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Tag Archives: Certification

Pathways to becoming a salesforce.com Administrator

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Are you interested in becoming a salesforce.com administrator?  Not sure what to do or where to go next?  Here’s the ROD guide to becoming a salesforce.com administrator.  If you have any questions just phone us on 020 8123 7769 or email us: rod@resourceondemand.com

What is a salesforce.com administrator ?

Administrators are critical to a company’s ongoing success with Salesforce.com CRM Services.  They will have a broad knowledge of Salesforce applications; and the ability to configure and manage Sales and Service Cloud applications, as well as suggesting ways for your company to get even more from additional features and capabilities in current and future releases.

Tell me more…

With an Administrator credential (from salesforce.com), you’ll demonstrate your core knowledge and your ability to take on the responsibilities of this job. It’s an important investment in your career as an Administrator. To earn these credentials, you must pass a multiple-choice exam at a testing center or in an online-proctored environment.

This credential makes you highly desirable as a candidate for salesforce.com administrator roles, and your first salesforce.com job won’t be far behind!

I don’t have experience of salesforce.com

Then let’s start with some training.  Salesforce.com provide some superb free online training; they say:

To start building your Salesforce.com and Force.com skills, take advantage of these short online tutorials. These are samples from our full Premier online training catalog, which contains more than 100 titles and is updated monthly.

Click here for free online training from salesforce.com: 

I do have experience of salesforce.com

Then the administrator learning path is the next step for you.  This is a superb track provided by salesforce.com, it will help you get up to scratch with skills and knowledge, simultaneously training you up for salesforce.com certification.

salesforce.com say:

To get started, take Administration Essentials within a month of becoming an administrator. Then take your implementation and career to the next level with Advanced Administration. Our top-rated instructors will take you through hands-on exercises, answer your questions, and share best practices from experts around the world.

Are you a new Salesforce CRM administrator? Or a veteran ready to help your company solve complex business problems and get more out of Salesforce CRM? Either way, the administrator learning path is for you. It’s the quickest way to get up to speed and to perform at your best. Along the way, prove your skills by earning an exclusive salesforce.com certification.

 

 

 

I’m ready.  How do I get a job as a salesforce.com administrator ?

Resource on Demand are the original and best salesforce.com recruitment company in the UK, as such we have roles available in a number of leading companies, who either use or implement salesforce.com, in the UK and beyond.  We’ll talk you through the steps needed (training; certification) and then help you to find a role ideal for you.  We never fill a role just to tick a box, so you can be assured that we’ll find a role that suits you.

We need a salesforce.com administrator, can you help?

We have a number of certified salesforce.com administrators who are actively looking for a role in the cloud, as well as developers, architects and consultants.  We would be happy to talk to you about your needs and then introduce you to some candidates, who we feel would help to drive your company forward and suit you and your company.

Just phone us on 020 8123 7769 or email us: rod@resourceondemand.com and one of our team will be happy to help.

Salesforce, salesforce.com are trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc


Can we speak the new language of the cloud?

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ROD was recently approached by the good people at Cloud Pro, who wanted our thoughts on how quickly people are adapting to new technologies like Cloud Computing.  Here’s a snippet of the article and the link to the full piece on their website.

Can we speak the new language of the cloud?

Cloud computing has created the need for a new vocabulary – and new languages. How quickly are we adapting to this new way of working?

It is perhaps no surprise that the ‘utopian’ world of cloud computing should throw up new set of programming languages. A new lingua franca was inevitable as software developers came to collude inside the fresh pastures of the cloud computing cloudscape with its untapped possibilities.

While cloud vendors have sought to pacify us with suggestions that software development methodologies and core technology principles translate ‘seamlessly’ to the cloud; the reality is that a whole range of new languages and systems tools has come to be and, as yet, not everybody speaks fluently in these new tongues.

Comparatively new names including Cassandra, Voldemort, Puppet, Chef, Map Reduce and Hadoop are starting to define the skill sets that by which we measure cloud competency at the individual coder level. So has the IT recruitment industry found itself on a blind curve heading downhill faster than it can manage? Furthermore, have programmers themselves recognised the new skills topography they will need to navigate – and what are they doing about it?

Back to school?

At the individual level, software application developers are of course responsible for their own skill sets. As such, they can take it upon themselves to ‘train up’ for the cloud by using online training tools and resources if they wish. However in practice, not every developer will choose to augment his skills, so inequalities in the programmer job market have become more pronounced.

“One thing we have always noticed as cloud recruitment specialists is that there are truly excellent programmers who excel at everything they do; and then there are average programmers who ‘just about get by’ and are sometimes carried along by other members of the team. But, crucially, when it comes to the cloud, this disparity is magnified and there is an even greater wedge between the two tiers,” said Theresa Durrant, operations director of cloud-specialist recruitment consultancy Resource On Demand Limited.

