The unprecedented success of Salesforce has created a wonderful opportunity for IT professionals even if they are switching from an entirely different industry or they have Salesforce qualification but no experience at all. Because career in Salesforce can be highly lucrative, there is large number of people wanting to opt in and it can be very difficult to get noticed. You need to chalk out a strategy that will work in getting you to the interview table and creating the right impression with your skills and passion.
Get the Certifications
Among the first things you need to do is to acquire Salesforce certifications as this is the sole way to demonstrate your technical skills on your resume. You will not get past recruiters who do not find any proof of your technical competence on your resume. Get as many certifications as possible; to really stand out two isn't enough nowadays. The best way of equipping yourself with the requisite skills is to start off by becoming a Certified Salesforce Administrator, followed sequentially by Certified Salesforce Developer, Certified Salesforce Advanced Administrator, Certified Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultant and finally, Certified Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant.
Help Out a Non-Profit
Getting involved with a non-profit as a Salesforce administrator or a developer can be very important in your strategy to become noticed. Not only will you be able to acquire on-the-job experience of a Salesforce environment but also have real work experience that can be listed in your resume. The stint will also enable you to make the right connections that will be useful later and above-all demonstrate that you have a really good heart. If you cannot locate a non-profit that needs your help, register as a volunteer on the "Help a Non-Profit" section on Salesforces' website.
Involve Yourself in the Salesforce Community
While this may not be game-changer item on your resume, getting connected with the Salesforce community is a good way of demonstrating your passion for the subject. Recruiters automatically form a good opinion about candidates who are willing to learn and contribute form the ever-growing Salesforce community. Depending upon your interest, go ahead and play an active role in your local Salesforce developer or administrator group, as well as the Salesforce Success Community, and proceed to Dreamforce. While these steps will definitely put you right ahead in the queue of candidates lining up for interviews, don't forget that you still need to impress those interviewers.
Getting Your Resume Through
In an industry that faces a huge shortage of talented candidates, you need to realign your resume submission strategy for best effect. Instead of submitting the resume to a target company and hoping for the best, it is almost always better to involve professional recruiters and get them to reach out to you.
Leverage the Power of LinkedIn
Create a smart profile on LinkedIn that has a properly-crafted resume that will impress. Photographs should show you to be professional and presentable and be very clear and not fuzzy. Display your certification badges so that recruiters can get to know your skill level without even having to read through your profile. Use a properly-worded tagline - not only is this often the first thing to be noticed by recruiters but it also helps LinkedIn to perform searches more effectively for a potential match. Make it a point not to use generic taglines or dilute its punch by including your hobbies or interests.
Do join up as many Salesforce groups as you can on LinkedIn as it not only affords you access to the job postings made within, but also gives recruiters permission to contact you. Take some time to formulate the contents of your profile as there is a fine balance to be struck between giving too many details that bore the reader and leaving it so sketchy that it makes recruiters difficult to assess your skills and strengths.
