If you’re looking to start a Salesforce job this year you’re going to need a Salesforce Certification. But where do you start, which certification should you get and why are they so important for your success? In 2021 Talent Stacker helped over 1000 individuals start Salesforce careers, with that in mind we feel well equipped to dive into all of these questions and get into some statistics around certifications in the Salesforce job market. We’re going to help you be better prepared to not only get certified, but to also understand why you should get certified. As an added bonus we will breakdown some scenarios where we don’t recommend getting additional certifications if you already have one. In the video below we cover the most up to date statistics on certifications from 2021 as well as some predictions for 2022.
Video Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:
- 76% of Salesforce job applicants have at least 1 Certification, 9% are working on their 1st Certification and 15% don’t feel they need a Salesforce Certification.
- You’re not going to be an incredible Salesforce talent no matter how much experience you have if you don’t have any hands-on experience. That’s okay!
- Salesforce certifications alone represent that you are dedicated to Salesforce as a career and willing to put in effort towards this career path.
- Getting additional certifications can be beneficial when looking for your first job, but each certification takes an immense amount of effort and you likely won’t be the difference between getting the job and not getting the job.
- Interview preparation, hands on experience and LinkedIn branding are all more valuable than secondary and tertiary certifications.
- Your 1st Certification should be the Salesforce Administrator Certification, 2nd should be the Platform App Builder Certification and 3rd should be UX Designer Certification.
You Need a Certification to be a Competitive Job Candidate
At Talent Stacker, we know exactly what it takes to land Salesforce jobs, and getting 1 certification is definitely key. However recently we’ve had more and more individuals asking why they need to get certified. Shouldn’t your employer train you, why is there so much effort that goes in before you can even be considered for roles? While I understand the sentiment – the answer is simple; 76% of Salesforce job applicants have a certification. If you don’t have one that immediately makes you less qualified and makes you less interesting to employers. It shows that you aren’t willing to put in the same amount of effort as others and indicates a lack of dedication to the Salesforce profession. Now don’t get me wrong there are other ways to get the attention of potential employers. We will walk through some of those items next, but the first certification establishes a baseline of your focus on Salesforce as a career path.
How to Improve Your Odds of Getting Hired
Maybe you already have your first certification and now you’re wondering what else you can do to improve your odds of getting hired. Maybe you’re a little burnt out on exam prep right now and just want to add some variety to your Salesforce career prep. Well, good news we are here to help you out. Here are the top 3 things you can do other than getting certified to improve your chances of landing a Salesforce job.
- Be sure to focus on LinkedIn! LinkedIn could arguably be even more important than a certification when used properly. Go from zero to hero on LinkedIn with our Getting Started on LinkedIn video, then move into our video on dominating LinkedIn, and finally How to Create Posts that get your profile viewed!
- You will want to focus on getting hands-on experience also. That can be difficult, here is a quick video on finding volunteer projects. Also, take a look at this video on what it might mean when an employer tells you that “You Don’t Have Enough Experience”.
- The most commonly overlooked skill is Interview Preparation. Don’t just Google the “Top 10 Salesforce Interview Questions & Answers” that’s just going to make you hope they ask you a question you prepared for and if they do you’ll sound like a script. Instead, focus on developing stories that showcase your value as a professional. A well-versed story about an experience you had on a project can tell an employer everything they need to know about your technical acumen and help mitigate any additional technical questions. Also, practice guiding the interview into topics you feel more confident with, you can do this by answering the question they asked then moving into a quick statement about one of your strong points.
- Application Strategy is another often overlooked skill set. Don’t just click the “Apply Now” button and move on to the next job, take time to connect with the company and employees of the company on LinkedIn. Engage with their posts by liking/sharing/commenting, you may even want to send a personal message introducing yourself. This allows them to get to know you before they’ve ever met you.
The Bottom Line
Certifications are an important part of showing value when searching for your first Salesforce role, but they are still just a small part of the puzzle. There is far more that you can do to differentiate yourself than simply try and get more and more certifications. It’s important to diversity our preparation and “talent stack” in order to be a quality candidate.Salesforce salaries and the demand for Salesforce talent are at an all-time high. Entry-Level Salesforce Salaries average $65,000 to $80,000 depending on a number of factors that are within your control. You can absolutely become a Salesforce professional and it can take as little as 3-5 months.
Are you Ready to Change Your Life?
Interested in Salesforce and the Talent Stacker Salesforce Career Development Program, but want to try it out before you take the plunge? We created the Free 5 Day Salesforce Challenge just for people like you! Taking the FREE challenge will help you to better understand the Salesforce Ecosystem and how you can successfully break in!
Ready to Join the Full Program Today?
Ready to step off the certification hamster wheel and unlock your new Salesforce job with the Salesforce Career Development Program today? Start with the Talent Stacker Career Sherpa to discover your own MTJ (Months to Job) number here, and get the latest info on upcoming enrollment information here!
