Hiring Our Heroes: Building an Inclusive Workforce for Veterans in the Salesforce Ecosystem
Kander partners with Hiring our Heroes to build professional internship opportunities for veterans in the Salesforce ecosystem.
At Kander, actively contributing to building a more diverse workforce is a core part of our DNA, as well as providing professional development opportunities for our veterans. Recently, we partnered with Hiring Our Heroes, a non-profit dedicated to creating economic opportunities for the military community, while building a strong and diversified workforce for American businesses.
We sat down with our new Hiring Our Heroes intern, Patrick Sees to discuss how he came into the Salesforce ecosystem, professional advice for rising leaders, and what his future career aspirations are. Whether you are a veteran looking to break into Salesforce or looking to get inspired this week, read on to learn more from our conversation.
Who is Hiring Our Heroes and what is the challenge that they're solving?
Hiring Our Heroes is an organization that works to help people transitioning out of the military, veterans and spouses of people transitioning [and helps] to find them employment. I really think it's just an amazing institution and I'd love to be able to give back to them in the future. Everyone I’ve met in the organization have been really sweet and kind people.
Can you share how you got into the Salesforce ecosystem and why?
A friend of mine is a Salesforce consultant and project manager and he knew how much I was into tech. He suggested that I check out Salesforce, so I started with some Trailheads and moved forward from there. In time I was hired by a consulting company, Bolt Data and I absolutely loved it. I’m drawn to consulting because it's essentially problem solving and I love puzzles. Solution Consulting can be stressful sometimes, but my years of working in ICU’s and also in the military taught me to operate well under pressure.
What is it that you love the most about the Salesforce ecosystem in terms of providing real value for businesses?
Salesforce is an incredible tool… [it] takes over every aspect of a business and kind of heightens it and it strengthens it, but it also has a way of laser focusing on the things that need to be fixed or faster or more efficiently. It's amazing the value that Salesforce can bring to businesses.
And why, of all the options and potential internship pairings, what excites you the most about Kander specifically and getting to do your Hiring Our Heroes internship here?
For starters, it’s always nice to see companies and people that appreciate what veterans and military members do for our country. I also think it's really outstanding that Kander is a woman and minority led company. When I first met with Pallavi, her passion for Kander was obvious. While researching the company I saw a YouTube interview Pallavi gave where she noted that in 2018 she couldn't afford a ticket to get into Dreamforce because she was just starting her business. However, the video ended with her presenting at the DC World Tour Keynote in 2023? I found that very inspiring. Everyone I've met at Kander has known incredibly nice and warm and welcoming people. So far it seems just like a great place to work.
From your experience in consulting, what are some important questions that you ask a client when you're trying to solve that business challenge?
First, I want to make sure I fully understand what the client is asking for and what challenge they are trying to solve. What are they trying to achieve? I’ve found that sometimes that the right thing isn't always to give people what they say that they want straight away. Sometimes you need to make sure that what they're asking for is appropriate, follows best practices, and will be the best solution for their problem. Getting a timeline from the client is also very important. How quickly do they need a solution? Sometimes you may need to provide a temporary fix because the preferred permanent solution will take a little bit longer.
As you progress in your career as a future Salesforce consultant, what is your next big certification that you're going after?
My next certification will be my Salesforce Sales Cloud Consulting exam. I'll be taking that in a few weeks. After that I’m thinking about getting my OmniStudio Consulting certification.
What's the best (and worst) career advice that you ever got in your career so far?
The best advice In my Salesforce career was to never tell a client that something can’t be done. Just about anything can be done in Salesforce. It may take longer or it may cost more, but it can usually be done. The worst advice was probably something akin to, “don't worry about it.”
Thank you for sitting down with us, Patrick, and congrats on your internship at Kander with Hiring Our Heroes! We’re thrilled to have you here.
Patrick's journey epitomizes the passion and dedication found within the Salesforce ecosystem for business problem solving through an incredible portfolio of Cloud solutions. In addition, Kander is proud to support our veterans through professional internships and we hope that others are inspired by the mission of Hiring Our Heroes, and look to support our growing veteran community returning to the workforce.
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