Congratulations, you are ready to kickstart your career in Salesforce.
The Salesforce ecosystem is growing at an incredible rate. Job listings related to Salesforce rose by 38% between 2020 and 2021, and as new Salesforce skills emerge, demand is continuing to accelerate.
Before you send out your Salesforce CV or contact your favourite Salesforce recruiter, you‘re going to need to make a choice. Are you going to target a well-established company, or do you plan on working for a start-up?
A well-established company offers more stability, a chance to work with market-leading mentors, and endless growth opportunities. However, it also means you may not have the opportunity to innovate and create as often. On the other hand, a start-up is less stable, but it‘s also a fun place for Salesforce developers to put their skills to the test.
Here‘s how you can make a choice.
Make Yourself The Perfect Hire First
Before you begin searching for the ultimate role with a Salesforce start-up or market-leading brand, you‘re going to need to ensure your future employer will want to hire you.
To stand out from the crowd, you need a career strategy.
- Get to know your platform: If you‘re serious about getting a job in the ecosystem, make sure you know everything there is to know about Salesforce. Which features apply most to the kind of career you want, and what skills do you have in this space? Are there any areas where you might need to expand your knowledge?
- Invest in training: Salesforce‘s Trailhead environment means you can constantly upskill yourself and your CV. Trailhead is based around easy-to-absorb modules of information, so you can quickly and easily update your CV if you notice a gap when checking out job listings.
- Dive into the community: Salesforce is defined by its amazing, welcoming community. No matter your background, you can participate in Community Groups and events to network with your peers. Being social is a great way to meet people who could introduce you to your next job opportunity.
It always pays to be Salesforce certified where possible. There are 35 certifications in total, and most jobs require you to be at least a Salesforce Certified Administrator. Although it can take some studying to get your certification, it‘s definitely worth having.
Finding the Right Job: Working with a Start-up
As an innovative Salesforce professional, you will be keen to make your mark on the technology world. Working with a Start-up is your opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the next Tesla, or Facebook. Start-ups are an excellent environment for Salesforce experts who want to experiment with their new skills. You‘ll have an opportunity to play around with the platform, and small mistakes are less likely to have an impact on your long-term career.
You‘ll also have ownership in an exciting new project, and many start-ups don‘t have a lot of budget to hire extra developers, which means that you could be the leader of your own sector. However, there‘s also unlikely to be any Salesforce experts or mentors there to guide you.
Pros of working with a Start-up:
- An opportunity to be part of an exciting new company
- Lots of room to experiment and develop your Salesforce skills
- Role flexibility (you may have opportunities to get new certifications in the future)
- Own a project or your entire team depending on the size of the start-up
- Plenty of chances to show your creative side
Cons of working with a Start-up:
- Fewer mentorship options if you want to learn from a professional
- Reduced access to expensive and advanced technology
- Lower pay and benefits in some cases
- Longer work hours
Who Would Work Well at a Start-up?
The chances are, you‘ll fit well in a start-up if you‘re looking for a role that‘s constantly changing and evolving. Start-ups allow you to innovate and adapt at a rapid pace, and the type of work you perform will likely change according to the team’s current challenges. This is a great opportunity to “learn by doing“ in the Salesforce ecosystem.
If you‘re comfortable solving problems independently and taking the initiative, a start-up is a good choice again because fewer people can take over or direct your work. You‘ll have the opportunity to experiment and try new things, and you‘re unlikely to be managed as closely as you would be in an established business.
Finding a Salesforce Career with an Established Company
An established company is one with deep roots in its chosen industry. When you‘re working in this environment, you get the reassurance of knowing that you‘re part of a successful group – unlikely to be shutting down or changing any time soon.
An established company usually has tech experts on board already. There may even be other Salesforce innovators you can learn from. This is a great chance to find a mentor who could help to guide you in the next stage of your Salesforce career.
Since larger companies are more secure, they can often offer higher pay, better benefits, and improved work/life balance access. They also allow you the advantage of having a well-known name on your CV. But there are some downsides too, like increased pressure and fewer opportunities to innovate.
Pros of working for an established company:
- Learn how to operate in a scaling business with access to great technology
- Lots of access to internal experts, mentorship and guidance
- Higher pay and better benefits in some cases
- Improved work/life balance
- Strong names to add to your CV
Cons of working for an established company:
- Fewer opportunities for innovation
- Small mistakes can have huge consequences
- Less opportunity to develop leadership skills
Who Would Work Well at an Established Company?
An established company is a good environment for someone who knows what they‘re good at in Salesforce and wants to stick with it. If you want a stable and predictable job, an established company will give you predictability. Your work is unlikely to stray too far from your standard responsibilities, and you won‘t have to adapt as quickly to changes.
Although established companies aren‘t always as exciting as smaller organisations, they come with great opportunities. You‘ll be able to impress future employers by showing a well-known brand on your CV, and you‘ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how a scaling business uses Salesforce. You‘ll even get access to architecture concepts and frameworks that smaller companies don‘t encounter.
Start-up or Stable: Which is Best?
Finding the right career is a process that involves some personal introspection.
If you‘re in the initial stages of finding your dream career, a start-up could give you the opportunity to experiment with different tasks and explore what‘s possible with your skills. It‘s also a great way to see what it‘s like to work in a fast-paced environment.
If you‘re deeper into your Salesforce journey, an established company will allow you to focus on the things you do best in an environment that feels safe and stable.
Ideally, the best Salesforce careers will allow you to explore both sides of the coin and take valuable lessons away from each.
Thanks,
Lee
P.S. If you want an informal chat about your Salesforce career, get in touch with one of our team here.