Penrod was named the best place to work in Wisconsin for young professionals two years in a row now, so we get a lot of candidates who want to work here. We want to help you be successful, so here are a few pointers on how to stand out from the thousands of applicants we get each year.
Your technical skills matter, but culture fit is more important.
We have two main things we look for: technical aptitude and cultural fit. Technical aptitude doesn’t mean you know everything there is to know about Salesforce or that you’re some sort of coding genius, especially for entry level positions. Instead we’re looking for someone who has the passion and willingness to learn and understand the Salesforce platform.
Cultural fit might sound scary, but really it means we are looking out for your success at Penrod. You’re going to be spending a lot of time here and we want it to be a place you love coming to every morning. When we hire for culture, it means we’re looking for a team player, someone who is positive, and who has a passion to learn new things.
We value soft skills just as much if not more than technical skills.
Each position has a different set of technical skills you’ll need, but soft skills are a constant. We look for positivity, helpfulness, empathy and so much more (check out our CEO’s recent thoughts on the key pillars of Penrod). Positive thought and action is especially important to our culture, and it determines where people go at Penrod. People who exert a negative influence don’t last long, but positive people are rewarded.
You also need to have a collaborative spirit. If you are the type to always keep your head down and don’t want to be cross functional, it’s going to be hard to fit in here. Our people work together and are flexible no matter what challenges arise. We’re all about working as a team.
If you don’t have tons of technical experience, depending on the position we can work with that. But you have to come to the table with a willingness to immerse yourself in the Salesforce ecosystem.
We love to see experience in the Salesforce platform, but you can land a job at Penrod without it.
The amount of work experience you need depends on the role you applied for. In more experienced or higher level positions it will be more important. Entry level positions don’t require 5 to 10 years of experience, though, and we’re open to applicants who have technical skills but little Salesforce experience.
The great thing about working for a growth company is that you’re empowered to learn quickly and take on new responsibilities, so what you don’t know, we can guarantee you’ll learn it fast here. Once you join us, if there’s a different position or a different department that’s a better fit for you, we want to find the place where you excel. Often our people move across departments once they’re here.
Know nothing about Salesforce but really want to be part of Penrod? That’s great, because Salesforce has created a way you can learn about the ecosystem for free! It’s called Trailhead, and it’s an accessible way for anyone – from newbies to people who have worked with the platform for years – to deepen their knowledge base. Sign up for Trailhead and then start with the Admin Beginner trail to learn the basics.
Your passion, excitement, and love of learning will make you stand out.
Each candidate we see has their own unique set of qualities. That said, there are some that really stand out. We love it when we’re interviewing and it’s clear that the applicant has researched Penrod. They know things like that we recently made it into the Inc. 500, that we’re a top Milwaukee and Wisconsin place to work, and that we’re focused on growth. They probably follow us on social media and read our blog. In other words, if you’re reading this article, this is probably you!
Candidates who stand out are also excited about the position they applied for. It’s obvious they weren’t just spam applying to every job they came across on a job board, but that they sought us out and were thoughtful about their application.
We love it when we get applicants who are excited about Salesforce as well. Even if they don’t have a background in the ecosystem, they jump right into learning about it before they even get hired.
One other quality that stands out is multi-faceted professionalism. Individuals who have a broad knowledge base even if they only specialize in one area and who are always up for learning new things do really well here.
We expect nothing less than the best.
Penrod is a Gold Level Salesforce partner. We’ve worked hard to get to where we are, and along the way, we’ve built a strong global reputation based on mutual respect and trust with our customers.
Every person we hire will be expected to help us maintain that level of trust and respect. It means going above and beyond for our customers, it means developing a spirit of helpfulness, and it means you know how to stay positive and encourage positive thought and action in your coworkers.
You’re competing against literally thousands of applicants.
Our job openings are highly competitive. In the last quarter, nearly 1,000 people applied to jobs here and we actively recruited and screened another 200 to 300 candidates. Out of that 1,200 to 1,300, we held 100 interviews and we hired 11. When you apply to a job here, you’re competing with some incredibly skilled people and we are highly selective about who we interview and who we hire, so it’s in your best interest to do your homework ahead of time.
We want you to be successful.
We want to make sure that not only will you help Penrod be successful, but that Penrod can help you be successful in your career. You spend a huge amount of your life at work, so it should be something that gives you pleasure and drives you to be a better version of yourself.