Becoming a Salesforce professional is a great opportunity, but when you’re beginning your Salesforce journey, it often feels like there’s a lot you don’t know. In my conversations with entry-level and transitioning Salesforce Admins, I’ve found that people get caught up with the details rather than the big picture. As a result, it might be challenging to start in this industry.
Still, having been there, I wanted to advise any new Cloud professionals joining the ecosystem and create this list offering the advice I wish I had when I joined over five years ago.
1. Patience is Key
There’s no denying that entering the Salesforce world can be overwhelming. Even before I began applying for jobs, I got my first “no” when I didn’t pass the Salesforce Administrator exam the first time around. I remember being devastated.
I worked on my certification and job hunt in tandem, and it was tough to keep hearing that I didn’t have enough experience. I heard “no” more times than I anticipated, but I always had to keep in the back of my mind that every failure leads to success.
I eventually got my first full-time job as an admin after studying and practicing for interviews, using sandboxes to refine my skills, and passing my Salesforce exam. Learn from failure and focus on the things that you want to achieve. Re-calibrate, if needed, and keep pushing. That will help you reach new heights in the Salesforce world.
2. Hands-On Experience is Essential
As a beginner, there’s always something new you need to learn. I learned early in my first job that despite having that shiny new certification, my organization (like many) does not follow the “standards” set by Salesforce. Great Salesforce experts need to become problem-solvers and learn how to analyze why a particular technical choice was necessary for the technical teams, the executives, and all related users.
My job was to ensure that I provided the best solutions for my organization, and here I learned that you need to be open to feedback and learning new things. Even if you have a Salesforce certification, there is so much to learn in the real world.
That hands-on experience can make a huge difference between choosing a system that is “right”, and a system that is “impactful.” Salesforce’s “How I Solved It” is a fun and educational video series to see some examples of problems that Administrators have solved – I like to watch them to inspire my own creative solutions.
3. Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others
Many of us compare ourselves with others; it’s human nature. However, the trouble with comparison is that you often find that everyone’s lived experiences and resources are different. Just because they achieved success in a short time doesn’t mean you will do the same. The exact accomplishment may take longer for others.
Ultimately, your focus must always be on communicating, following your goals, and fulfilling your career. Also, your interests may vary from others. Having built my professional personal brand, I’ve often found that trying new things is what gives me the learned experiences that make me stand out anyway. So, don’t compare yourself with other people, just keep evolving.
4. Don’t Use Any Generic Resumes
Many people tend to enter a Salesforce career with a generic resume. The problem is that every position is different, so a generic resume will not work. You should always optimize and customize your resume for every job you apply for. This doesn’t mean you have to create a single resume from scratch every time, but recruiters and decision-makers are always looking for a candidate who can excel in the position they apply for, so knowing how to market yourself to them is critical.
I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to draft your resume by taking a personal inventory of your skills and experiences before even beginning to write. If there’s any takeaway you get from this article, especially as a job hunter, it should be that sending generic resumes will most likely put you in the reject pile, so is ultimately a waste of your valuable time.
5. Create an Impact by Being Very Good at One Thing (or More)
A great way to impact your organization is to become the best at one specific feature or task within Salesforce. As we said earlier, Salesforce has such an expanded portfolio of products and services, it would be challenging to say you are an expert in all of them. It can also seem daunting as a sole administrator to be the expert at everything.
If you can narrow your expertise to organizational features that drive business value or make the organization more productive, you can build a positive impact in your organization. It’s ideal if you can become versed in a specific Cloud, but depending on your organization, the impact is likely driven by features.
Whether you have been at your organization for one day or multiple years, identifying and structuring a type of action plan is the best way to create impact. This action plan should include outlining an end goal (learn more about “SMART” goals here), what resources you may need to accomplish the goal, and a list of broken-down actions with their outcomes and due dates. This will keep you accountable and help you track your progress. Action plans may vary, so here are some examples to get you started.
6. Start a Brag Sheet Early On
In the office, the best advocate for yourself is you! While mentors and sponsors can always provide additional support, showing them the precise information in the form of a brag sheet containing your “wins” is the best way to take that next step towards more responsibilities and more pay!
A brag sheet is very similar to a CV or resume – it highlights your accomplishments, key experiences, skills, and employment, but it doesn’t get shown to employers. Julia Evans offers a great prompt about what to think about for yours: “Get your work recognized: write a brag document”.
Brag sheets should be documents you update all year round – not exclusively when it comes to your performance review. Every “win” — big or small — can be challenging to recall months after it’s happened, so if you take great notes all year round, you’ll be well prepared for those review interviews.
7. Get New Certifications For Yourself, Not the Company
Some Salesforce certifications are required for certain positions (usually listed on a job description), but that may leave you believing that specific certifications are mandatory for your career. For instance, new Salesforce Consultants at some firms recommend getting at least one or two certifications yearly.
While it is incredibly valuable to gain the certifications, it’s essential to take a step back and contemplate why you are taking the certifications. Is it helping you stay competitive in your current position? Is it helping you grow in your next role? Whatever it is, if it is not a certification to do either of these things, or you’re not passionate about it, it may be worth your time to look at a different certification (even if it does mean outside of Salesforce).
Use credentials to compliment your professional expertise and growth – you will be much happier with the results in the long term.
8. Build Your Network to Leverage Opportunities
When first starting, it can be overwhelming thinking about how to network in the ecosystem. Professionals generally build their network in two ways: by developing and sharing their work and by actively seeking and participating in communities.
Developing and sharing your work could mean sharing testimonials from peers, or simply sharing and posting industry articles and projects on your own portfolio or personal websites. This shows your expertise and allows other professionals to collaborate and hopefully share your work too!
Being an active participant in Salesforce ecosystems may include attending community events, staying active on social media, and connecting with people in the industry. It doesn’t have to feel “stuffy” to be valuable and build connections with other professionals!
9. Focus on Continued Professional Development
It’s in your company’s best interest to ensure that you have what you need to perform the job, including training. Whether with Salesforce knowledge or technical writing, any additional knowledge that a Salesforce professional can gain to help you excel in your career is worth it. Certifications, as you know, are a fantastic way to improve your expertise.
Professionals tend to overlook requesting certification, workshop, or conference benefits and end up paying for them out of their own pocket. If it’s part of your compensation, I encourage you to take advantage of it!
10. Communicate Transferable Skills
One of the most common concerns I hear from professionals with no Salesforce or technical experience is they don’t have any experience. However, when I dig into those conversations more I find that, in contrast, they’ve had years working in a different CRM ecosystem or an industry that’s compatible with Salesforce.
Taking the opportunity to “line up” the skills you used in a previous job (technical or not) with the role you’re seeking allows you to express the qualifications you may possess for your next position. Of course, not everything may be transferable, but in the end, it will inevitably help your company, and the extra knowledge may come in handy in the future.
Summary
With these few tips, I feel confident that any new professional will enter the ecosystem with the confidence and the right attitude to excel in any position they take.
Salesforce is an industry where you constantly have to learn new things, so being open to feedback and learning is crucial. You don’t have to be an expert, especially as a newcomer. I know from personal experience, having worked my way from a help desk specialist to a Salesforce Administrator, you can create a career out of your Salesforce journey!
Comments: