to form a little bit of a
relationship.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
You would be surprised how many people put me
down as a referral and I'm likeI have no idea.

Speaker 1 (19:16):
And that's why I ask the question, because so many
people just see a name and say,cool, I now know you refer me.

Speaker 2 (19:23):
The thing is so.
I don't know about othercompanies, but at Salesforce you
actually have to write aboutthe person.
So, within our referral systemthere's like there's some
specific questions and you haveto write about the person.
So if I don't personally knowyou, I've never worked with you
how am I going to be able tovouch for you?
I mean, yes, I could chat GBT,but at the end of the day, I

(19:47):
also work in HR, so I'm veryparticular about who I give
referrals to.
Just because then, if you don'tdo well and they're looking at
me like you refer this person.

Speaker 1 (20:00):
That is totally fair and it can come back to bite you
.
So that's, that's absolutelyfair.
I like that.
Taking that little bit where wewere talking, though with
referrals, you meet from thecommunity.
I'd love to hear your takespecifically on how can new
admins meet those people at theevents.

(20:21):
What should they be looking atwhen they're going to community
events to build that network?
Because, to your point, andI've said on the show as well,
learning the technical is hard,sure, but there are bajillion
resources out there to get goodat the technical, get certified
and have that knowledge to getahead.
The people management side ofit, the networking side of it,

(20:45):
the finding the people for yourreferrals, to find that even
opportunities exist, in myopinion, is the hard part.
Knowing you are so passionateabout growing in the community,
what would your recommendationbe for some new admins trying to
build that network?
Try to find the newopportunities, find those

(21:05):
referrals.

Speaker 2 (21:07):
So the great thing about a lot of these events is
that you have to sign upbeforehand.
So, even like heroes meet upgroups.
A lot of times what I'll do isI'll see who's attending and
I'll reach out to themproactively, like on LinkedIn.
It's up to them if they want torespond.
A lot of times I'm just likehello, I hope you're doing well
today.
Sometimes I don't even say thatI'm a recruiter because I mean

(21:31):
they can click on my LinkedInand see that if they're really
interested and I'm always justhey, I'm looking to expand my
network or always happy toconnect.
Actually, someone from one ofthe recent meetups, her and I
briefly connected because, toyour point, she just got her
Salesforce admin.
She's been in teaching for awhile.
I see so many teachers lookingto pivot into tech and I get

(21:54):
where they're coming from.
It's just so hard because youneed to have working experience
in addition to thatcertification and I think
there's so many false narrativesout there where they're saying
you just need a certificationand that's not the case because
there's so many people justlooking.
And I think that some peopledon't realize, even if you can
get volunteer experience, likeany pro bono work, someone can

(22:17):
speak that, hey, this personcame in and they implemented the
system for me.
That's working experience.
Still, we accept that becausethat's volunteer experience and
even like apprenticeshipssometimes when you're newer.
I love Salesforce, but I don'tthink we have enough like entry

(22:41):
level opportunities unlessyou're a new grad.
So my suggestion is always topeople to go work for one of our
partners.
There's so many Salesforcepartners out there.
There's so many that haveapprenticeships and more of
those entry level roles.
I actually just hired someone hethis was last year and he'll
probably I'll have to send himthis episode, but he was

(23:04):
actually.
I think he did like anapprenticeship at YPRO.
They had him come in for likesix months.
He got like threecertifications.
He started with the admin, Ithink the platform one, and
maybe one other one I can'tremember the name right now but
then he was given a contractrole.
So he got about like six ornine months of experience that I

(23:24):
think doing that.
And then, unfortunately, who'saffected by the layoffs due to
COVID?
So when I called him he wasactually a like a plasma
screener.
So I'm not doing anything intech, but he was keeping up on
trailhead.
He said he was keeping up hisstudies and what really got me

(23:46):
he.
He did, of course, fall withinlike an underrepresented
minority category, so that's whyI love what I do, because I can
look at LinkedIn.
No one had reached out to him.
He didn't have a lot to go onwith LinkedIn, but you know the
companies, I recognize that andI reached out to him, he
interviewed and he was actuallylike a top candidate and he

(24:07):
started working for us likelater last year.
And it just goes to show thatyou just can't take someone's
experience at face value either.
So that's why a lot of timesI'll still connect with people
and sometimes I'll just let himknow upfront like hey, like I'd
love to connect, but I'm notquite sure where I can put you.
But I'm always happy to connectto see if there's other

(24:28):
opportunities.
But to date, like that is oneof my top success stories
Because I was like no one elsefrom the company had ever
reached out to him and this wasan Indianapolis, indiana, so
like a hard fill type of role,because it was a hybrid
technical support engineer.
And, yeah, I told him I waslike I'm gonna have to come out
there and meet you.

Speaker 1 (24:49):
That is too cool.
I really enjoy hearing thosestories in particular, just
because there are so many peopleout there who Salesforce is
their second or maybe even thirdcareer option and there are so
many really talented individualswho just need to get that first
opportunity.

(25:09):
I love what you said and thatthere's really not a whole lot
of entry level positions outsideof like if you're fresh out of
college.
I completely agree.
I mean, I say all this and thatI was one of the lucky ones and
that I got a fresh out ofcollege.
I was still in college and Igot an internship and it turned
into a automation manager and itjust kind of snowballed from
there and I got very lucky in mysituation.

