Using your Salesforce Certification to Land a Professional Experience
So you are gaining experience with Salesforce, one of the largest Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms on the planet and the 3rd most in-demand technology skill according to recent employer surveys, now how do leverage this knowledge and experience into a paid opportunity.
Salesforce Career Options.
The picture above from the Trailhead site illustrates who in fact uses Salesforce within an organization or company. When listening to professionals who use Salesforce in their work, you often hear about how they started in one specialty area (i.e. Sales, Marketing, or Service) and have since moved on based on their expertise in Salesforce or their work within their specific role (i.e. sales, marketings, customer service). In contrast, Technology or Engineering students may initially look to Salesforce Developer or Salesforce Architect roles as other technical knowledge in addition to Salesforce knowledge is critical for these positions. Review the "Different Types of Salesforce (Professional) Roles Explained" blog to find out more about the differences in the types of roles using Salesforce and information from Salesforce itself about career options. By focusing on a career area of interest, as you gain experience using Salesforce within Salesforce Trailhead, you can better envision how you would use the system based on your future position's needs, expectations, and goals.
Salesforce Resources.
Trailhead not only has educational resources about using the Salesforce platform but also includes opportunities to network with other users and also education focusing on career options using Salesforce. As many of you know, networking is key to gaining access and entrance to the over 70% of positions not advertised. In addition to seeking opportunities through a directed job search, I encourage you to also network with other Salesforce users. The strength of connections (i.e. weak ties) are often stronger than we know according to social research on job searches.
Trailblazer Connect. Trailblazer Connect is a site within the Trailhead platform where you can find webinars and career events to participate in, request a mentor to assist with your job search, and join communities of users working in your areas of interest. The image from the site below illustrates the options where you can go to further explore the networking opportunities.
Searching for Salesforce Opportunities
Industries using Salesforce. Salesforce is used in Banking, Government, Life Science, Nonprofit, Wealth Management, Retail, Communication, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Insurance, Media, and Travel & Hospitality. Explore how Salesforce is used in each industry on salesforce.com's site.
Indeed and LinkedIn Search Hack. Job Search Platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and UC Handshake permit seekers to add multiple search terms to narrow your search. You can type "intern" + "salesforce" and narrows your search to job opportunities focused on using Salesforce skills. I suggest expanding your search to see what types of opportunities exist nationwide and then narrowing down by location. If you do not find a number of opportunities in your focused geographical location. Perhaps, you can network within similar companies or organizations in your area that have a need but have not yet posted an opportunity.
LinkedIn Alumni Page
Reverse Engineer Salesforce Professionals that are UC Alum and Make a Connection. Head to University of Cincinnati's LinkedIn page to network with alumni who use Salesforce and discover potential opportunities making connections by setting up informational interviews and building your network along the way. Click on the alumni tool (see picture to the left) on the University page and narrow down alumni by major, skills, geographic location, and industries.
The following article, "The Strength of Weak Ties in Social Networking" in Leadership CloseUp highlights social researcher, Mark Granovetter's concept of "weak ties" and how the people that the people you know, know are often stronger connections in a job search than your inner circle. The use of tools like the LInkedIn Alumni tool is this concept at work.
In Closing.
Lastly, a great resource to UC students is the Bearcat Career Promise Studio. Consult with professional career or trained peer coaches to update your resume or other job search artifacts such as your LinkedIn profile, and get advice on your next career step (i.e. job search, interview preparation). Virtual and in-person appointments are available through UC Handshake or walk-in during open hours to work with a peer career coach.