Salesforce Certifications are not necessarily a justification of whether someone is qualified to work with the platform or not. However, getting certified does have numerous benefits.
Salesforce Certifications can be extremely valuable when searching for a new job or for landing a new client if you’re an Independent Contractor. Here’s why:
- Non-Salesforce experts are analyzing credentials.
- Recruiters, Hiring Managers and HR teams without previous knowledge of the Salesforce space will look for applicable Certifications to get their search started.
- If you are not certified and you’re being compared with someone who is, you could put yourself at a disadvantage.
- Recruiter Tip: At the very minimum, get yourself some badges. Start with the Basics.
Why isn’t everyone that works with the platform certified?
Becoming a Certified Salesforce Professional can be a challenging, time-consuming, and expensive task. Depending on your skill level, experience and exposure to the platform, getting certified can also take weeks, months, or even years of study.
Not only is studying a time commitment, but the exams can cost a few hundred dollars to take. If it was that easy, everyone would do it, right?!
What Certifications are out there?
Administrator, Advanced Administrator, App Builder, Sales Cloud Consultant, Service Cloud Consultant, Pardot Consultant, Community Cloud Consultant, Field Service Lightning Consultant, Certified Technical Architect, Application Architect, System Architect, Data Architecture and Management Designer, Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer, Access Management Designer, Integration Architecture Designer, Mobile Solutions Architecture Designer, and Sharing and Visibility Designer.
Why get certified?
Getting certified connects you with the Salesforce community, tracks your progress and shows others that you are an expert in your field, among many other benefits.
Here are my top 3:
- Shows your commitment to working with the Salesforce platform
- Can help you land a job or potential customer
- Keeps you current with the newest releases and features
What’s next?
Start trailblazing. Learn more about becoming a Salesforce Trailblazer here: http://certification.salesforce.com/
Note that Salesforce requires you to take maintenance examinations. These exams are referred to as Release Exams, they are typically half an hour long and include questions related to the newest features or additions. Keeping your Certifications active shows dedication AND you need to be familiar with what’s new. The more you know about the capabilities of the platform the more you influence your internal team or environment.
Motivation and inspiration:
- Salesforce Coding Lessons for the 99%
- Incredible Salesforce Certification stories, Chyan Yee Goh
- Trailhead Modules with practice tests
As a Recruiter in the Salesforce space, I believe those working with the platform should get certified and employers should help! If time and cost are a deterrent, talk to your employer about reimbursement assistance. Having a conversation with your company about the benefits of being certified and how it helps make you better at your job is a solid business case.
Employers, Invest in your employees – help them get certified! This is an easy way to attract and retain top talent and it shows that you’re invested in your employees and the technology they love.
If you are interested in getting certified, go here. If you are interested in opportunities, let’s chat.
Kevin Szatkowski, Technical Recruiter and Salesforce Specialist at OP’s Talution Group, has been recruiting tech rockstars since he graduated from Univerity of Iowa in 2014. Kevin is skilled at identifying and placing IT professionals with experience in Salesforce, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Microsoft (.Net, C#, MVC, JS), Java, Advanced Analytics, Data Science, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Data Warehouses, and other platforms. Residing in Chicago, IL, Kevin roots for the Blackhawks while placing tech pros all over the US, connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.
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