Salesforce Pros Share 3 Ways to Stand Out From Other Candidates
For a successful Salesforce career, it's key to network, skill up, and give back, taking your Trailblazer Community involvement to the next level. Use these three pro tips to boost your visibility, helping you get noticed more by employers and recruiters.
Shirlene Chow
- Pro Tip 1: Add value to the Trailblazer Community
- Pro Tip 2: Gain the skills and show them off
- Pro Tip 3: Hold the door open for others
- How can you turn up your commitment?
- Now, step into the spotlight!
We talked to five Salesforce pros with a combined two decades of experience in the Salesforce ecosystem (that’s almost as many years as Salesforce has been around!) They shared their three most effective tips to make a great impression and get the attention of employers and recruiters.
Pro Tip 1: Add Value to the Trailblazer Community
When Eric Dreshfield, Partner Marketing Manager for ActiveCampaign and founder of Midwest Dreamin’ began his Salesforce journey, it was after a few years of working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
“The company I was working at asked me to help with the rollout of Service Cloud. But there was a catch; they said, ‘We can’t afford to send you to any training, so find a local Salesforce user group.”
So that’s what Eric did. But rather than just join a Trailblazer Community Group, he became heavily involved and ensured that he added value to the group.
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“I put myself out there. I founded a Trailblazer Community Group, began a blog series, started a Dreamforce Breakfast for newcomers, and have spoken at Dreamforce consecutively since 2016.”
Eric shares, “And by launching Midwest Dreamin’, I wanted to give back to the community to help others grow and succeed, just like the community helped me.”
He admits that his Salesforce journey took a lot of time, commitment, and hard work, but he’s been a Salesforce MVP since 2013, and was inducted into the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame in 2020.
Eric has the same advice for anyone looking to build a career in the Salesforce ecosystem. “When I started getting involved, I discovered the value in the Salesforce Community that no one told me about — giving back. So I’m telling you: volunteer, speak at events — use the Salesforce ecosystem to build your career and make yourself heard.”
Tiffany Spencer, who is a Salesforce MVP as well as co-leader of the Orlando Salesforce Users Group, the Black Orlando Tech President, and Founder of HBCUforce, also wholly embraced the Trailblazer Community.
“I didn’t realize how much I needed to be involved until I made the decision to be more active and apply to be a group leader.”
Diving straight into the Salesforce ecosystem to immediately bring value was also the way Stephanie Herrera, Global VP, Salesforce Practice, for Computer Futures (a leading global STEM recruitment company), Salesforce Saturday founder, and Salesforce MVP since 2016 approached her journey.
With a focus on leading and organizing multiple support networks through Salesforce Saturdays and as a PepUp Tech co-founder, Stephanie has also added value by becoming a Texas Dreamin’ founding board member, a Merivis Board Member, and Austin Salesforce WIT Founder & Leader.
Stephanie works constantly to help recreate the connection opportunities she found so helpful at the beginning of her career. She focuses on promoting ways that community members can learn from each other, share expertise, and increase their visibility in the Salesforce ecosystem.
But this doesn’t mean that you have to start a new conference from scratch! Check out the next Trailblazer Community Group event or volunteer at a Salesforce Saturday to find ways to connect and give back.
Through the course of your career, you will find that volunteering your time and skill is a great way to foster meaningful connections. You’ll increase your visibility with recruiters and employers because they will see that you’re likely to volunteer or train other employees, which makes you a great investment!
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Pro Tip 2: Gain the skills, and show them off
Skilling up is key, and the pros agree. But, when you show it on a visible platform — your Trailblazer.me profile, a personal blog, or via social media — you’re taking it to the next level by demonstrating your expertise on a visible platform.
When you do this, you truly stand out to recruiters and employers, letting them know that you can apply your skills to real business solutions.
“Always ask yourself, ‘How can I use Trailhead [Salesforce’s Free Online Learning Platform] to solve real-world problems?’” Chris Hopper, known as The CRM Recruiter, suggests. Chris has been helping others find success in the Salesforce ecosystem since 2016 as a Salesforce recruiter, technologist, blogger, and speaker.
