Interview with Daniel Ebel

X

What is your role at cloudworx and how long have you been part of the team?

I am a Consulting Developer, which means that I am involved in both consulting and development. Just like everyone else who develops at our company, really. I've been officially with cloudworx GmbH since 2018 – I think the company was founded on 27 January – but I had already been working on a freelance basis (in Timo's living room) one day a week since 2017. That was 3-4 months before the company was founded. Timo started back in 2016 and I joined at some point.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I think what I enjoy most is talking to nice customers. Most of the customers are so nice that I really enjoy talking to them. The others are so nice that I ‘only’ enjoy talking to them. We talk about work, but sometimes also about personal matters.

How did you end up at cloudworx?

I previously worked with Timo at his first company and joined as an intern in crowd management. That meant I wrote to or called service providers, in this case translators and interpreters, and asked them if they would be interested in taking on a job.

Over time, however, I slipped into the role of Salesforce problem solver, not yet that of administrator. That meant telling my colleagues which buttons to press and reporting any bugs to Timo. That worked well, so he asked me to take over Salesforce administration as well. As a result, I gradually started developing in Salesforce and became a full-time developer and process manager.

What is the working atmosphere like at cloudworx?

(Good. Haha) Very relaxed, definitely. And I would say not as uptight as in some companies where I did internships before. I was only permanently employed at one other company before, but I did internships at several. I studied for a very long time. The atmosphere here is also better and more collegial than in many companies I hear about from friends.

What does your typical workday look like?

Well, I arrive and don't make myself a coffee first, because I don't drink coffee. Ultimately, it always depends. Sometimes I have meetings all day, which means I don't get any programming or admin done and just talk to customers. On other days, I sit in the office or work from home the whole time and program concepts. Most days, though, it's a wild mix. I have a meeting, then I program, then I get a call in between and have to solve another problem, or there's some internal project on the agenda that I have to do. Then I get another call or email that I have to deal with. So it's a mix of lots of different tasks.

What does it take to be a successful Salesforce consultant and developer?

A good understanding of business processes. Empathy. You have to understand your customers and know what their fears, concerns and problems are. And I think it also helps if you are generally communicative and can talk to customers. Even about topics other than work, because that way you have a better connection with your customers and the work becomes easier and better.

What distinguishes cloudworx from other companies in your opinion?

Well, we're small. That also means flat hierarchies. We don't really have a hierarchical structure like you find in other companies. Maybe on paper, but it's less ‘I say something and you do it’ and more collegial. And the freedom you have in terms of working hours and holidays certainly sets us apart.

What qualities help you most in your job as a consultant and developer?

Firstly, as I mentioned, empathy. I think what helps me most is that I'm interested in almost everything. I can find something positive in almost everything and I like to read widely and have a healthy smattering of knowledge – or even just a quarter of knowledge – about many things. That means I already have a lot of what customers are looking for. That's what I bring to the table.

What is your tip for potential applicants?

Find out as much as you can about cloudworx and Salesforce. And about how we work in general. And communicate this in the interview, i.e. have the confidence to say what you know. And show off a little bit with it. Without really showing off, of course, but so that we know you've prepared well.

What book are you reading at the moment? / What series are you watching at the moment?

At the moment, I'm reading a children's book because I read to my children before they go to bed. It's ‘The Children of Noisy Village’ by Astrid Lindgren. Before that, I read ‘What if 2’ by Randall Munroe. He used to be a NASA engineer and now draws web comics with XKCD. He has written several books, and in ‘What if’ he answers questions scientifically that he has received via email or on his blog, for example. Mostly about physics, but also biology, psychology and so on. For example, someone asks what would happen if the Earth were suddenly made entirely of marshmallows. Or what would happen if you built a skyscraper with a billion floors. And he answers these questions in a purely scientific way, but also in a funny way. Most of the questions boil down to the fact that the world, or the entire universe, would be completely destroyed by this change.

Random bonus questions:

How many swimming trunks do you have?

3

Do you collect anything?

No. Well, if you go up to my attic, it looks like I collect screws and tools, but that's because I've just built a house and everything is lying around. I've assembled about 1,000 Ikea shelves and there's always something left over because there are extra options. For example, table and cabinet legs, which you don't need if you put them against the wall.