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Are you hiring for "culture fit" or for outcomes? In 2026, that distinction will determine if your Salesforce team sinks or swims.

Most hiring managers are falling into the "Mirror-tocracy" trap—hiring people just like them instead of the talent they actually need. In Part 2 of our ecosystem outlook, Josh Matthews and Scott Stafford reveal why "gut feel" is a career-killer and how the hiring landscape has shifted.

If you want to build a high-performing team that can actually orchestrate AI, you have to change how you interview.

In this episode:

• The 20% Rule: Why paying more for "Orchestrators" saves you $100k in the long run.
• The Live Prompt Test: A simple, 2-minute tactical test to see if a candidate is faking their AI skills.
• Data Literacy vs. AI: Why your AI will break if your new hire doesn't understand data relevance.
• The Tom Graber Story: How a "weird" first impression led to one of the best hires in Josh’s 35-year career.
• Merit vs. Familiarity: Practical steps to override your brain's hiring bias.

Featured Opportunity: We are currently hiring for a Salesforce Marketing/Data Cloud Pro (Chicago/Hybrid). View details at thesalesforcerecruiter.com.

Connect with the Show:

• YouTube: Joshforce Channel
• Web: thesalesforcerecruiter.com

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Salesforce demand dropped 37% in 2024, but the 2026 recovery is already leaving "average" Admins behind. Are you catching the wave, or getting crushed by the coral?

In this episode of The Hiring Edge, host Josh Matthews and 27x Certified Architect Scott Stafford break down the "75% Delta of Pain" currently hitting the ecosystem. We move past the Reddit rants and look at the actual data: who is getting hired, who is getting $25k premiums, and why "manual configuration" is a career dead-end.

Key Insights for your 2026 Career Plan:

• The Surfing Strategy: Why you must match the speed of the AI wave before it hits you.
• The "Jimmy" Trap: How a negative mindset is costing professionals more opportunities than the economy is.
• The Premium Pivot: Why RevCloud, CPQ, and MuleSoft are the "safe havens" for $150k+ roles right now.
• AI Orchestration: Moving from "builder" to "architect" in the age of Agentforce.

Featured Guest: Scott Stafford, 27x Certified Salesforce Architect.

Stop guessing about your career. Listen now to get the 2026 Talent Roadmap.

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Cold calls, cold emails, cold everything — they’re dead.
In this episode, Josh Matthews sits down with Drew Sechrist, one of the earliest Salesforce builders and now the founder of Connect The Dots, to break down how authentic relationships drive sales, recruiting, and growth in 2025.

They unpack:

• The story behind Salesforce’s first culture of connection — and how it changed everything
• How to find warm paths into any account or candidate using relationship intelligence
• Why transparency and alignment (Mark Benioff’s V2MOM model) still win decades later
• The role of AI in building trust, not replacing it
• And how small dinners and meaningful introductions beat mass outreach every time

If you lead sales, recruiting, or you’re a founder trying to stand out in a noisy world — this one’s for you.

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Most companies hire too fast, fire too slow, and wonder why they stay stuck in the minors. Josh Matthews and business coach Chris Hallberg unpack how “slow to hire, quick to fire” really works — from using assessments and culture filters to holding leaders accountable and scaling simplicity. A masterclass in hiring and leadership without the corporate BS.

Why do so many companies keep hiring the wrong people — and then keep them too long? In this straight-talking episode, Josh and Chris break down what “slow to hire, quick to fire” actually means — and why most organizations get it dead wrong.

You’ll learn how to:

• Turn hiring into curation, not desperation
• Use assessments to find the right wiring
• Keep panels from killing great candidates
• Build trust, conflict, and commitment into your culture
• Scale simplicity instead of complexity

Brutally honest and packed with takeaways, this one’s for leaders and recruiters ready to play in the majors.