(25:31):
To be fair, that was also 10years ago in Salesforce was not
what it is today.
But I love hearing that this isstill prominently happening.
It's also interesting.
I'd love for you to talk aboutyour role at Salesforce now, a
little bit more of finding folkswho are in like designated
unrepresented minorities, and soI'd love for you to talk a

(25:53):
little bit about your role,specifically being I didn't want
to have your LinkedIn up, justso I say the title right
diversity, talent, attraction,partner around customer success.
So can you?
We've said that you're arecruiter.
Can you talk a little bit moreabout this facet of recruiting
that you are in?

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yes, so initially when I started out at Salesforce
it was called a diversitysourcing recruiter.
They kind of changed the name,but essentially I focused on
outbound sourcing.
So I'm in LinkedIn almost everyday, I use other tools to kind
of pool those diversity groups.

(26:30):
And when I say that, I used tojust focus on underrepresented
minorities.
So that was African American,latinx, hispanic and indigenous
population, and some of thosepopulations are really hard to
target just because they don'thave representation,
unfortunately.
But now it's since opened alittle bit.
So if you've seen, likeSalesforce published numbers

(26:51):
about around women, we want tobe 40% women as a company, I
think by next year 2026 I forgotthe year.
And then I'm also focusing onlike veterans as well.
We partner with hiring ourheroes and then people with
disabilities.
So those are disabilities youcan see and ones that you can't
see, so PTSD and otherdisabilities like that.

(27:13):
And then I think we also kindof branch into like the LGBTQIA.
But you know, that's notsomething that someone always
discloses, it's kind of up tothem.
But a lot of times oninterviews that I've been on,
people do just kind of discloseon their own and that's why I
try to also have I do put onthere.

(27:34):
I put out there a lot that Ifocus on diversity because I
think people feel comfortable.
They're like, hey, I see thecontent that you put out on
social media, like you keep itreal essentially and I feel like
I can actually talk to you as aperson, because I think
sometimes Incorporate America,when you're an underrepresented
minority or group, you don'tfeel comfortable if someone

(27:57):
doesn't look like you, and Ithink that's something that a
lot of companies still strugglewith, especially at the
leadership level.
There's not a lot of women inleadership Anyone that's black
or Hispanic indigenous so westill have a ways to go there.
But that's why I really I'mgonna reach out to anyone that I

(28:18):
can.
I will say a lot of people doreach out to me, especially when
I kind of announce differentconferences that I'm going to
and kind of.
If you follow me on LinkedIn, Icreated my own hashtag row, the
DEI pro, so people love that andthat's a great way that I've
kind of just spiked conversationwith with people that way and

(28:39):
I'm just authentic and what I do.
I think Sometimes people put ona show, but I try to show that
I'm really authentic and that'swhy I take time.
Hey, I worked nine to five, butthen I go to this networking
event.
It might be from like five tonine, you know, and I'm still
giving my time and I Mean to apoint I can put that kind of as
volunteer time because you know,salesforce, we're big on

(29:00):
philanthropy, so so if you don'tknow that we actually each
employee gets 56 hours ofvolunteer time off a year and I
love that because we coolbenefit exactly and it's a great
way to get involved in thecommunity and not enough people
utilize it.
I think Nowadays everyone'sstressed out they need to hit

(29:21):
their numbers, especially ifyou're salesperson.

Speaker 1 (29:23):
So well, there's also a level two of with any large
company, there comes a stress ofWill I be allowed to be a part
of this thing because there are,so there's so much red tape
when it comes to anything.
That being said, you're you'refighting to give back to this
community.
That is helping you out, eventhough there can be red tape at

(29:47):
times and there can be thingsthat you're kind of my hands are
tied.
I can't really go crazy, so Ithink that's absolutely
fantastic.
With that being said, youmentioned your hashtag, dei pro
again, going to your backgroundreference a lot healthcare to
tech and then also doing so muchto give back in tech.
You also mentioned, with someof the kind of I and I want to

(30:12):
word this right it was a SupremeCourt, it was a Supreme Court
case ruling that just happened.

Speaker 2 (30:17):
They just overturned affirmative actions,
specifically like when it comesto Public universities, things
like that.

Speaker 1 (30:24):
So, with all of that and knowing that you are now
going to give 110% to thecommunity and do all of this to
be philanthropic, why does,outside of your role just being
a part of having and recruitingfor diversity talent, you could
easily just rest on your laurelsand say, yep, I'm gonna help

(30:45):
out where I can and just call ita day because I hit my 56
volunteer hours for the year.
I'm done.
You've created a hashtag.
You are so active on socialmedia.
Why is diversity and inclusionso important to you and to the
point where you want to giveback as much as you are?