“We typically work for large global IT consultancy brands and our clients are becoming very demanding when it comes to skill sets for the cloud. This issue needs to be highlighted right the way back to the student level, or we risk the uncertainties of a job market suffering from a dearth of core skills. Aberdeen University has apparently started to offer MSc/PgDip in ‘Cloud Computing’, but this is a mere drop in the ocean in terms of what is needed,” added Durrant.

To continue reading this article on the Channel Pro website, please click here.

 


Universities Encouraged to Embrace Emerging Technologies

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Resource on Demand, today sent out a press release encouraging Universities to embrace emerging technologies, like cloud computing.

You can read our press release below…

(London, UK) Leading cloud recruitment firm, Resource on Demand, is encouraging universities to introduce industry-recognised modules in a bid to increase the employability of graduates.

Theresa Durrant, Operations Director at Resource on Demand (ROD), said:

“Higher Education Institutions need to further their commercial partnerships with organisations and platforms in order to give under-graduates the edge in a crowded job market. Through offering modules in contemporary technology, such as cloud computing, graduates will enter the job market better equipped for the task in hand.”

From September 2012, universities in England will be allowed to raise tuition fees up to £9,000 per year and ROD are arguing that this presents a great opportunity for Universities to invest in emerging technology markets.

Theresa Durrant and ROD, are pioneers in the cloud recruitment market and are blazing the way for graduate opportunities, she said:

“We are currently seeing graduates enter the job market with no certification at all, which is the bare minimum they would need to work with a platform such as salesforce.com.  There is then additional training they need to undertake before they can begin to work, which we hope can be avoided in the future.”

One of the few universities to embrace Cloud Computing is Aberdeen University who offer a MSc/PgDip in ‘Cloud Computing’, but ROD is encouraging places like Aberdeen to expand their offering.

Theresa Durrant added:

“Universities can use recruitment companies, like ROD, to gauge the direction that technology is moving in, and adjust their courses accordingly – at the moment recruiters tend to be a dirty word – but we believe there is a strong partnership that if forged could help graduates, Universities and the job market.”

Lee Durrant, ROD MD, said:

“Our suggestion is that Universities take advantage of the free tools that salesforce.com offer, such as developer accounts, wide-ranging online training, and free social collaboration tools.  The culmination of this is the student undergoing the certification process as an integral part of their course and leaving University with usable and employable skills. Providing a vocational and work experience led qualification that meets both the industry and direct company employment needs.”

ROD launched in Feb 2009, and are now recognised as a leading light in the Cloud eco-system.  They were one of the first UK recruitment companies to focus purely on Salesforce.com and Cloud recruitment.

 


ROD warns of Cloud plateau

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In a press release sent out today, our Managing Director Lee Durrant warned of the need for increased numbers undergoing training with organisations like salesforce.com.

He warned that if more people don’t get certified, then we risk a ‘plateau’ in this vibrant and blossoming sector.

If we can help you get trained, or if you have the skills and are looking for a role please visit our jobs or training pages.

Press release:

Cloud Computing Plateau on the Horizon

(London, UK) Leading cloud recruitment firm, Resource on Demand, is warning of a plateau in the adoption of cloud computing, as the supply of trained Consultants and Developers drops by a staggering 139%.

Recent studies carried out by Resource on Demand show that although there is an increase in the number of companies adopting cloud technology, the UK is now suffering from a shortage of certified and experienced candidates.

This huge drop is mismatched by an increase in vacancies from Cloud partners and Independent Software Vendors, which has risen by 39% over the last twelve months, despite the economic downturn.

Resource on Demand MD, Lee Durrant, said:

“There is a concern that the cloud computing market could plateau, despite the Cloud entering the mainstream, and we are now experiencing a shortage of trained workers who are able to implement this technology.

This shortage has the potential to halt the momentum that Cloud Computing has amassed, which could be critical to the growth of this sector.”

Durrant believes that more needs to be done to bring people into the Cloud eco-system, with the key being affordable training and certification. One possible solution he suggests is training graduates in services such as salesforce.com, so that they are able to put their skills to use in a market where demand for them is high.

He adds:

“It is predicted that Cloud spending will approach US$100 Billion By 2014 in SME’s alone. So there are huge opportunities for those willing to be trained and certified in Cloud Computing.

I would urge gradates, untrained developers and I.T. consultants to get certified and enter into the Cloud.”

ROD launched in Feb 2009, and is now recognised as a leading light in the Cloud eco-system. They were one of the first UK recruitment companies to focus purely on Salesforce.com and Cloud recruitment.


