Since Salesforce’s conception, the platform has evolved from a simple automation package to a solution that now expands across sales, marketing, social and much more. It is now possible to build pretty much any application on its force.com platform, making Salesforce so much more than a piece of software – it is a living, breathing ecosystem that continues to grow and expand.
Whilst these expanded capabilities are certainly exciting, it is making it increasingly difficult to keep up with the platform’s numerous features and updates. It has become so expansive that being knowledgeable about everything Salesforce is becoming more of a challenge. Luckily, Salesforce came up with a plan to help those serious about become experts do just that – Salesforce certifications.
Salesforce certifications are industry recognised qualifications that demonstrate to employers or clients that you excel in a certain field in Salesforce. These certifications have rapidly gained popularity with those working in the ecosystem who are looking to prove their worth and their ability. To quote Salesforce directly, “to transform companies by applying their knowledge to solve real-world challenges”.
Sounds great – but are certifications worth it? After all, you can have all the certifications in the world, but that doesn’t guarantee you your dream job. So, do certifications really give you the edge that you need in this ever-changing landscape?
Spoiler: our answer is yes – taking the time out to earn your Salesforce certifications is definitely worth it in our eyes. Here’s 7 reasons why certifying is the way to go.
1. Knowledge
It’s pretty simple, but if you take the time out to gain a Salesforce certification, or five, you’re expanding your Salesforce knowledge. Clearly, there is a lot to know and learn about Salesforce, and choosing to certify provides you with a guaranteed route to gaining some of this knowledge.
You’ll learn about tools you didn’t even know existed, and methods you didn’t even know you should use. Salesforce certifications are designed to provide knowledge, so it’s no surprise that by taking them you’ll expand what you know about the platform.
2. Remain Up-To-Date
Along a similar vein, getting certified will help you stay current in a world that is constantly changing. If Salesforce is known for one thing, it’s the speed at which it adapts and updates and, although this makes it an exciting ecosystem to work in, it also means that you can find your knowledge goes out of date pretty quickly.
For a business, there is nothing more frustrating than investing in tech that is constantly changing, and not being able to keep up with these movements. Being certified reflects the fact that you are up to date with what is going on in the platform and indicates to a business that you can be their ‘go to’ person whenever there is a release – making you a valuable asset.
3. Hands-On Experience
Salesforce certifications are designed to provide you with hands on experience; their material includes industry-relevant live projects, case studies and scenarios intended to echo potential real-life situations. Even if you have extensive experience as a Salesforce professional, the likelihood is that you won’t encounter every situation out there.
Choosing to certify provides you with added ‘experience’ that you can bring to your business, or a potential employer, to demonstrate that you are well versed in navigating the Salesforce landscape.
4. Planning
A by-product of gaining a Salesforce certification, although not the most obvious outcome of certification, is advancing your ability to strategically plan your time and resources. With a deeper understanding of the platform you will become proficient in navigating through the application and handling customer and business requests with rapid efficiency.
Logically it makes sense; when you know something inside out you are much better equipped to resource your time and approach tasks appropriately in a manner that will make you a much more organised Salesforce professional, and a better business asset in general.
5. Optimise
Even after deciding to implement Salesforce, many companies face problems of not knowing how to optimise the platform. Meaning they are not using it to its full potential and are often missing a large part of the platform’s functionality.
With a Salesforce certification in hand you will be best placed to educate your current business, or your future employer, on how they can best use the platform, get the most out of it, and increase their ROI. This is an immediate value-add to a business; they will be looking for someone who can come in and teach them how to get value from their investment, therefore having a certification provides extra kudos in your ability to be able to do this.
6. Fulfil Demand
Business are increasingly beginning to realise the value of hiring Salesforce skilled professionals, as shown by the extra 300,000 new jobs in 2016 that required Salesforce skills. Employers are now also beginning to realise the value of having a certified Salesforce expert on board, and it’s no surprise when you look at all of the benefits businesses are able to capitalise on with individuals who are excelling in the Salesforce world.
In time, more businesses will be demanding that their Salesforce teams are certified and will begin to favour certified candidates over non-certified candidates, so it’s better to get ahead of the game and get your certifications done now.
7. Money Talks
Those with Salesforce certifications get paid more than those who aren’t certified. In 2013 the average salary of a Salesforce expert without any certification was $69,000, whereas a certified Salesforce exert pulled in around $89,950. That’s a $20,000 pay hike from a single certification. If these results are from 2013, imagine the difference that you can get in 2019, when Salesforce skills are the 7th most in-demand software skills to have. In fact, on average Salesforce certified individuals can earn over 25% morethan their non-certified counterparts; that fact alone seems to make getting certified worth it.