Speaker 2 (31:03):
so the reality is that People that come from those
upper, those unrepresentedminority groups they suck at
some companies, are not giventhe same opportunities versus
their counterparts.
And it's not even the fact aboutaffirmative action, it's just

(31:24):
getting these people in the room, having these people be able to
at least interview and andcoach them along, really
advocate for them, because thesad reality is that People will
overlook them, sometimes justbased on their name, and I think
that's why some people, even onLinkedIn I say this all the

(31:46):
time like Some people stilldon't put their profile picture
because they feel like they'regonna be profiled essentially,
and that's why I always put mypicture on there.
Even when I did I recruiteddoctors, I came into some
situations where I I'mdefinitely a relationship
builder.
So when I was doing health carerecruiting, a lot of the times

(32:09):
I got very close with thedoctors that I worked with.
We would talk about Socialthings a couple times and
brought up some things that Ididn't agree on, so I did start
to put my picture in mysignature, so they knew like,
hey, yeah, just making you aware, cuz I don't want to have to
pass you off to someone else cuzyou're talking a little bit

(32:30):
crazy.
Yeah yeah, um and Just I Feellike if there's not someone that
is available to them, a lot oftimes people that reach out to
me, they're like I love that youlook like me.
I reached out to you, I'vereached out to other recruiters.
They just don't give me thetime of day and, to their point,
I some weeks I get a hundredmessages or more a week and I

(32:56):
Try I do try to respond toeveryone.
Don't get me wrong.
I've had to scale back a littlebit because I've come to terms.
You know, and you get to acertain point.
You really can't.
But if I can pass alongsomeone's information to a
colleague, I do always do that.
Sometimes I'm just extremelyoverwhelmed.
So I know people get frustrated.
It does frustrate me whenpeople just continue to message

(33:18):
me.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
I mean especially because you have been so
successful in the level ofoutreach you put out on.
Just LinkedIn alone is what Ifind absolutely fascinating, and
I always forget that at times,that LinkedIn isn't just local
to your area or your industry,it is truly as global as
possible.
So people just need to realizethat you are doing so much and

(33:42):
that's.
But it's also like a full-timejob at times.
I mean, I know, even for me,just with the podcast at times
feels like it's a full-time jobthat I'm having to do After five
o'clock all the time, and so,yeah, it's, it's never fun.
It's because you also are apassionate person, so you don't
want to let other people down,especially because the people

(34:02):
you are working with areUnderrepresented and you want to
give back to them.
But there's levels to it, yes.
So with that kind of pivoting alittle bit we teased it already
I want to talk a little bitabout this upcoming event.
So if you're in the DFW areaI've talked about before one of
our guests, kiro Was is Helpslead this group.

(34:25):
They have been so wildlysuccessful with their networking
of Getting groups together andthey've been doing this now for
a couple years and they'repartnering with Rochelle To put
on an event at the DFWSalesforce Tower.
So, rochelle, I'd love for youto kind of explain what this
event is, what people can expectfrom this event and why you
should get on the wait list assoon as possible.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
Yes.
So disclaimer, third Republicis sponsoring the event, but we
are arc.
I have been kind of helpingKiro out because this structure
of the event is a little bitdifferent.
So if anyone was able to go to,like the snowflake and
Salesforce Group event, that wasdone by two other like user
groups, obese, similar, but thisparticular one, kiro actually

(35:11):
just released our panelists sowe will have a panel of Four
people.
That I think one of the guys heused to be at Salesforce but he
still works at a partner andthen the rest are active
Salesforce employees.
They're actually all heavilyinvolved in some of our business
resource groups so They'll beable to talk a little bit about

(35:33):
that.
But just their experience.
And Actually, to your point,one of the guys he's actually
spoken at one of the eventsbefore.
Marcus Actually helped hire him.
So he was someone that Ireached out to and to this day
he actually didn't reallyinitially take me seriously and
I was just like serious, like,and If you ever get the chance

(35:57):
to get him on the show he'lljust be up front.
I actually appeared on one ofhis podcasts, but it will be a
panel.
So, consumer to some of theevents, still the happy hour
aspect.
They'll just be at theSalesforce Tower.
We'll have a panel where, ifyou are able to come, you can
actually submit questionsbeforehand that you know you
want answered from the panel.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
So, knowing that we're gonna have this group of
panels and it's gonna be aboutthem talking about their
experiences getting startedAgain, the thing I love about
this group, as well as it's allabout networking, it's for
people trying to find their wayin this ecosystem when they're
just getting started, what can?
Why should new admins thinkthis is going to be a different

(36:44):
experience from the other kindof third Republic meetup groups
that we there out there, as well?
As why is it important for themto try to get on this wait list
as soon as possible?

Speaker 2 (36:56):
So Kero and I will actually be moderating the event
, so we're really going to sitdown with all the panelists.
Hopefully people submitquestions beforehand so we can
kind of see where people havelike a lot of these questions,
because we are kind of limitedon time.
So we want to make sure we canget really those questions that
might be repeatable answered andthen you'll have the chance

(37:19):
after to kind of network withsome of these individuals and
they might be people maybeyou've you've maybe seen or
heard about them but haven'tgotten the chance to talk with
them in person and they can kindof give you their perspective
because they come from alldifferent types of backgrounds
and just really giving it adviceon how to get your foot in the

(37:41):
door, because I feel like it'sone thing to hear it from a
recruiter but to hear it fromsomeone that is living that and
showing, because each of themcome from different tenures.
I think I think Daniel mighthave been at Salesforce the
longest, and then it's kind ofKim and the Marcus, so they can
kind of speak to their tenureand kind of what they're doing.

(38:01):
Maybe they move from one sideof the business to the other
because Salesforce is so large.
I mean, that's not uncommon.
Or maybe they came on when theywere acquired from another
company.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
I was just about to say, it's so common.
You're going to find people atSalesforce who will say, oh yeah
, no, I didn't apply to work atSalesforce but Salesforce bought
my company and now I'm here andI love it.
So I think that's really goodfeedback, because the hardest
part for a lie these new admins,I think, is getting the courage
to just put their foot in thedoor and just try to get a seat

(38:36):
at the table and, as we bothknow, getting a seat at the
table is one of the hardestthings that people can do to get
ahead.
So you definitely get on thiswait list To your point.
About the networking side of it,I guess you mentioned earlier
like finding people like you'rewhenever you try to attend at
one of these meetups or usergroups.

(38:56):
If you can get access or seeall the people who registered,
you're going to reach out.
What are some other things thatfolks can be doing, especially
knowing your event is going tobe coming up you and Kiro and
the groups event is going tocome up in early April.
Knowing that, what are somethings that new admins can be
doing or people wanting toattend this event should be

(39:17):
doing to come a little bit moreprepared than just winging it
when they come in the door.

Speaker 2 (39:23):
Well, to your point.
I know, kiro, there's actuallya Frisco admin group so I think
they do some kind of weekly orbiweekly event.
So maybe going to that eventbecause a lot of those same
people will be at that usergroup meetup Doing your research
.
The career marketplace Ihaven't exported enough, but

(39:44):
I've heard really great thingsto really exploring it there.
If you're a woman, there's Abbyis in charge.
She co-leads the women in techone of their groups.
I know they do some monthlymeetups as well and just kind of
researching.
I want to say this, and somepeople might have a different

(40:06):
reaction, but the way that youare prepared on a date is how
you should be on an interview.
You should be asking me somequestions, even if it's just one
question how do I know that youdid your research?
you know, similar to when you'regoing to a networking event.
It should be kind of a two waystreet and then maybe after that

(40:27):
networking event, I recently,when I talk to people on
interviews, they're always andas a recruiter, I don't get this
enough and I feel like youdon't understand.
Sometimes we go through it butpeople ask me what can they do
for me?
If you have five seconds, maybeyou connected with someone
you're like wow, they're reallyknowledgeable on this one thing.

(40:49):
Look on their LinkedIn.
Maybe that's something theyhave on their LinkedIn.
Endorse that skill.
That takes five seconds andKira and I talked about that
recently that we love to seeendorsements as a recruiter
because, again, someone'svouching for you there,
someone's vouching for yourexperience, because the sad
reality is with AI, chat, gbt,people are lying, they are

(41:13):
reading from a script.
They're saying they know how todo something.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
Absolutely people are lying?

Speaker 2 (41:18):
Yes, and it's, and I think that's part of the reason
why some companies are startingto come back to in person
interviews because people evenon like coding assessments.
I think there's ways you cancheat that, because I know when
I used to hire developers, inorder to get to that like first
initial stage of the interviewprocess, you had to go through
that coding assessment so we canmake sure you had that basic

(41:40):
fundamental knowledge.

Speaker 1 (41:43):
Totally it's.
It's so fascinating.
You mentioned endorsements justbecause, at least on my end and
I know that my ability to bemore active on LinkedIn could
dramatically improve on thefirst way to get that I've
always thought endorsements werejust kind of like the
equivalent of Facebook likes andor no.

(42:04):
Remember when the day when wepoke someone or give us like a
quick thumbs up to something, soI was.
I've never been thinking thatendorsements should be something
that we're actively like,looking for and seeking out.
So I love that call out for newadmins, because I feel like a
lot of people might have a samemisconception on that.
I have.
But pivoting off of the eventreal quick and just kind of

(42:27):
thinking again for the nextgeneration admin.
We've talked about theimportance of these events.
We've talked about theimportance of referrals and just
in general, networking when itcomes to finding that first job
we've again also talked aboutthere's not a lot of entry level
jobs for new admins.
With that likely comes a ton ofrejection for, for and this can

(42:50):
go across the board, regardlessof if you like or are part of
the Salesforce ecosystem or not,when you're trying to find that
new career opportunity, youbusted your bud, you've Try to
get some volunteer experiencejust to have something on the
resume, but you're just gettingturned down at every single turn
.
What should people be thinkingor trying to do to not let that

(43:11):
just completely demoralize them?

Speaker 2 (43:16):
I would say really just getting back to
fundamentals, that example thatI used earlier of that new hire
that I had, he was I think hehadn't really been doing
anything for at least fourmonths, if I remember correctly.
But he said he's like duringthat downtime I still continue

(43:37):
to keep my studies up ontrailhead.
Maybe you need to take a breakfrom trailhead or just need to
get Find that drive again.
So that's why I say sometimes,with those networking groups,
those user groups, I know peopleform community study groups
from that.
So that would be a great way.

(43:58):
And I've talked to someoneactually she's Kim, and I have
had this discussion.
She's a customer success manager, used to be called a technical
account manager.
She has said before she waslike you know, if I really
wanted to, I feel like I couldgo into sales.
So I feel like at the end ofthe day, maybe this now is you
pivot to somewhere else.

(44:19):
Because I actually have acolleague.
He started out as Salesforce insales and what's funny now is
he recruits salespeople but he'sable to talk about it and speak
to his knowledge and I thinkthat's important because then
people trust you.
They're like, wow, like thisguy used to be in sales like if

(44:39):
anyone's going to know it'sgoing to be him, and it can be
really disheartening in today'sjob market.
So you really just have to losefaith, or maybe keep up that
faith not lose it, sorry, andwe're done.
But maybe it's something youtake a step back from.
I know there's the tie, thetalent Alliance cohort.

(45:03):
They do some things where youcan actually apply to be part of
a cohort and that's where youget some of that experience.
I don't believe you get paidfor it.
I think it's kind of like anapprenticeship, but sometimes at
the end of it you do have theopportunity to kind of apply or
get in that way.
And if you're in the military,I know Salesforce also has great

(45:24):
opportunities for military.
I've talked to so many militaryspouses that have taken
advantage of that.
I will say right now some of themost companies.
Return to work is a huge thing.
So you might have seen thatthere's not a ton of openings in
areas we don't have hubs.
So if you really want to be atSalesforce and I tell people

(45:47):
that I'm like, look, if youreally want to be at Salesforce,
you might have to movesomewhere where we actually have
a hub.
So Dallas is a smaller hub andsome of the hubs are more
specific in like the differentroles that they have.
But any of our huge hubs SanFrancisco, new York, chicago.

Speaker 1 (46:04):
Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
All those.
If Salesforce is where you wantto be, but even just in general
, there's so many other largecompanies in those areas.
You have to be strategic.
That's part of the reason I'min Dallas.
I went to school in NorthCarolina.
I had family here in the areaand I was like you know what?
I see a lot of big companiesare opening headquarters, moved

(46:28):
here without a job, and I waslike, hey, you know, we're going
to make it work, so just keepyour faith.
If you're religious, I'm prettyreligious, so I keep my faith.
Don't take everything at facevalue and just always be open to
new opportunities.
Maybe that no was for a reasonto get to your next yes.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Yeah, I, I love that call out of don't lose the faith
, because it translates well tokeep hustling.
You have to keep finding thenext opportunity.
You can't let little things getyou down.
And while I can speak, I meanI've said it on the show but I

(47:10):
mean I, my wife, I met my wifethrough performance and acting
and musical theater and whatnot.
As actors you get rejectional alot.
So I will say I feel like mythick I've got a lot of thick
skin from that to kind of handlethat.
But I mean that, all being said, it's so easy to just let the
nose completely detract you frommoving forward and letting the

(47:33):
anxiety and imposter syndromeoverwhelm you.
So I think it is reallyimportant to have faith to
whoever you may believe in, tokind of keep that moving forward
.
One of the we're nearing the endof our time, so one of the last
questions I have before we kindof go back and kind of promote

(47:53):
the event where people can signup for and everything
specifically around for newadmins, we talked a little bit
about the difference betweensearch versus work experience
and it's such a kind of heatedone side or the other debate in
the ecosystem.
I have my own opinions, but Ican keep them to myself for now.

(48:14):
But I guess your your opinionon the value of experience or
search you hinted to it a littlebit earlier about search are
great, but you have to get theexperience.
I'm curious though and maybethis is different for recruiting
for Salesforce as opposed tothe admin side but why do you

(48:35):
think, even working forSalesforce, it's important to
have that technical knowledgeabout the product or to have the
search or to have experiencelike such a heavy amount of
experience?
And I'm talking about this morelike in a customer success type
role where you're kind ofhelping out clients as opposed

(48:56):
to being in the developer,because it makes obvious sense
why you need that knowledge fora developer standpoint but say
we're customer success, I'm justhelping out other companies who
want to purchase Salesforcegrow.
Why is it so important that Ihave Salesforce experience and
knowledge going into that role?

Speaker 2 (49:13):
So you kind of just answered your own question in a
way, because when you're workingwith customers, they want to
know that you're a subjectmatter expert.
So that's why it's helpful tohave some of that working
experience, because maybethere's this customer comes to
you with an unique thing andyou're like wow, like I actually
have experienced this myselfand you're able to speak to that

(49:34):
knowledge.
I know we have so at Salesforcethere's going to be different
kind of levels within the rolesthat we have, so sometimes you
don't necessarily need to have.
I'll use, for example, like anassociate technical support
engineer.
I know within one of the onesthat I've hired they like to

(49:56):
have like a developer backgroundbut also customer success.
So it's kind of a mesh.
So maybe they got the certs andthey worked at Starbucks that's
customer success right thereand then they're able to show
maybe they just did a bootcamp.
So if they're fresh out of abootcamp, they kind of already
got that working experience.

(50:17):
Maybe they step into a contractrole, but you know, if this is
their certified bootcamp, theywere able to get that experience
.
And I think sometimes that'swhere, when it comes to customer
success versus like maybe justa product or tech or opening on
like the tech team, where itdifferentiates because you need
to be able to hit the groundrunning and help customers.