Video: Your first steps to becoming a salesforce.com consultant

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There are many people looking for ways to get into the salesforce.com ecosystem.

In this video Lee Durrant, MD of Resource on Demand (ROD), talks you through your first steps to becoming a salesforce.com consultant.

If we can assist you in becoming a salesforce.com consultant or you would like to talk to us about your options please either email us: rod@resourceondemand.com or phone us on 020 8123 7769


9 Tips to Cracking the Cloud

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We’re always being asked how candidates can ‘get into the cloud’, so here’s our top tips, but don’t just pick one, go through all of them and if you really want to work in the salesforce.com ecosystem – do as many of these as you can.  It will pay off.

1.  Do not underestimate the effect of demonstrating enthusiasm and persistence when attempting to break into the salesforce.com ecosystem. Do online training, get certified, push yourself into the salesforce.com world.

2.  Try and identify areas of salesforce.com technologies and features that you are not aware of and learn about them. See what experienced salesforce.com Consultants and Developers are talking about on forums such as this one.

3.  Be prepared to attend events, and when you do attend don’t just shuffle around on your own – Network, Network, Network!

4.  Continue networking online, through Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Viadeo.

5.  Relationships are very important in the salesforce.com ecosystem as it is currently very close knit – so your reputation and history will follow you!

6.  Be prepared to start building from the ground up, remember, 3 months is a long time in this industry and progression can be swift.

7.  There is a wide cultural range of consulting partners for salesforce.com, find the organisations that you would like to work with and tell the recruiter that you are dealing with.

8.  Also, be willing to get involved and possibly keep your expectations on salary flexible – at least until you have proved your worth to your employer.

9. Offer yourself to ROD’s Volunteer programme. If you have the time, ROD can help you in offering your services to a charity organisation that uses salesforce.com. This will give you some real world salesforce.com exposure and provide you with a salesforce.com recognised project to put on your CV.


Hot demand for salesforce.com specialists

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Demand for cloud computing solutions fuelled an early end to the recession in the salesforce.com ecosystem, reports Lee Durrant, MD of Resource On Demand.

He reports that a jump in the weekly registration of new vacancies from 3 to 10 and a subsequent increase of billings for his company, known as ROD. “Our clients want experienced and certified salesforce.com consultants, developers and administrators. Companies are getting finance approved for implementing salesforce.com throughout their organisations, so specialist consulting and implementation services in this space are on the increase.

Consequently, experienced salesforce.com consultants, developers and administrators are in high demand.”

He noted that salesforce.com consulting companies willing to offer inexperienced people training and experience in this space will reap the benefits in the long term due to the lack of certified & experienced people in the ecosystem. Lee Durrant also says he saw green shoots of recovery in the jobs market in the final quarter of 2009 when RODs billings trebled.

“We hope this will prove to be the turning point,” added Durrant. “We have more client requirements and more and more candidates looking to get into this exciting space.”


Salesforce.com consulting, what's more important: Certification or Experience?

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Although salesforce.com is now 10 years old, there is a shortage of experienced consultants. Through 2009 and so far in 2010 salesforce.com is becoming an increasing hot topic, aligned to the mainstream acceptance of cloud computing.

Salesforce.com revenues now exceed $1bn. There are a few schemes available to newcomers to the industry designed to provide hands on experience for consultants new to salesforce.com, however it must be said at the time of writing this (Feb 2010) a consultant is considered to be “experienced” if they have between 6 months and 2 years experience of salesforce.com and anything over 2 years is still relatively rare.

Certainly, those with significant experience are currently in great demand and relative newcomers (ie 3 to 6 months experience) are also being actively head hunted.

There is plenty of free online material that can provide some base education on salesforce.com features and functions. Additionally there are a number of courses on offer from salesforce.com that can provide good product knowledge for administrators, consultants and developers alike.

As for whether certification or experience are the most important factor in valuing a consultant of course the answer is, that depends. Certification is a great way of providing confidence in product knowledge and as an officially recognised mark of expected standards of knowledge and best practice. However due to the powerful and flexible nature of salesforce.com practical experience plays a vital role in providing the depth of skills required to be able to deliver services well to customers, to be able to accurately, efficiently and to best effect, provide consultancy services that make best use of salesforce.com to customers needs.

Certification can provide a very good introduction to the technologies involved and best practice methodologies and certainly demonstrates a commitment to moving in to salesforce.com consultancy and no matter what level of experience, to remain current certification should be a serious consideration. Experience of a wide range of customer profiles and processes and depth of practical experience will always boost confidence and capability.

So to answer the initial questions, it depends! However a bit of both are probably a great place to start!