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In this raw and real episode of Salesforce Hiring Edge, we sit down with David Kestenberg — former CIO, startup founder, and transformation leader — to talk about something no one is saying out loud in tech hiring: vulnerability is a weapon.

From building authentic teams to calling BS on fake personas in interviews, David, Josh Matthews, and Josh LeQuire break down how to create a culture where people are safe to be real — and why that leads to better hires, better retention, and better outcomes.

You’ll learn:

• Why saying "I don't know" might be your biggest strength
• How to use vulnerability to create high-performance teams
• The silent cost of inauthentic hires
• How diversity, culture, and transparency create hiring edge in Salesforce orgs
• How to screen for realness, not resumes

🎯 Whether you're hiring, getting hired, or leading a team — this episode is your blueprint for building something that lasts.

👉 Follow us on LinkedIn:
Josh Matthews | David Kestenberg | Josh LeQuire

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app.
📺 Watch full episodes on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSmNMZJZbG-cywtt1nVYZWA

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Not all recruiters are equal — and hiring the wrong one could cost you time, money, and top talent.

In this episode, Josh Matthews explains exactly how to vet a recruiter, what red flags to avoid, and how speed and quality can work together to deliver better hires. Learn why specialization, transparency, and relationship-building are non-negotiable if you want to build a high-performing Salesforce team.

Listen in and upgrade your hiring strategy.

#Recruiting #SalesforceHiring #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #HiringTips

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Your interview process might be broken—and costing you top talent.

Ex-Google & Salesforce engineer Mike Mroczka, author of Beyond Cracking the Coding

Interview, joins us again to break down what most companies get dead wrong about hiring.

Whether you're building a Salesforce team or scaling a broader tech org, this episode dives

deep into the mindset and mechanics of smarter hiring.

You’ll learn:

✔ The #1 red flag in most tech interviews (and how to fix it)

✔ Why great engineers bomb interviews—and bad ones pass

✔ The truth about "chemistry" vs. bias in hiring

✔ How to vet technical talent when you’re not technical

✔ What makes Big Tech hiring so effective (and what you can steal)

✔ Why your interview process needs to be written down—yesterday

🔥 Whether you're hiring your first developer or your fiftieth, this is the real talk every leader

needs.

🎧 Prefer audio? Listen to this episode on the Hiring Edge Podcast.

📌 Chapters

0:00 – Intro: Are You Hiring Wrong?

1:10 – Why You Need a Real Interview Process

3:30 – Vetting Engineers Without Being Technical

6:45 – Bias, Rapport & the "Likeability Trap"

9:10 – The Interview Systems That Actually Work

12:00 – Trial Periods: Good Idea or Red Flag?

14:20 – What Big Tech Gets Right (And You Can Too)

17:05 – Take-Home Tests: Pros, Cons, & Pay

19:30 – The Only Hiring Metric That Really Matters

21:45 – Final Thoughts & Podcast Info

👇 LINKS:

📕 Get Mike’s book: bctci.co/amazon🌐 Visit Mike: mikemroczka.com

📢 Subscribe for more unfiltered hiring insights.

⌚ Video Duration: 00:25:31

⇉ Like this video? Smash that like button, share with your team, and don’t forget to subscribe.

🔔 New videos every week from the JoshForce crew.

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⚠ DISCLAIMER:

entertainment only.

This channel does not promote or encourage any illegal activity. All content is for education and

#salesforce #techinterviews #hiringstrategy #scalefast #leadershiptips #engineeringteams

#culturefit #salesforcehiring #teamgrowth #startupleadership #businessleadership

#interviewprocess #recruitingtip

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Welcome to the Salesforce Hiring Edge, hosted by Josh Matthews and co-host Josh LeQuire. In this powerful episode, we break down exactly what it takes to hire the right Salesforce SI (System Integrator) partner — and why making the wrong choice could cost you your career.

From uncovering the #1 factor in Salesforce implementation success (spoiler: it’s client engagement), to red flags in partner pitches, to protecting your investment through smart, small-bite projects — this conversation is a goldmine for any leader navigating the Salesforce ecosystem.

👉 Whether you’re running a Fortune 100 or a 5-person startup, this is required listening before you sign another consulting contract.

💼 Links & Resources:

🔗 Ccurrents.com – Proven Salesforce SI partner delivering enterprise results with startup hustle.
🔗 TheSalesforceRecruiter.com – Your source for Salesforce recruiting and talent acquisition across the ecosystem.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Why Client Engagement Trumps Everything
01:00 – Navigating the 2,000+ SI Partners on AppExchange
03:00 – What Salesforce AEs Won’t Tell You
07:00 – Why Most Implementations Fail
10:00 – How to Vet Partners (Questions That Matter)
14:00 – The Power of Weekly Status Reports
18:00 – Root Causes of Technical Debt
21:00 – Bite-Sized Projects to De-Risk Big Decisions
23:00 – Final Thoughts: Protect Your Career First

Listen in, take notes, and remember: a good partner tells their story. A great one tells yours. Subscribe now to never miss a brutally honest take on hiring within the Salesforce ecosystem.

Send us a text

This episode is WILD.

We sit down with Mike Mroczka—author, ex-Googler, ex-Salesforce employee, and interview coach—to talk about the growing epidemic of AI-assisted cheating in technical interviews. We're not talking theory—this is what’s actually happening in the trenches.

Mike breaks down:

• Why AI makes it easier than ever to fake your way into a six-figure job
• How companies can design smarter, cheat-proof interview systems
• What red flags recruiters should NEVER ignore
• Why some coaching is helpful—and when it crosses into gray zones

💡 If you’re hiring in tech or interviewing for a tech role, this conversation is non-negotiable. It’s time to outsmart the system—without compromising integrity.

