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What Makes a Great Salesforce Solution Architect?

Salesforce is the most popular customer experience system in the world.

Over the last 12 months, the CRM has seen substantial growth, doubling the number of customers it supports at the $20 million spending level and attracting countless new global hires. Today, companies everywhere are discovering what they can accomplish with the right Salesforce certification in their team.

To benefit from the most impressive customer relationship management solutions, you need more than just the right technology; you also need an employee who knows how to design and build bespoke solutions on the Salesforce platform. As specialists in technology recruitment, Resource on Demand are here to help you find the ultimate Salesforce Solution Architect.

Here’s what to prioritise on your Salesforce solution architect job description.

 

1. A Passion for Salesforce

 

 

Salesforce has been expanding at a rapid pace over the last couple of years. Currently, it’s the number 1 CRM tool in the UK, and the Salesforce company is one of the fastest-growing vendors in the region. As the ecosystem continues to evolve, it’s essential to ensure that your Salesforce solution architect can stay ahead of the curve.

The best solution architect doesn’t rest on their laurels with a basic Salesforce certification. These professionals are passionate about the technology that they use to transform businesses. As you interview your architects, look for people who have a strategic vision in place for how they plan to develop their knowledge and stay ahead of the curve.

Someone with a passion for technology and a growth mindset will be more comfortable adapting to the latest changes in the Salesforce roadmap – whether it means learning how to use Google for data management or exploring a new Big Data feature like Einstein.

 

2. Salesforce Certifications

When writing a Salesforce solution architect job description, it’s important to include details of the certifications that are most valuable to your business. Over the years, Salesforce has evolved rapidly, from a basic CRM platform into a solution with dozens of cloud-based services to offer. As Salesforce grows more complex, training solutions are becoming more readily available for individuals who want to show their expertise in a certain space.

Currently, there are three tiers of certification for the Salesforce “architecture” environment that are helping to bridge the talent gap:

  • Salesforce certified application architect and system architect: This is the Salesforce certification for employees with experience in building domains.
  • Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA): This certification demands the highest Salesforce solution architect salary because it’s only awarded to the professional with the skills to build the most advanced technology
  • Salesforce Architecture Designer: This designation is reserved for candidates with expertise in things like Platform app building, Platform app design, community cloud consulting, data architect, or Identity and Access management design.

 

3. A Mind for Problem Solving

 

 

When constructing your Salesforce solution architect interview questions, focus on competency-based queries that will encourage your candidates to show their problem-solving skills. Solution architects need to be able to see the big picture in a business and CRM environment, then design strategies that will continue to support the company in the long-term.

Competency-based questions will allow you to dive into the skills your candidates share on their CVs, to see how they’ve used system integrations, APIs, and Salesforce strategies in the past. For instance, you can ask: “Tell us about a time when you designed a pre-sales solution for a client, and what the project involved.”

Highly experienced CTAs might even have portfolios filled with documented descriptions of their designs.

 

4. Leadership Skills

Leadership potential is another thing you can look for when planning your Salesforce solution architect interview questions. Remember, solution architects often need to take leadership of a team or problem and explain their ideas to other people. The best Salesforce architects will be those who feel comfortable taking charge of a situation, even when there’s a lot of pressure from clients and business leaders.

The right candidates will be able to act as the “Expert in the Room” when discussing the potential of the Salesforce platform, and they can take the initiative on gathering information about requirements, design priorities and more.

Additionally, as a natural leader, your Salesforce solution architect will also know how to maintain a positive attitude that motivates and inspires the people around them. This mindset means these employees can thrive in almost any situation.

 

5. Communication Skills

 

 

Finally, because they build bespoke solutions to CRM problems, Salesforce architects are also very good with communication. They know how to listen to and process the information provided by a client and use it to drive their decisions when they’re designing and building applications. The best architects are also comfortable sharing their thoughts with the rest of their team, and even delegating tasks when necessary.

Salesforce solution architects work with a wide range of people throughout your business ecosystem, so they’re comfortable meeting new people and finding a place for themselves within your company culture. Look for someone who can articulate themselves well and explain complex problems in a simple format during your interview process.

 

About Resource On Demand

Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.  

We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills. 

The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.  

To find out how we can support you call us on 01322 272 53