Salesforce Career Development Planning

Assess Yourself

_List the steps for creating a career plan. Identify your unique strengths, skills, and talents and what’s important to you. Describe the different elements of self-assessment._
  • Career planning is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process to revisit as your priorities and interests shift and change.
    • More like a jungle gym to explore, not a ladder to climb.
  • Developing a career plan involves three steps:
    1. Discover - get to know yourself, your motivations, skills to build, career goals to achieve. Research opportunities and career paths that interest you.
    2. Plan - Identify a goal and any skills needed to build or reach that goal. Lay out a plan to achieve that goal.
    3. Act - Identify how to get connected to employers and mentors that can help you. Prepare your resume and social media presence to land that job.
  • Get to Know Yourself with resources below provided by Salesforce:
  • Developing a career development plan:
    • Includes assessing yourself, exploring options, setting goals, and taking action
    • Is an ongoing process best revisited throughout your career
  • Having a regular schedule, being able to help others, and being challenged at work are examples of:
    • Values
  • Which of the following are elements of career self-assessment?
    • Interests, Skills, Values

Explore Career Options

_Describe the different job roles within the Salesforce ecosystem. Research potential career options that align to your interests. Identify skills and requirements for your target career goal._
  • The previous section looked inward to discover your current skills, interests, and values. This section expands your view outward to explore different pathways that interest you. To research different career pathways:
    • Search job descriptions with keywords related to your interest
    • Attend industry events and meetups
  • Indeed’s Best Jobs of 2019
    • Salesforce Developer is #10
  • Observing Labor Market Trends is a good way to position yourself with an in-demand role. Some resources:
  • 6 Occupations Highlighted
    • (job name - US Jobs last 12 months, annual percent growth last 4 years, average experience required)
    • Salesforce Developer - $125,000, 10,890, 21%, 2 to 5 years
    • Salesforce Administrator - $95,000, 4,670, 37%, 2 to 5 years
    • Business Analyst - $104,000, 6,522, 24%, 2 to 5 years
    • Technical Architect - $150,000, 8,362, 41%, 6 to 8 years
    • Salesforce Marketing Manager - $85,627, 3,058, 38%, 5 to 8 years
    • Sales Manager - $90,275, 16,804, 32%, 2 to 5 years

Create a Plan and Skill Up

_Identify resources to skill up for your next Salesforce role. Learn how to get connected to the Salesforce community. Create an action plan for preparing for your next role._

Land Your Next Opportunity

_Prepare for interviewing by creating your elevator pitch. Create your Salesforce resume and profile. Connect with employers._
  • Link to Module to see full detail
  • Salesforce tips on resume updating your resume:
    • Use Action Verbs (“Trained 500 users on new sales processes” not “Responsible for end-user training”)
    • Highlight Accomplishments (“Designed an automated lead qualification process using Salesforce that resulted in XYZ” not “Automated processes using Salesforce”)
    • Be accurate (Include correct dates for each position you’ve held)
  • An elevator pitch is the 30-second story of who you are and where you want to go.
    • Perfect response to questions like “tell me about yourself?” or “what do you do?”
    • Elements to Include:
      • Who are you? What is your goal?
        • I’m an experienced Salesforce administrator looking to move into a consulting role…
        • I’m a recent MBA graduate looking for a role at a nonprofit…
      • Why are you pursuing this goal? What is your motivation?
        • I love helping teams optimize their use of Salesforce and tackling new challenges.
        • I’ve been an avid hiker and camper since I was a kid, and I want to work for an organization that’s environmentally focused.
      • What are the skills and strengths you bring? What is your key differentiator?
        • I have 5 years’ experience as a Salesforce administrator, and I am a self-taught developer. I’ve earned 85 Trailhead badges and multiple certifications.
        • I’ve successfully implemented Salesforce for a nonprofit, and I’m an expert with the Nonprofit Success Pack.
      • What is your ask? What are the next steps?
        • Can I get your business card to follow up and ask you a few questions?
        • Do you have any recommendations of people I can speak with?
        • Are you available to grab coffee in the next couple weeks?
  • Polishing your Personal Brand
    • Complete your profile on Trailhead
    • Create a professional Twitter (?)
    • Update your LinkedIn
  • Research Prospective Employers
    • Types of companies:
      • Salesforce customers
      • Implementation partners
      • AppExchange partners
      • Nonprofits
    • To narrow your search:
      • Small company or large enterprise?
      • Startup or more established organization?
      • Preferred company culture?
      • Nonprofit or mission-driven organization? Or commercial enterprise?
      • Industry?
  • Search for Opportunities: