How to Hire a Salesforce Developer

Why this role matters

Salesforce often holds a company's customer data, sales pipeline and service processes, so changes reach every team that uses it. A good Salesforce developer knows when to use declarative tools such as Flow and when code is justified, and writes bulk-safe, tested Apex. A weak one leaves triggers that fail on data loads, hard-coded IDs and an org that is risky to change.

Where to find candidates

• The Trailblazer Community, including local community groups and developer groups
• Candidates with Salesforce developer certifications such as Platform Developer, checked against their public Trailhead profile
• Dreamforce and regional Salesforce community events such as Dreamin' conferences
• Salesforce consulting partners and AppExchange partners, for contractors or for experienced developers looking to move in-house
• Specialist Salesforce recruiters and LinkedIn searches for Apex, LWC and Salesforce DX
• Your own Salesforce administrators who have been learning Apex, as an internal route into the role

Skills to look for

Red flags

• Writes SOQL queries or DML inside loops
• Tests that hit the coverage threshold without asserting any behaviour
• Hard-codes record IDs or user names
• Deploys straight to production through change sets with no source control, and sees no problem
• Lists many certifications but cannot explain a project they built
• Defaults to code for everything when Flow or configuration would be simpler to maintain

The interview process

1. 1

   Screen and credential check

   Ask which clouds they have worked in (Sales, Service, Experience, others), the size of the orgs and their role. Check claimed certifications on their Trailhead profile.

2. 2

   Technical conversation

   Discuss a trigger framework they have used, how they handle bulk data loads and how they decide between Flow and Apex.

3. 3

   Org work sample

   In a scratch org or developer sandbox, ask them to write a bulk-safe trigger that updates related records, a test class with real assertions, and a small Lightning Web Component that shows the result. Include a deliberate requirement that Flow would handle better and see whether they notice. A job simulation of this real Salesforce work is one option if you want a standard task for every candidate.

4. 4

   Code and architecture review

   Show an existing trigger with SOQL in a loop and a hard-coded ID. Ask them to review it and describe how they would deploy the fix safely.

5. 5

   Stakeholder interview and references

   Include a Salesforce admin or business owner. Ask how they gather requirements from sales or service teams and handle conflicting requests.

How to evaluate

• Bulk-safe Apex that stays within governor limits
• Tests with meaningful assertions and test data setup
• Sound choice between declarative tools and code
• Awareness of the sharing model and data security
• Disciplined deployment and source control practice
• Clear communication with non-technical stakeholders

Onboarding

• 1Give sandbox access, source repository access and documentation of your org's main objects and automations on day one
• 2Walk through existing triggers, flows and integrations so they see where logic already lives
• 3Agree the deployment process and release calendar before their first change
• 4Pair them with your Salesforce admin for the first few requests
• 5Start with a technical-debt fix, such as consolidating duplicate triggers, before new features

Common questions