How to Hire the Right Salesforce Developer?

Choosing the right Salesforce developer is essential for solving business challenges effectively. But first, it’s important to understand what does a Salesforce developer do. In short they build, customize, and integrate solutions tailored to your business needs. Now let’s come to the point an inappropriate selection of developer can lead to overly complex solutions, security risks, and missed Salesforce updates. However, it’s not just about someone who can code, it’s about finding a developer with the right technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and a strong alignment with your business needs.

But how do you plan to find the right professional? This blog outlines the steps for recruiting top-tier Salesforce developers, empowering you to make confident and informed hiring decisions. 

Let’s get started! 

1. Define Your Development Needs 

Start by identifying your project requirements and how Salesforce development can cater to them. Consider: 

• What do you want to achieve with Salesforce CRM? Whether you want to improve customer relationships and sales processes or streamline your business workflows? 
• What are the challenges in your business that Salesforce development can resolve?
• Does your project require developing a custom application, integrating third-party tools, or customizing out-of-the-box Salesforce features? 

How Will You Do It? 

• Engage your sales, marketing, IT, and more teams to gather their requirements for Salesforce development across the business. 
• Document your current workflows and identify the areas for improvement with Salesforce. Use process mapping software to visualize the expected improvements in current workflows. 

2. Determine the Complexity of Your Development Processes 

Once your requirements are clear, determine whether basic customization using the Salesforce Org built-in capabilities is sufficient or whether complex development involving coding for developing new applications is required. This allows you to identify and evaluate the skills and capabilities you need in a developer. 

3. Look for Key Salesforce Developer Skills 

Prioritize a developer having a balanced mix of both technical skills and soft skills to ensure smoother project execution and seamless collaboration with your business teams.

Technical Skills for Salesforce Developer

• Look for expertise in Apex, Lightning Web Components, Visualforce, SOQL, etc., which are the building blocks of every Salesforce application. 
• Developers must be familiar with Salesforce APIs and integrations to ensure the seamless integration of third-party solutions. 
• They should understand Salesforce security models, user access controls, and database structuring.   

Salesforce Developer Soft Skills

• Communication: Ensure they can clearly explain technical concepts and collaborate effectively with your business teams.
• Problem Solving: Look for their ability to break down complex issues and design practical solutions.
• Teamwork and Adaptability: Assess if they can adapt to changing requirements and work well with diverse teams.
• Attention to Detail: Assess their accuracy in the development process, data handling, and integrations.  

How to Assess Skills? 

• Conduct coding assessments and technical tests involving solution implementation and MCQ-based questions to evaluate the problem-solving abilities of the candidate. 
• Assign sample development tasks such as developing Apex triggers, Visualforce pages, and more to measure their hands-on expertise.
• Ask business scenario-based questions to test their communication and teamwork capabilities. You can consider asking:
  • Describe a time when they had to collaborate on a complex project.
  • Explain a technical concept to a non-technical audience.
  • A situation where they handled a conflict within a team validate it with cross-questioning. 

3. Consider Salesforce-Certified Developers 

Salesforce certifications validate a developer’s competence and their technical proficiency. These act as proof that professionals have passed the Salesforce standards and are equipped to perform certain tasks. 

Look for professionals with the following certifications: 

Platform Developer I & II

These certifications validate a developer’s ability to build custom applications on Salesforce using Apex and Visualforce programming languages. It ensures the developer can implement scalable solutions and follow best coding practices.

JavaScript Developer I

This certification focuses on the JavaScript skills of a developer, especially for developing Lightning Web Components that create responsive and interactive user experiences.

Integration and Data Architect

These certifications validate expertise in integrations and managing data in Salesforce, ensuring seamless connections between systems and consistent data flow.

Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect

These certifications focus on managing Salesforce development and deployment processes, ensuring smooth updates and system stability.

Salesforce Cloud Developers

These certifications show expertise in developing and customizing solutions for specific Salesforce clouds, such as personalized marketing campaigns in Marketing Cloud or e-commerce storefronts in Commerce Cloud.

4. Assess Their Experience 

Experience is a crucial factor when hiring a developer. If they have worked on projects similar to your business niche in the past, they can pre-access the challenges and deliver efficient results. 

How Will You Evaluate It? 

Industry-Wide Experience

Consider developers who have worked in your industry. They will better understand your project requirements and challenges, and will efficiently cater to your requirements. 

Years of Experience

Classify candidates as junior, mid-level, or senior developers based on their experience. Compare your requirements to their level of experience to ensure you choose a developer capable of handling your project’s complexity. Junior developers may be suitable for basic customizations, whereas mid-level and senior developers can handle more complex development needs. 

Portfolio of Past Projects

Review the developer’s previous projects, case studies, or references to evaluate their ability to deliver results. These resources give you an idea of the complexity of the projects they have worked on and the quality of their work. 

5. Conduct a Technical Interview

It helps you assess the candidate’s understanding of Salesforce concepts, tools, and best practices in real time, ensuring that they can tackle complex challenges and work effectively within your team.  

How To Conduct It?

• Prepare role-specific interview questions:  Align questions with your specific requirements and Salesforce fundamentals. For example:
  • Explain the difference between a trigger and a workflow. 
  • How do you handle the governor rules in Apex and the best practices to follow to avoid hitting them? 
• Prepare scenario-based interview questions: These include ‘what if this, then what’ questions. For example:
  • What if you need to deploy a critical update to Salesforce but encounter conflicts during deployment then, What steps would you take? 
  • What if an external system integration suddenly starts failing due to API changes on the third-party side? What would be your approach to diagnosing and fixing the issue?
• Include your technical teams: Their expertise is invaluable for asking in-depth questions and evaluating the candidate’s technical depth. 

Where to Find the Right Developer? 

Job Boards

LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and more are some of the trusted platforms where developers list their resumes. 

You can post detailed job listings with specific Salesforce-related requirements and hiring options, whether full-time Salesforce developer or hourly Salesforce developer with niche expertise. It attracts candidates who closely match your criteria, allowing them to apply directly, through these platforms. 

While offering an extensive reach, these job boards sort and filter resumes based on experience, certifications, and technical skills, ensuring efficient processing of incoming applications and identifying the best candidates. 

Freelance Platforms 

Platforms like Upwork and Freelancer connect you with freelance developers, offering a global reach. They are ideal for short-term projects or specific tasks. 

You can post detailed project descriptions, review freelancers’ proposals, and select the best fit for your needs and budget. 

Salesforce Partners And Staff Augmentation Firms 

They are your go-to experts who connect you with skilled Salesforce developers. You can communicate your requirements, and they match the developer’s expertise to provide you with the best-suited resource for your business.  

These are ideal options to consider when your project requires scaling up your development team temporarily or immediately without a long-term commitment. By bypassing the extensive interview process, you can connect with a Salesforce partner or a staff augmentation firm that offers pre-vetted professionals with specialized skills.

Salesforce Community And Groups  

Platforms like Trailblazer Community and Salesforce developer forums help you connect and interact with developers. You can participate in these forums and online groups to network with potential candidates and gain a deeper understanding of the developer landscape.

Conclusion 

By considering these insights, you can make an informed decision to hire a Salesforce developer that aligns the best with your development needs. From stating your requirements clearly to assessing their technical expertise and certifications, this blog helps you find the right developers across various sources. 

How Smart IT Staff can help? 

We provide you:   

• Top-tier pre-vetted professionals with specialized skills  
• Talent that can meet your short-term deadlines  
• You need Salesforce talent on an immediate basis 
• Hiring IT professionals on flexible pricing models