There is nothing more demotivating than deciding on a career path, only to find you struggle to get your foot in the door. As someone embarking on their Salesforce career there are two key ingredients for landing your first Salesforce role.

The first is, perseverance. The Salesforce ecosystem can be notoriously difficult to break in to, as there are few positions available at entry level. Hiring managers are usually looking for both Salesforce experience and certifications but how can you get experience without being given your first opportunity. This is where perseverance comes in. Being able to accept rejection and learn from it, is going to be important. I have lost count of the number of people who have given up on their dream career because of the constant setbacks. Those that make it, are the ones with a strong goal and desire to succeed.

The second, is a winning CV. You should aim to have a CV that highlights your passion for Salesforce and makes the most of your winning talents, even if you don’t yet have the necessary experience.

So how can you create a winning CV?

Firstly, it is important to know that Resource On Demand have been recruiting in the Salesforce ecosystem since 2007. We know what works on a CV and just as importantly we know what doesn’t. Every week we field calls from frustrated individuals asking us to help them find their first Salesforce job and spend time helping them to promote themselves in the right way, to attract attention.

Below are our tips to writing the perfect CV.

Your Opening Statement:

Consider this to be your elevator pitch. Given that on average a hiring manager will spend just 6-8 seconds reviewing your CV, it is important to really spend a bit of time getting this part right. Many people often fall into the trap of listing out their main skills in their profile. My advice is don’t. Have a separate skills list and use this section to really get across your passion for Salesforce. If you’re unsure where to begin, consider the following:

• What are you aspiring to achieve in your Salesforce career, or what role are you hoping to land next?
• Why are you passionate about Salesforce?
• What has been your biggest career accomplishment to date? Naturally this may not be related to Salesforce, but if you have received a promotion, or worked on an amazing project then include it here, and say why you’re proud of the outcome.
• If you’re currently working towards any Salesforce certifications, don’t forget to mention it at this point.

Certifications / Work Qualifications:

In the section list out any Salesforce certifications you have and the dates taken. If you hold any other IT related certifications also include them. You could also include a link to your Salesforce trailheads, so hiring managers can see that you are dedicated to learning.

Key Skills:

This section often gets overlooked or exaggerated. My advice is to take extra care about what you list in your skills section. If you have listed a skill, then a hiring manager is likely to question you about it. Be prepared to answer them using S.T.A.R responses. So a quick guide would be:

• What are you proficient at, both hard IT skills and soft functional skills?
• Think about the role you are trying to land, and the skills you possess that could be easily transferred across, even if they are not Salesforce skills i.e. analytical skills, project management, budget management etc
• If you are in the process of learning new skills, perhaps through trailheads, dev orgs, or a recent training course, then list them down as a developing skillsets

Work Experience:

This the section that usually sends people into a bit of a spin. Often, we write our CV with past experiences in mind. My suggestion is to always think about how your past experience aligns with the role you are trying to land. For example, if you’re currently a Taxi Driver, a hiring manager will have already made an assumption about what you are doing. Think about the elements of the job, they wouldn’t normally considered and how these fit into a potential new role.

• Company, position, dates of employment
• What accomplishments did you achieve in the role? For example: promotion, more responsibility
• What benefit did you bring to the business? Think return on investment (ROI) and back it up with the stats. For example, did you personally contribute to more revenue generated, improved efficiency, increased engagement etc. If so, by how much and how did you do it?
• Main responsibilities – again think about how you can align them to a potential new role

Other Experience:

A CV should really be two pages, possibly three at most. If your career history is in danger of spilling over three pages, think about a career summary, which just includes the following:

• Company, position, dates
• If you have the space bullet point accomplishments and responsibilities

Education:

• University
• School (this is essential if it is your first job)

Hobbies:

Another place people get caught out is with hobbies. Many people waste essential space in their CV listing things we all do in our space time, such as reading or spending time with friends and family. Given that every space on your CV is prime real estate,  I would suggest reserving this space for hobbies outside of work, that are unique, or more importantly related to your technology passion and self-development. This could be a great place to potentially talk about the site you’ve built using Salesforce. Or a hobby that closely aligns to the kinds of company you are applying to, such as you volunteer within a charity, if you are applying to charities.

Update Your Online Profile:

Once you have perfected your CV, don’t forget to update your online professional profiles. You don’t need to cut and paste your whole CV, but certainly include some of the key elements from your CV within your profile. Hiring Managers are an inquisitive bunch, and they will certainly be taking a sneaky peak at you online ahead of the interview.

Once you’re done, why not reach out to our Salesforce recruitment Team to see what roles we have for you.