Technology is rapidly changing, and the skills you need for success in this technology-driven world are also shifting at an alarming rate – this is great news for those working in the Salesforce ecosystem.
As businesses rush to embrace the future of mobile, big data, IoT and AI, Salesforce skills are becoming some of the hottest skills around. This spike in demand has done wonders for the Salesforce job market.
According to a report by Burning Glass Technologies, over 300,000 new jobs in 2016 required Salesforce skills, and since 2012 postings calling for Salesforce skills have grown 1.3 times faster than job postings overall. In fact, the Salesforce ecosystem is now predicted to create nearly 2 million jobs in the next five years (IDC).
Clearly, if you’ve got Salesforce skills, the future is bright. However, it’s likely that of all the Salesforce jobs on the market, there are a select few that you are going after. Unfortunately, securing your dream job isn’t necessarily easier just because there are more jobs on the market. In fact, in this tumultuous environment, where the proper use of Salesforce could make or break a business, you can be sure businesses want to hire the best.
The question remains then, with the rising demand for Salesforce skills, how do you make yourself stand out as the obvious choice for your dream job? Although there may be certain tips and tricks depending on your specific job role, here are our 5 universal tips for demonstrating your value as a Salesforce professional.
1. Get Certified
The obvious answer to demonstrate your Salesforce skillset is to get a certificate proving it. Whilst certifications certainly aren’t the be-all and end-all to proving your skills and securing your dream job, they definitely do help to demonstrate your level of skill and area of expertise to prospective employers.
Certifications not only provide you with in-depth knowledge of the Salesforce platform, but they show potential employers that you can actually execute what you’re your CV claims.
2. Grow Your Network
In an ecosystem as large as Salesforce, it definitely pays to get your name out there. Luckily, there are more than enough ways to do this. Salesforce does half of the leg-work for you through putting on events such as Dreamforce, Worlds Tours and over 200 user groups across the globe. Add to this the huge number of independent MeetUps and niche events, and you have ample opportunities to get your face out there.
Networking doesn’t just have to be in the form of events and conferences; interacting with the online community is a great way to get your voice heard. If you take the time to build a strong network, chances are that your name will begin to precede you when you start applying for jobs. Or, better yet, you will become so well known that those great jobs are coming directly to you.
3. Prove You Can ‘Do the Job’
This one might sound silly; to prove you have the skills to do a job, you have to prove you can do the job? What we mean here is you need to be able to demonstrate concrete examples and experience of when you utilised your Salesforce skills to solve a business problem.
Just listing your Salesforce skills isn’t enough – you need to be able to back up your capabilities and demonstrate that not only do you have the technical acumen, but you’ve applied your skills in a way that has driven value for a business. Doing this will help you stand out as a highly-skilled Salesforce professional who actually knows how to utilise their skills; rather than someone who has all the skills in the world, and no idea how to use them.
4. Think Broad
Salesforce is a huge ecosystem, and as it continues to grow and expand it can be difficult to demonstrate your proficiency, whilst businesses appear to be asking for more niche skillsets. But don’t let this dissuade you from becoming somewhat of a generalist in the ecosystem.
It seems a big ask, and you definitely don’t have to be a subject matter expert on absolutely everything, but you will do well if you have knowledge of the general trends occurring in the ecosystem.
Being able to weigh in on these high-level topics will help you establish yourself as someone who knows where Salesforce has been, and where it is heading. This will help businesses see you as an integral cog in their organisation; someone who can make informed decisions with confidence.
5. Innovative Thinking
No matter whether you’re a Salesforce admin, a developer, or a technical architect, businesses want someone who can think outside the box.
In order to set yourself apart, not only do you need to have technical Salesforce skills, but you also need to be able to implement them in innovative ways that drive value to your business.
Demonstrate to future employees that you have a unique take on the ecosystem by doing something different; in the age of digital transformation, organisations want to bring people on who are going to shake up their business for the better.