(50:38):
And I have this debatesometimes with people when I'm a
Bayer, transparent recruiter,I'm going to look at your
experience and I'm going to letyou know.
Hey, I appreciate you reachingout, but this level that you're
wanting you need at least likefive years minimum experience
and you just don't have thatright now.
And sometimes people like toargue with me and I'm like, hey,

(51:00):
you can still apply.
But I'm just telling you I'vedone this for a little while.
I'm never going to say I'm theone source of truth, but it's
very hard to get a yes when I'vejust heard somebody knows, kind
of with some of that background.

Speaker 1 (51:17):
I mean it's I'm big into like technology and
whatever it's like some things,you have minimum system
requirements and if you don'tmeet that minimum minimum then
it's it's really hard to getpast that.
I love how you called out the.
You may have certs and thenI've worked at Starbucks, but
you have that experience.
The reason I asked a questionis because it's more and more

(51:38):
I'm saying that even to work atSalesforce you need experience
with Salesforce, even outside ofcerts.
But I have a friend and Ihaven't reached out to them in
quite some time, but they workedfor Salesforce as a customer
success manager.
They had account executiveexperience and they had inside
sales experience but they didn'treally have any Salesforce

(52:01):
background outside of just likeadding a lead to the sales cloud
or like updating an opportunity, just like the bare bones, like
inside sales work.
So to go in from like that bareminimum but like being a
customer success manager to thenbeing one for a company, that's
where I was kind of going withthe value of do you need to have

(52:23):
all this knowledge or havethese certs?
Or kind of like where can youfind that?
In between and I love theStarbucks example just because
you're right it's that is acustomer success person.
If you're, you have to dealwith some really, really
crotchety people at times whenyou work for Starbucks or in the
customer service like industryretail.
So I like that kind ofbreakdown of it all.

(52:46):
Following up on that justbefore we go to the last two
questions when you're trying toget a job at Salesforce, flip
side, now to it with a searchwhat's where the conversations
that people are having from arecruiting side or just an
internal side about?
Do employees need to get search?

Speaker 2 (53:08):
So most employees, if you're depending on the team
that you're on, it's part ofyour retu mom, so it's part of
what you have to do within yourtraining.
So some of the people that I'vehired on, like as a technical
consultant or like a solutionarchitect, they have to get this
, these certs, by this timeframeand typically when you come on

(53:33):
to Salesforce.
I will say one time we did havea program last year.
I don't know if they're goingto bring it back.
It was kind of like a pilotprogram so a lot of people
didn't know about it unless Ireached out to them.
But we had a some openingswhere you came in with limited
or no Salesforce experience.
So part of that onboardingprocess it was a little bit

(53:53):
longer onboarding process butsure those first like six months
I think was focusing aroundgetting those certifications,
getting that experience.
I'm not sure if they're goingto bring it back just because so
many things are going on.

Speaker 1 (54:06):
Totally, and there's so many people I would love if
they did, because that's such agreat opportunity for folks.
Yeah, I want you to continueyour thought on this, but I also
want to call out for anyone whodoesn't know what a V2 mom is.
That is basically at Salesforceand Salesforce partners.
It's basically how you'replanning your year and goals and
if you're a Salesforce employee, you stick to that.
If you don't hit it, that is.

(54:27):
That is a not good thing, but Imean that is it's to also make
sure you're planning effectively, which is also another good
trait to work for Salesforce,because they care about your
growth enough to really bestrategic and putting a plan
together for how you perform inthat year 100% and then so,

(54:48):
within that to your point, youwant to make sure you're hitting
those.

Speaker 2 (54:51):
And sometimes, in some instances when you're in a
customer facing role, a customercomes to you.
They want a specific platform,so you need to become certified
in that platform at, or at leastknow the gist from an architect
perspective, because you're theone doing those implementations
and delivery.
So me myself, for example, Ireally want to get the AI

(55:14):
associate certification.
I think everyone should getthat or really pushing for that.
There's an organization I'm apart of called the Black Women
Experience at Salesforce.
It's another one of ourbusiness resource groups and
we're pushing for everyone inthat group to get that AI
associate certification Also.
Of course, with AI there'sbiases, so it is a people like

(55:38):
generate a thing with AI, butthat's why we need more people
from diverse backgrounds to beinvolved, because there are some
biases.
If you've seen some of thosecommercials, there was one with
Barbies where it was like theyinputted certain things of like
countries and it brought upthese Barbies and some of them
are very bias.
I would say so I think that'simportant.

(55:58):
I know Kiro has a ton ofcertifications, but sometimes it
just comes down to the businessjustification because, again,
return on investment when itcomes to companies, it's all
about making money.
So what are you going to dowith that certification Like for
me?
As you know, I really have apassion for like events and
things like that, so I've beenlooking into potentially like

(56:20):
some of the marketingcertifications, things like that
.
But if you time it correctly,if you go to Dreamforce, they
always give vouchers.
Or if you go to other likeconnections, sometimes they do.
Or maybe if you go to specificsessions, you know, maybe a data
cloud one.
I know data cloud is huge rightnow.
I work closely with one of ourdeveloper advocates and I know

(56:42):
sometimes like she'll go todifferent events.
I don't think she necessarilyadvertises for like the vouchers
, but I know they're out there.

