You’ve reached the end of an interview, and inevitably, your interviewer says ‘do you have any questions?’. Even though you knew it was coming, you thought ‘I’ll wait and see what comes up in the interview, and then base my questions around that’. When the time comes, your mind goes blank. There’s an awkward silence that you try to fill with ‘ummm’s and ‘let me see’s. You can feel your perfect Salesforce role slipping away from you. You think to yourself, ‘why didn’t I just write some questions down before I came in?’.
Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Sometimes, you don’t have a lot of time to prepare, and the time you do have you spend poring over the job description and looking into the organisation. It’s best to try and have a bank of questions you can call upon, so you don’t end the interview on an awkward silence. This is also beneficial to you in deciding which organisation and role is the right one for you. This is your chance to delve a little deeper.
Not every question will be relevant to the role you’re going for or the organisation it’s with, and some things may have already been covered during the meeting. To be safe, it’s best to have some options ready. Luckily, here at Focus on Salesforce, we’ve got some suggestions for you…
What does the Salesforce road map look like for the organisation?
This is likely to have come up already, but you might have only covered what the road map would look like for you in your new role, or the team you will be working in. Broadening the question can help raise a discussion about how the organisation currently uses Salesforce, and the potential to implement other Salesforce Clouds/products, and what this would help the organisation achieve.
You’ll be giving yourself the opportunity to display your knowledge of all things Salesforce, including implementation projects, and how you’d be a great asset to the company going forward. If you present yourself as a good investment not just for now, but for the future, you’ll separate yourself from other candidates. You’ll also identify how your job role might look further down the line, and this will help you decide if there will be enough variation and progression to keep you interested.
How are engagement levels with the Salesforce platform from the staff using it?
This will help you gauge the feeling within the organisation about using Salesforce, and how well it has been implemented. If it has not been implemented yet, you could alter the question to gauge the general feelings towards using Salesforce and what people are expecting. You live and breathe Salesforce, but it can be a challenge for those who don’t to adapt to a new product.
You might get a really positive answer, which will help you decipher whether you’re moving to the place that’s right for you, where engagement levels are high, or there’s a real belief in Salesforce and what it can help a business achieve.
How will/does Salesforce fit into the business goals of the organisation?
You’re looking to learn more about the organisation, and the role of Salesforce within it. You can also narrow this down to how the team you will be working in have formed their goals, and the place you’ll have within the company. Do the goals of the business/team interest you and ignite a passion, if this is what you’re looking for in a new role? Is what they aim to achieve possible? Or alternatively, are they setting the bar too low? If you want a role that involves big transformations and making a difference to an organisation, will this role offer you that chance?
This is another opportunity to show that you know your stuff. You can pull from past experiences of how your Salesforce skills have helped a business achieve a desired outcome.
What does your Salesforce team currently look like?
If you haven’t covered this already, this is definitely one to bring up. Depending on your area of expertise, you’ll want to find out what the technical team looks like, and where the Salesforce professionals are placed across the organisation. Do they have contractors in, or are they building a strong in-house team? Depending on your preference, this could reveal a lot about whether this is a role you’re going to enjoy, or if it will be littered with challenges you want to avoid.
What are your plans for supporting Salesforce certifications and development?
You might be taking on a role with no Salesforce certifications to your name, and finding out you’ll be supported with time and funding to add some to your repertoire is very welcome. You may already have certifications, and need to maintain them, or want to complete more.
Either way, finding out how your personal development will take shape, and the support you’ll receive from the organisation, could be the deciding factor for you if you get offered the job. Try to find out exactly what they are offering – will they just fund the certification exam, or will they fund the time you need to spend studying to get to this point?
Bonus question: Have I answered all your questions, or is there something you’d like me to revisit?
No matter which Salesforce pathway you have followed, or the role you are going for, this is a great question to end the interview on. We’ve all looked back on an interview and thought ‘ah no, I should’ve said…’. If you’ve got a feeling you rushed through an answer or forgot to add a great point, you’re creating an opportunity for a do-over. If there is anything the interviewer thinks you’re lacking in, this is your opportunity to set the record straight.
It also shows that you’d like to reflect on the interview, and good reflection/debrief skills are useful and valuable attributes in any employee. If you want to gauge how you did, a ‘no, you’ve covered everything very well’ from the hiring manager will give you a good idea of where you stand.
Ready for your next interview? Get in touch today to speak to one of our Salesforce Recruitment Specialists, who can help identify which role would be right for you (and help you ace the interview!).