📕 Get Mike’s book: bctci.co/amazon
🌐 Learn more: mikemroczka.com

🎧 Thanks for listening to Hiring Edge — formerly the Salesforce Career Show.

For the full visual - check out JoshForce on YT!

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What does it really take to scale a Salesforce team from 10 to 200—without chaos? In this episode of Salesforce Hiring Edge, Josh Matthews and Josh LeQuire are joined by David Kestenberg: former CIO, Salesforce transformation leader, and 5-time Dreamforce speaker. David shares hard-won lessons on hiring for trajectory, building leadership layers, and maintaining clarity and accountability—even when you're growing at warp speed. From ‘sniper’ developers to culture-building rituals, you’ll learn how to balance technical needs with human dynamics, set your managers up for success, and create systems that scale. Packed with real-world advice for tech leaders, consulting partners, and hiring managers who want to build high-performing teams the smart way.

takeaways

• The vibe check is essential for ensuring team fit.
• Experience plays a crucial role in assessing candidates.
• Trusting managers is key to finding the right talent.
• Technical skills must align with team dynamics.
• The overall team vibe influences hiring decisions.
• Expectations should be clear during the interview process.
• A good vibe check can lead to better team cohesion.
• Understanding the 'true North' is vital for alignment.
• Hiring is not just about skills, but also about culture.
• Effective leadership involves balancing various perspectives.

Sound Bites

• "The right expectations and all of that"
• "It's about the vibe of the overall team"
• "I trust the managers that work under me"

interview process, vibe check, team dynamics, technical skills, hiring, management, leadership, organizational culture

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n this episode of Salesforce Hiring Edge, Josh Matthews and Josh LeQuire break down two real-world Salesforce hiring stories—one a textbook win, the other a slow-motion fail. You’ll learn exactly what separates high-velocity teams who land top talent from the ones who lose momentum and miss out.

Josh unpacks a step-by-step playbook on how one fast-moving company hired a Salesforce pro in under 48 hours—from job order to offer. No red tape, no games, just clear priorities, time-blocked interviews, and decisive leadership.

💡 Learn why:

• Speed is the #1 hiring advantage in 2025
• Onsite requirements kill pipelines
• Expert recruiters are your best asset
• Poor candidate experience will cost you big

Perfect for Salesforce hiring managers, delivery leaders, and anyone tired of watching top talent slip through their fingers.

🔗 Subscribe, review, and share this with someone who needs to hear it.

Keywords: Salesforce hiring, remote hiring strategy, talent acquisition 2025, Salesforce recruiter, fast hiring process, staffing strategy, candidate experience, HR tech, Twilio hiring automation, AI recruiting tools

In the final live episode of the Salesforce Career Show, hosts Josh Matthews and Josh LaQuire are joined by a powerhouse panel including Vanessa Grant, Mike Mikula, and Anthony Rodriguez to discuss the question everyone in the ecosystem is asking: How will AI reshape our careers?

This extended finale delivers a deep, honest, and highly detailed breakdown of how artificial intelligence is already impacting Salesforce roles—from project managers and admins to developers, BAs, and architects. Drawing on a research-backed report of 56+ sources, the hosts provide concrete statistics, real-world examples, and industry predictions that range from exciting to alarming.

But this episode isn’t just about disruption—it’s also about opportunity. From leveraging AI for documentation, delivery, and development, to building human-centric skills like communication and emotional intelligence, this episode offers a roadmap for anyone who wants to adapt, lead, and thrive in the AI era.

Listeners also get a behind-the-scenes look at the rebrand to “Salesforce Hiring Edge,” what’s changing, what’s coming next, and a heartfelt tribute to a fallen friend whose legacy inspired the show’s evolution.

Key Topics Include:

• The real stats: 30–65% of some Salesforce roles may be disrupted by AI
• Which skills are future-proof—and which ones need urgent development
• How DevOps, prompt engineering, and ethical AI expertise will define new roles
• What hiring managers now expect from candidates and consultants alike
• The future of live shows, Clubhouse nostalgia, and what’s next for the podcast
• A powerful tribute to Tom Graber and a message about embracing your authentic self

Whether you're an admin, consultant, developer, or PM, this episode will change how you view your career—and help you make smarter, faster, and more human-centered moves going forward.

This episode is brought to you by Josh Matthews: thesalesforcerecruiter.com

For more terrific content, join our social network and get connected to our Salesforce community.

• Visit Salesforce Career Show: salesforcecareershow.com
• Connect with SalesForce Staffing on LinkedIn
• Connect on LinkedIn: Josh Matthews
• Follow us on Twitter: TheJoshForce
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Chapters

00:00 - Opening Introductions and Show Format Updates
06:57 - Show Rebrand: From Salesforce Career Show to Hiring Edge
14:20 - The Role of AI in the Salesforce Ecosystem
20:08 - Deep Dive: AI’s Impact on Business Analysts (BAs)
23:57 - Developer Perspective: Building With and Beyond AI
30:44 - Real-World AI Stats and Predictions Across Salesforce Roles
42:08 - High-Impact Skills and Certifications for AI-Era Salesforce Pros
53:33 - Government, Compliance, and AI: Security Concerns and Limits
1:01:52 - Can AI Fully Automate Salesforce Implementations?
1:12:11 - PMs and AI: Will AI Replace Project Managers?
1:23:55 - Final Reflections: How to Future-Proof Your Career With AI