Connect with Chris Hallberg:
🔹 Website: https://bizsgt.com

🔹 GoExpand: https://goexpand.com

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishallberg/

🔹 Book: The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual — available on Amazon:

Connect with Josh Matthews:
🔹 Website: https://thesalesforcerecruiter.com

🔹 YouTube: https://joshforce.com/YouTube

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamatthews

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The recent Salesforce layoffs shook the tech world—over 4,000 jobs cut globally. But if you’re impacted, this isn’t the end of your career—it could be the turning point. In this episode of The Hiring Edge by Joshforce, Josh Matthews is joined by Michael Vukovich (CEO, Wise Wolves) and Peter Ganza to deliver practical, proven strategies to help Salesforce professionals navigate layoffs and land their next opportunity.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why jumping to another tech giant (like IBM or Oracle) may not be your best move
• How mid-sized companies can value your enterprise experience more than Fortune 500s
• Smart ways to leverage your Salesforce brand on platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, and Fiverr
• Networking strategies that actually open doors (without coming across as desperate)
• Why venting on LinkedIn could sabotage your job search—and what to do instead
• How to reframe layoffs as an opportunity to upskill and reposition your career
• The small but powerful actions—like thank-you notes—that set candidates apart
• Mindset shifts to process the change and move forward with confidence

If you’ve been affected by layoffs, this conversation offers both immediate tactics and long-term career management advice.

👉 Subscribe for more hiring insights from Joshforce and The Hiring Edge.
👉 Watch related episodes on navigating layoffs and career pivots.

#SalesforceCareers #Layoffs2025 #TechJobs #CareerAdvice

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In this episode of The Hiring Edge, host Josh Matthews brings on Salesforce architect and founder of the People First Method, Jon Cline. This isn’t your typical tech talk — Jon breaks down how soft skills like empathy, communication, and collaboration are the real power plays in the tech world.

He shares a powerful transformation story of Serena, a military spouse who went from jobless and discouraged to landing a major role and leading projects — all by shifting how she showed up in interviews and on teams.

They unpack:

• Why most tech projects fail (and it’s not about the tech).
• The mindset shift that drives career breakthroughs.
• How simple tools like process diagrams can become leadership assets.
• Why “go-givers” win long term over “go-getters.”

🚨 LIMITED OFFER: Use code shared in the podcast at PeopleFirstMethod.com to get 50% OFF the next cohort — only 12 spots available. Starts in September.

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Betrayal at work is the hidden threat sabotaging your culture, health, and performance. In this episode, Josh Matthews talks with Dr. Debi Silber, TEDx speaker, psychologist, and author of Trust Again, about how workplace betrayal damages trust and how you can heal.

Learn why betrayal is different from any other trauma, the symptoms of Post-Betrayal Syndrome, and the five proven stages of recovery. Whether you lead a team or are healing yourself, you’ll discover actionable strategies to rebuild trust and create a thriving workplace.

Keywords:
workplace betrayal, rebuilding trust, team culture, leadership, trauma recovery, Dr. Debi Silber, TEDx speaker, Post-Betrayal Syndrome, employee well-being

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Is your pay strategy quietly driving talent out the door? In this no-fluff episode, Josh Matthews sits down with compensation expert Scott Trumpolt to break down pay transparency laws, broken bonus systems, and how to finally build comp plans that retain and motivate. If you're hiring, leading, or scaling, this one’s a game-changer.

🔍 Chapters:

00:16 – Why your comp strategy might be broken
01:27 – What pay transparency laws get wrong
05:06 – The problem with static pay bands
11:35 – Building trust through variable pay transparency
19:22 – The truth about salary data (Glassdoor, Salary.com, etc.)
22:58 – Pay equity in remote vs. on-site roles

🎙 Guest: Scott Trumpolt
Founder, HRCompensationConsulting.com
LinkedIn: Scott Trumpolt

📌 Host: Josh Matthews | The Hiring Edge – Smarter Teams. No Fluff.