Salesforce End User: Alex Cowley (Client and Candidate Background)
Alex started his Salesforce career as a Salesforce Systems Administrator and marketing coordinator having completed a Masters Degree in Marketing and Communications. He continued to develop his career as a Salesforce expert and in 2012 became Head of CRM Systems for AOL, a Salesforce end user. His role included leading and delivering a large number of Salesforce projects that required both permanent and contract roles.
When recruiting for the many projects he was responsible for, Alex would routinely use multiple different agencies so that he had a reasonable opportunity to fill the volume of roles available.
Alex met Lee and Theresa just as they were starting Resource on Demand which was set up specifically to target the growing demands for Salesforce experts. Lee had a wealth of experience recruiting in the telecoms, CRM and infrastructure space and Theresa had experience recruiting, and headhunting within cloud technology and had worked directly with Salesforce technology.
With the volume of projects Alex was responsible for, it was a logical step to include this new and small recruitment company into the mix of agencies that he used.
This proved to be the start of a long working relationship that has turned into a friendship.
The Challenges of Recruiting
There were several challenges that Alex encountered when recruiting on the scale that he did:
- Having invested time in writing a detailed brief and job specification for a role, it became hugely time-consuming briefing each agency one by one.
- Following a round of agency briefings, it wasn’t unusual for Alex to be swamped with CV’s which indicated that many of the recruiters hadn’t listened.
- Integrity: There were times when the candidate was suitable, and a recruiter would demand a higher fee than had previously been agreed.
When Alex decided to include Resource on Demand into his agency list, his expectations were realistic about what he thought they would be able to deliver. He was, however, pleasantly surprised.
What happened next?
Alex developed his relationship with Lee, Theresa and their team and valued the following qualities of their service;
- It didn’t matter who Alex spoke to in the ROD team; he knew that they had listened by the quality of the CV’s he received.
- He noticed when he briefed one of the team personally that they took detailed notes which again was reflected in the quality of CVs and candidates he saw.
- Each member of the ROD team show a genuine interest in both the client and candidates they are working with.
What Alex thinks of his experience of Resource On Demand as both a Salesforce client and candidate
The key areas highlighted are as follows:
- The team at ROD demonstrate time and again that they care about who they are working with and want the best candidate for their client or the best ‘new home’ for their candidates.
- Lee and Theresa always come from a place of integrity when they are dealing with people. They have also built a team around them who share this value. If they say they will deliver, they will. “I had a large platform migration project and had two key roles to fill so that I had the right team from the start of the project. If I didn’t have these two roles filled, I knew the project timescales would be under threat before I started and I was being judged on this global initiative. When I briefed Shaylina over lunch on these two roles, I had some unusual and specific needs. I left our meeting feeling a little uncertain about whether my ideal people existed. Within two weeks Shaylina had delivered, and I could not have been happier or more relieved.
- At times the recruitment industry doesn’t enjoy the best reputation. However, Lee and Theresa have a company that bucks the trend. They have demonstrated how much they cared about people and went out of their way to do so.
- As the Head of CRM, you are aware that you are only as good as your last major project. Having the right people, with the right expertise and skills is crucial. Any recruiting Alex did was a reflection on him. The ROD team understood this. Alex knew that when he was working with Lee, he and the team had his back and wouldn’t let him down. At the same time, Alex always felt that the Resource on Demand team treated candidates with respect.
- Resource on Demand do n’t poach people. It’s another example of their integrity. So when Alex decided it was time for a career change, he arranged a call with Lee. Rather than describing what role he was looking for, Lee was able to tell him what roles would suit Alex, what companies to consider and used his market insight to know which would be a good fit.
Would you recommend Resource On Demand and why?
“ The first thing that comes to mind is Why Not work with ROD”.
“ The team at Resource on Demand are well connected, and as a candidate, they want to find you an ideal new home. As a client, you can trust them to find you a candidate who will fit the role and our company.“
“ Lee and Theresa always act with great integrity, even when they were at times financially exposed due to circumstances beyond their control. They have built a team around them who share the same level of integrity, which is evident whether you are working with them as a client or candidate. ”
“ROD are known across the Salesforce industry and are well placed to help people.”
“They listen and take on board what you are saying. They care and want to get the right fit for you, and it doesn’t matter if that is as a client or candidate. You experience the same quality of service.”
“ROD ask questions other agencies don’t. When I was looking for a new role, I wanted to reduce my travelling as I have three small children. ROD asked some searching questions of prospective employers about work and travel policies to ensure I got the right role with a company that respected my family and work-life balance.“
Alex Cowley October 2018