While talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. Unfortunately many young people from underrepresented communities with untold potential fall through the cracks because they are not aware of what is out there. The Salesforce internship program gives college students the chance to get real life experience while pursuing a degree, as well as expose them to the corporate world ahead of graduation. Check out what our Salesforce people have to say about why fostering young talent is essential for companies—and why it’s so important to them.
Zahra Bahrololoumi
CEO, UKI
When I left university, I was determined to make my career in technology. My degree wasn’t in tech—but I didn’t let it hold me back! I sought out organisations that invested in people at all levels. I’m so thankful that my supervisors and mentors took a chance on me. That’s why I’m personally passionate about advancing the skills of young people from all backgrounds.
At Salesforce, we’re committed to supporting youth skills through programmes like internships. In addition, our UK&I apprenticeship programme now includes 90-plus young adults from under-represented backgrounds.
I hope that one day many younger people will think of the role Salesforce played in improving their careers and lives—and pay it forward.
Glenda Wilson
Manager, Business Development Reps
From an early stage in my career managing teams, before diversity was even a thing, I recognised the huge value of age diversity.
Unlike other peer leaders, I made the choice to bring young inexperienced people on to my teams instead of adding older more experienced people. This diversification of age was transformational. Their energy, thirst for learning, and positivity was contagious. They brought a freshness and fun to teams that had become a bit flat and a little resistant to change. They challenged us older, more experienced individuals to think differently. I began to notice an immediate impact on performance and overall team engagement. Their enthusiasm, youthful point of view always challenges your thought process. The younger generation challenge what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. This change is exciting, and I have found the youth keep us fresh and relevant.
But, If there’s one thing that keeps me awake at night it’s the mental wellbeing of our youth. As leaders in business, are we doing enough to support them? Are we helping them to learn the skills to be resilient, to be able to switch off, to manage stress, and accept that failure is an important part of development?
I am hitting a big milestone this year, 50 years, and looking ahead it excites me that I get the opportunity to nurture and work alongside our future leaders. In Salesforce, yes, the culture is amazing, the pace is exciting and challenging, but what I enjoy the most is that I get to work with amazing young talented people every day. Together anything is possible, but most of all we have the craic together!
Joshua Carney
Futureforce Recruiter, EMEA at Salesforce
I work in the Futureforce Recruitment team at Salesforce and I have worked in the area of recruiting young talent (namely graduates, summer interns and apprentices to companies for several years. One of the reasons I enjoy this area of recruitment is I truly believe in the immense benefits of fostering the talent of young people, and those early in their careers, can bring to organisations. The opportunity to bring in the next generation of talent who bring in new and diverse perspectives, as well as innovative ways of thinking and solving problems, can be hugely beneficial in the long term. By fostering and training young talent, you are creating a pipeline of future leaders within the company. From a personal perspective, I also love working with young talent at Salesforce as I find their enthusiasm and energy to be very infectious and quite inspiring!
Aisling Campbell
Manager, Sales Development
Much like when Walt Disney built Disneyland, he made the famous Cinderella Castle the focal point, so as to inspire and engage all those who came to experience it. When I think of our younger generation, I see that exact same theme come to life. Our younger generation remind us that in business, we need a strong vision and purpose to unite everyone as a team and make them feel like they are part of something bigger. Our youth want to make a big impact at work, but also have a meaningful life, where they travel the world, gain new perspectives, and bring those experiences and learnings into the workplace. The younger generation teach us not only the importance of injecting fun into our days, but also that in order to thrive, the business world has to focus on corporate and social responsibility, rather than just their bottom line. They teach us that to do business and grow our economy does not mean we need to sacrifice our health, happiness or mental wellbeing. We can integrate all parts of ourselves and learn to work smarter and not harder.
I am genuinely inspired by today’s youth. They help us reflect on the fact that “this is the way things have always been done around here” is a dangerous and damaging adage and that we need to adapt and learn new ways of working. They push back against the status quo and as a result, they drive innovation. Everyday I learn from my team and question my old thoughts and beliefs around the way working life should be! They have so many ideas, so much energy and vitality for life, and a real desire to make an impact. I believe if we give them the space to learn and grow, they will change the very fibres of the workplace, resulting in not only profits, but workplaces which are diverse, inclusive and innovative.
Caitriona Marron
Senior Content Marketing Specialist, Futureforce EMEA & LATAM
Why is it so important to foster young talent? Our future depends on it! Young talent; both the unique perspective they bring to the table and the critical impact they make, will become the very foundation of how our future is shaped. Being part of the Salesforce university recruiting team, Futureforce, I can talk from professional experience of the pure passion, ambition and innovation that pours into Salesforce each year through our new grad and intern hires. I can also speak to my own personal experience of the energy they bring to the office and the permanent smile I’m left with whenever I spend time in their presence.
In return, we have a core responsibility to our young talent. To foster every opportunity to impart our learnings and provide guidance. To inspire and encourage. To champion resiliency by celebrating the losses alongside the wins. These new voices have a lot of important things to say. And we need to be ready to sit up and listen to our future change-makers.
To learn more about Salesforce’s commitment to equality, check out our website and you can also have a look at Salesforce’s values here! If you are eager to start a career in Salesforce, check out the Futureforce website or check the Careers Site for open vacancies.