Speaker 1 (56:49):
I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about.
She talks about them quite abit, they know.
Yeah, she's amazing, but shealso will, and this is something
a lot of people don't knowabout, which is so unfortunate.
But I learned from them thatthere are.
There are trial works you can.
You can sign up for, just likebeing able to again network and
reach out so that, even ifyou're not ready for the exam,

(57:11):
you can get trial work, learnhow to go in the system.
There's a handful of differentthings you can do to get that
hands on experience, withoutnecessarily being in a client
org or being in an Oregonbuilding in it every single day.
So but yeah, definitely agree,get vouchers, find as many

(57:32):
opportunities.

Speaker 2 (57:34):
What?
And to your point I do want topoint out, like super badges to
anytime you get super badges,put that on your LinkedIn,
because as recruiters we can ifwe're hiring for a specific role
, so like I had a solutionarchitect opening specifically
for public sector and you had tohave Omni Studio channel
experience and one other thing.

(57:54):
So this was like a super hardfind.
But you know, I had a guy who Irecently had gotten through the
interview process, like laterlast year.
I was able to get him quicklyback in the process, but he had
all that listed on his LinkedIn.
He was able to speak to it.
I also when you're getting thesecertifications, you can't just
dump it.
You can't test and dump,because if we're, if we're

(58:16):
reaching out to you specificallyfor this type of experience
that you're having, you need tobe able to speak to it.
And I think sometimes peopleget so caught up with getting
all these certifications they'renot retaining the information
and you really need to be ableto do this, especially in any
type of customer facing role,because they will point that out
.
They will let you know.

(58:36):
They will let your manager knowthat you do not know what
you're talking about.

Speaker 1 (58:40):
So that's actually a really, really good point.
And again, there is a hugevalue of retention which I feel
like it just has gotten sooverlooked, because, even to
your point about super badgessuper badges, while very
difficult like anyone can getthem so there is also a level of
this weird competition of likewho has the most badges and

(59:05):
being able to like fluff up yourresume without actually being
able to retain it.
So I do think that's a goodcall out to so many new admins
who are just looking to say hey,I'm a four time certified super
triple ranger, give me that sixfigure paycheck.

Speaker 2 (59:23):
Exactly, and that's the, that's the six figure is.
That's a common thing withcertifications.
But someone said this to merecently I think the thing is
when, yes, we're out of school,but you always want to
continuously growing, to grow asa person, so maybe you don't
want to go back to schooling,but maybe the certifications is

(59:44):
a way to go, like, how are youupscaling yourself?
Because the thing is, if you'renot upscaling yourself, why are
you gonna get promoted?
Totally, what?
What additional value areyou're bringing?
If, if Sam and Bob can both dothe same job, but Sam decides,
hey, I want to get thecertification, who do you
think's gonna get that promotion?
And at the end of the day,that's just how it is.
Totally.

Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
That's just corporate America in a nutshell,
unfortunately, and it's notgonna be changing.
At least, that mentality is notgonna be changing anytime soon,
if anything is going to getsignificantly more aggressive,
which is also, again, fullcircle moment, why I love having
you on the show, love to hearwhat you're doing to again, so
that, if it's just a bunch ofSam and Bob's, you have other

(01:00:26):
individuals who have that sameHustle, that same passion and
drive, but they don't get theopportunity so they can be in
the same conversation as Sam andBob.
So I love that.
That was that's what you'redoing.
We yes, we we are, at time,just keeping an eye on
everything.
So, with that being said, I lovefor us to get to the final

(01:00:48):
question.
I always ended on this questionbecause I feel like, regardless
of your role in the ecosystem,this is something that's really
prominent and it's what is onething that you would say
throughout your journey of goingfrom healthcare recruiter,
orange theory sales associate tobeing so prominent in the

(01:01:10):
ecosystem, doing so many goodthings.
What is one regret you havethroughout your journey that you
wish you could go back to YoungRochelle and say let's pivot
this, let's do this a little bitdifferently?

Speaker 2 (01:01:20):
I Would say recognizing Early on when people
are not genuine.
I Feel like as a person I amall about networking.
I will speak someone's room ifI am able to and give them more

(01:01:41):
opportunities, and that's justhow I am genuinely as a person.
I feel like the more good youput out in the world, the more
that comes back to you tenfold.
As I said before, I'm religious, so that's part of it as well.
If I can be a blessing insomeone's life, I feel like God
brings it kind of back to metenfold.
It's not trying to do that justjust generally, because there's

(01:02:05):
there's a lot of things goingon today's world and life can
get you down.
So I think, early on justrealizing that and just kind of
backing away from people, peoplewill smile on your face but
kind of do things behind yourback that aren't for you and I I

(01:02:26):
Feel like to a certain pointSometimes people will say
they're happy for you butthey're really not.
I think for me I have kind ofgotten to the point where I yes,
I represent Salesforce, but atthe end of the day too, like I
know my worth and I'm creatingkind of my own branding in a way

(01:02:48):
.

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
I completely agree with that, and that's it's so
accurate.
Just because when people areComfortable, they will just kind
of say whatever they need toand then not realize who they're
talking to.
And I know I Did that when Iwas younger of just oh, I don't
know you, but you're a goodperson.
I'm just gonna trust you andtell you everything I want to do

(01:03:12):
with my life, all my careeraspirations, and then realize,
oh, I said the wrong thing,didn't realize they were in HR,
I just shot my foot off, yada,yada, and so I get where you're
coming from on that front, andyou just have to own it, though
you can't look back and youcan't second-guess the decisions
you make, but you can Be veryconscientious about who you tell

(01:03:34):
stuff to.
So I love, I love that, thatkind of overview at all.
We are at time.
So, before we wrap up, I'd loveif you could share with
everyone how they can registerfor the event when is it, where
is it going to be, and just Kindof let people know how it gets
signed up.

