TL;DR: Salesforce needed mid-to-senior talent across Go To Market and Technology roles as they transitioned from fully remote to a hub-based model in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Toronto. By partnering with PowerToFly to run dedicated hiring events, they made 57 hires — averaging 7 per event within 8 weeks. Retention tells the real story: 96% of those hires are still at Salesforce after 7 years, and 26% have been promoted.
When Salesforce decided to shift from a fully remote workforce to a hub-based model, they weren’t just changing where people worked. They were fundamentally reshaping their talent acquisition strategy. Suddenly, the company needed experienced Go To Market and Technology professionals willing to work from specific cities — and the existing pipeline wasn’t delivering.
Applications weren’t the problem. Salesforce had plenty of inbound volume. The gap was in quality and diversity — particularly for mid-to-senior roles in Software Engineering, Mobile Development, Technical Architecture, and Solution Engineering across San Francisco, Atlanta, and Toronto. The roles spanned both technical and commercial functions, which made the challenge even harder to solve with a single sourcing strategy.
Salesforce needed a partner who could reach qualified, diverse candidates in those specific hub locations — and give them a compelling reason to engage. That’s where PowerToFly came in.
The challenge: volume without the right fit
Salesforce’s workforce transition created a hiring challenge that traditional channels couldn’t solve. The company needed candidates with specific technical skill sets, seniority levels, and willingness to work from designated hub locations. On top of that, they wanted to build teams that reflected the diversity of the communities they served.
The result was a familiar paradox in talent acquisition: thousands of applications, but a shallow pool of qualified candidates who matched the actual need. Posting and praying wasn’t going to cut it. Salesforce needed a way to reach the right people directly — and give them a reason to engage.
The approach: dedicated events that showcase real people
Salesforce partnered with PowerToFly to take a different approach. Instead of casting a wider net, they went deeper. Across 8 dedicated hiring events, panels of diverse Salesforce engineering leaders shared firsthand perspectives on the technical challenges they’re solving — from agility and scalability to process improvement and platform architecture.
These weren’t generic recruiting pitches. Candidates heard directly from the people doing the work — what it’s actually like to build at Salesforce, what teams look like day-to-day, and how the company supports career growth. That transparency shifted the dynamic from pushing job postings to attracting engaged, pre-qualified candidates.
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What the partnership looked like
Salesforce used a multi-channel approach through PowerToFly, combining the PowerPro Platform for ongoing visibility, Summit and Virtual Job Fair participation for broad reach, and Dedicated Events with Source & Screen for targeted, high-conversion hiring. Each channel served a different purpose, but together they created a consistent pipeline of qualified, diverse talent.The result: hires who stay and grow
57 hires
across Go To Market and technology roles
96% of hires
still employed within 7 years
28%
average brand lift
The partnership delivered measurable outcomes across hiring speed, retention, and employer brand:
- 57 hires reported across Go To Market and Technology roles, from Enterprise Account Executives to Staff Product Designers.
- Avg. 7 hires within 8 weeks of each event — demonstrating that dedicated events don’t just generate interest, they accelerate the full hiring cycle.
- 96% of hires still employed within 7 years — the strongest retention signal in the portfolio. These weren’t short-term fills; they were career-level matches.
- 26% promoted within 1–3 years — showing that hires sourced through these events don’t just stay, they advance.
- 28% avg. brand lift — measured as increased willingness to consider employment at Salesforce after attending an event.
“Now I would seriously consider Salesforce as my next place of employment.” - Event attendee
Why it worked: real people, real connection
The Salesforce case stands out for two reasons. First, the retention number. At 96% within 7 years, these hires are doing better than just filling seats: they’re building careers. That’s the difference between sourcing for volume and sourcing for fit. When candidates engage with a company through real conversations with real employees, they self-select more accurately. The ones who apply know what they’re signing up for, and the ones who get hired tend to stick.
Second, the approach worked across functions. This wasn’t limited to engineering. Salesforce hired across both Go To Market and Technology roles, from Strategic Account Executives and Technical Account Managers to Senior Engineering Managers and Staff Product Designers. That breadth matters because it shows the model scales beyond a single department or job family. A prospect with hiring needs across multiple functions can point to Salesforce as proof that the same playbook works for commercial and technical roles alike.
The brand lift metric reinforces this. A 28% increase in willingness to consider employment after a single event means the impact extends well beyond immediate hires. Every event builds a warmer pipeline for future roles. Candidates who may not apply today but who now see Salesforce differently.
As one attendee put it: “I saw real employees and how they feel about their company, which took it from an unknown to something I feel connected to.” When candidates experience a company through its people rather than its job postings, the quality of the pipeline changes. And the numbers prove it.
Ready to build a talent pipeline that actually retains?
Learn how PowerToFly’s dedicated events and employer branding solutions help companies like Salesforce find qualified, diverse candidates who stay and grow.
