With 150,000 customers, Salesforce is the #1 globally implemented Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. With its current growth in Sales, it is expected to create almost 2 million new jobs by 2020 - meaning a high demand for certified consultants and great career opportunities if you have the right skills. The fastest way to get your career started as a Salesforce professional is by getting a Salesforce certification such the Administrator ADM201. There are no prerequisites to become a Certified Salesforce Administrator! But once you earn the certification - what next? Read my 3 tips on how to kick-start your new career in Salesforce!
1. Dream Big, Never Stop Learning and Manage Your Own Expectations Attend Events and Grow a Network Get Hands-on Experience
Hands-on experience is always a valuable thing to have on your resume when applying for jobs, but how do you get that all-important initial experience? Don’t worry, this is not a dead end, there are ways of getting this experience! Salesforce is big on giving back, not only donating money to charities but also providing free Salesforce user licenses to non-profit organizations. These organizations are often in need of configuration or easier development work to manage their orgs - this is where you can help! One way to spot these opportunities is to search on Twitter for “Salesforce volunteer”, or just do a simple Google search. There are also websites like https://www.catchafire.org/ and https://www.taprootfoundation.org/ where you can sign up as a volunteer Salesforce Consultant and help these charities. And gain that experience for your resume.
2. Attend Events and Grow a Network
Every autumn, 170,000 Salesforce professionals and customers gather for four days in San Francisco for the company’s enormous Dreamforce event. The event is not only famous for the number attendees but also for the big keynote speakers such as Michelle Obama, Melinda Gates and Satya Nadella. This is a great event to connect with Salesforce peers, meet potential clients and just breathe the Salesforce atmosphere. Dreamforce is not cheap, so if you don’t feel like paying the $1700 (though it’s totally worth it!) there are other ways of networking. Every year, Salesforce runs a World Tour, a more local series of events held in cities worldwide. Here you can attend for free whilst meeting local Salesforce customers (potential employers) and other Salesforce peers. Keep an eye out for the next event at https://www.salesforce.com/events/. You can also look for local groups using https://www.meetup.com/ where you can find Salesforce related groups started by professionals just like yourself that are interested in networking and talk about Salesforce. Simply register and type “Salesforce” in the search bar and wait for the results - the amount of local hits might surprise you!
3. Dream Big, Never Stop Learning and Manage Your Own Expectations
Did you know there are more than 26 Salesforce certifications? Salesforce offers many different career paths with more than enough room to grow and upgrade your skill set. It does not matter whether you are functional or technical, a new certification is always useful for your own knowledge and marketability. Another great way to sharpen your skills and make it fun, is by using the online Trailhead courses. Trailhead can help you expand your Salesforce knowledge and it is all gamified so you can collect topic-specific badges. A great addition to your newly started Salesforce career! It is definitely important to dream big but always make sure you manage your own expectations when you are just starting out in Salesforce. Look out for those jobs that will allow you to practice in your new career and where you feel comfortable. Keep in contact with staffing partners that can advise you and have experience with Salesforce clients, and together collaborate to find you new opportunities. Let your new career come to you and enjoy the ride! Remember - there is no time to wait, start your Salesforce career now!
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