Speaker 2 (01:03:51):
So the North Dallas meetup link, kero, is really
good about posting and I thinkhe actually recently did a post
a couple days ago.
So if you're not following him,I'll definitely follow him and
he's posting everything that'sup and coming will slowly start
to release all the speakers.
A little bit more about themand how to sign up.
If don't, even if there's along wait list, I would say,

(01:04:15):
still sign up, because the dayof people will not come.
If the weather is bad, a lot ofpeople be communing from North
Dallas.
I'm one of them, so I get it,but you definitely don't want to
miss this opportunity.
But you can definitely followalong for any updates.
I think when you sign up It'llinclude a link.

(01:04:35):
I will say get to the officeahead of time because you will
need to find parking and thenyou'll have to get a visitors
badge.
Everyone has to have a visitorsbadge In order to go, and part
of signing up early is doingpart of that process ahead of
time, or you, if you show uplate and you still have to do
that.
I'm just letting you know.

Speaker 1 (01:04:56):
You still gotta do it .
Yeah, the the the group isHoused on meetupcom so you can
search on meetupcom, sales force, north Dallas Meetup and you'll
find the link to sign up aswell.
To Rochelle's point, I Was able, I was lucky enough, to attend
the snowflake user group meetupat sales force tower a few weeks

(01:05:18):
back and that one is.
It was a wait list afterprobably a couple days after and
people didn't show.
People showed up.
It was absolutely packed, butthey were able to have people
who signed up day of and guideto the wait list be put on.
So again, don't feel that ifthere's already a wait list you

(01:05:41):
can't sign up.
Definitely sign up.
Make sure you get there earlyfor parking, because it is In
downtown Dallas, across the wayfrom the American Airlines
Center, so it is a little bit ofa kind of downtown traffic to
get through, but it's very muchgoing to be worth the experience
.

Speaker 2 (01:05:59):
Yes, and then, if you've been to any of the
meetups to, there actually is anew conference coming we dream
in, so that will be April 9th to11th, and Kira and I are
working on something for that,so stay tuned stay tuned.

Speaker 1 (01:06:14):
I do love that.
Yeah, I I've been Waiting topromo it in the intro outro
section, but yeah, that's gonnabe a really great event.
If you'd like to meet me inperson, come find me.
I'll be speaking at the event.
Rochelle and Kira will be atthe event.
We'll have a lot of great DFWtalent.
It'll be at the IrvingConvention Center April 9th
through the 11th.
More info that on that to come.

(01:06:36):
But again, thank you so much,rochelle, for joining us today.
Loved your story, lovedeverything that you're doing for
the ecosystem and we'lldefinitely be having you on the
show again in the near future totalk more about all the great
things.

Speaker 2 (01:06:48):
Thank you, I've enjoyed it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:00):
And that concludes another episode of admins of
tomorrow.
A special thanks to our guest,rochelle, for sharing her
insights and background andbecoming a recruiter for
Salesforce.
It was an absolute blast totalk through ways new admins can
find opportunities working forSalesforce but honestly, a lot
of what we talked about can beused across the board for any
job in the ecosystem.
So thank you again, rochelle,for being a part of the show and

(01:07:23):
sharing your knowledge.
So we mentioned it towards theend of the episode, but we do
want to take the time to plugtwo upcoming events in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The first is the SalesforceNorth Dallas meetup group, which
will take place on April 4th.
So this is a special event forthose in the North Dallas area,
as the Meetup team hascoordinated with Rochelle to
have the location be at theDallas Salesforce Tower.

(01:07:45):
So if you're interested in afun night of networking, rsvp to
the event in the link in theepisode description.
Additionally, if you're basedin Dallas, the inaugural event
we dream in will take placeApril 9th through 11th at the
Irving Convention Center.
This is a can't miss event thatcombines the knowledge from
Salesforce admins and architectsWith the knowledge of those

(01:08:06):
from Snowflake user groups andMicrosoft user groups in the
area.
The event will have a ton ofgreat content around data cloud,
so you won't want to miss out.
Also, to note, I'll be speakingat this event, so if you're in
the area or would like to makethe trip to Dallas, you can
register for the event in thelink in the episode description.
As always, thank you again fortaking the time to listen and
support our podcast.

(01:08:27):
If you have any feedback,questions or topic suggestions,
we'd love to hear from you, sodon't hesitate to connect with
us on LinkedIn, twitter or emailus at info at admins of
tomorrow comm.
Also, if you or someone youknow would like to be on the
podcast or would like to givesomeone a shout out, please go
to our website.
Admins of tomorrow comm.
Forward slash, share yourthoughts and fill out our form.

(01:08:49):
If you enjoyed this episode,don't forget to subscribe, leave
a review or share it with yourfellow trailblazers.
Once again, I'm Jacob Catalano,your host, signing off.
We appreciate you for listeningto admins of tomorrow
trailblazing next generation.