“Showcase your work,” Chris adds. “What are the individual apps you are creating? Are you going to community pages to see what problems are out there? How are you sharing your work or tech knowledge? Do you have a YouTube channel? A blog. You have to share the work you’ve done based on the foundational knowledge you’ve built through Trailhead.”
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Patrick Solum, founder and host of Trailblazer Community Group Leaders Office Hours, Solution Consultant at Wave6 (a Salesforce consulting firm and implementation partner) and Salesforce MVP since 2016, agrees.
“Show your passion. Show your work. Document the things you are doing on social. Make yourself visible. You have to do things to get noticed based on what you learned from Trailhead.”
Stephanie emphasizes that participating in workforce development programs like PepUp Tech, which she co-founded, doesn’t only provide candidates with the types of skills, training and professional support needed to launch a tech career, but it’s also the best way to be more visible to those in leadership roles within the ecosystem.
“It’s about connecting with and learning from people who are out there in the field. Workforce development programs can help you skill up and show that you are learning from those who are actually doing the job.”
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Pro Tip 3: Hold the door open for others
At Salesforce, giving back is a core value. But taking that to the next level is what will help you benefit other community members, and gain visibility for yourself as someone who is willing to lend a hand.
At the beginning of Stephanie’s career in tech, she suffered from imposter syndrome. Without a college degree she started in a sales role for Dell — and then ended up getting the second-highest score on an exam in one of the sales training programs.
Since the program was designed to be competitive, Stephanie was surprised when she found out that her classmates were upset with her. But they weren’t upset because her score was high.
“They said, ‘You didn’t help us. You didn’t stay after class to help us do better.’ After that, I always made it a point to share knowledge. In the Salesforce ecosystem, it’s a constant circle of paying it forward. When you share, you teach. This makes yourself and your community stronger. Each of us has the power to turn into a leader. By showing up and sharing with others, you are investing in your career, your development, and the growth of others.”
When you’re willing to help others succeed, it shows employers and recruiters that you work well in a team environment and that you will spend the time needed to ensure that everyone performs well.
Eric feels the same. “We need to do more to give back to other people. My constant drive to give back to the community — mentorship, presentations to vocational services for admins, helping them skill up — is my way of paying the community back for what it’s given to me.” Eric also increases his own visibility in the ecosystem every time he helps others up the ladder.
Patrick emphasizes that volunteering at community events is a fantastic way to build connections and give back at the same time. “Volunteer, volunteer — [it’s] a great way to network.” When you succeed and leave the ladder down so others can climb up after you, everyone wins.
How can you turn up your commitment?
Tiffany, part of the Salesforce ecosystem since 2007, leads the way forward with a clear vision of a tech workforce that is diverse and inclusive. These types of commitments can have long-term community impact. After being swamped with requests for guidance, she decided to create a webinar series that is geared toward helping others in the community.
In order to succeed, Stephanie believes that you have to have a mindset for growth, and constantly be learning. You also need to listen when others tell you what they see in you. And when people tell you that you can do something, you should believe them.
“Take advantage of what you have available to you. It’s whatever you want to make of it. There really are endless opportunities. You have to be consistent.”
Now it’s time to step into the spotlight!
So you’ve got the best tips from our Salesforce experts. In order to get noticed, you need to step into the spotlight by leveling up your involvement in the Salesforce ecosystem.
- Earn the Trailblazer Community: Quick Look badge then join the Trailblazer Community to find ways to add value. Skill up and then display your Salesforce skills. Make sure to leave the ladder down and make room for others to follow your success.
- For even more top tips, including how to research a new company and brush up on your virtual interview skills, check out the Employer Spotlight — Tips from Recruiters session.
Don’t be afraid to stand out — commit to stepping into the spotlight and getting noticed. As Tiffany says, “It’s worth it to find a place that will love you as much as you want to love it.”
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