You’re a Salesforce Administrator and a damn good one. The trouble is that you aren’t getting the respect you want in the workplace. Or, perhaps you want to make a career out of Salesforce but are finding it hard to get an interview.
Let me ask you a question – are you Salesforce certified?
Certification is the easiest way to validate yourself as a Salesforce professional. Certification communicates skill and expertise and can validate your knowledge of the Salesforce platform.
If you want to build a career in Salesforce, you need to get certified. Here’s why.
Employers Want Certified Candidates
Anymore, Salesforce related job descriptions indicate that Salesforce Certification is a requirement. Don’t be surprised if the lack of certification prevents you from getting an interview.
Employers are recognizing the value that Salesforce certified experts add to an organization and as a result, want to hire these individuals over their non-certified counterparts.
The Salesforce market is hot right now which means that there are more applicants competing for the same position. More than likely, you will be competing against certified individuals. Don’t automatically disqualify yourself. Compete.
“Yeah, but I have been working for a long time on the Salesforce platform and I know my stuff.”
That may be true, but either way, the lack of a certification on your resume just made you less desirable.
Communicate Your Expertise
Salesforce Certification communicates expertise. It tells your peers, current and potential employers and even yourself that you know your stuff. Because there are competencies for each exam, certification demonstrates that you know and understand these competencies.
I have a tendency to downplay my own Salesforce knowledge. For years, I attended the beginner sessions at Dreamforce because I didn’t feel the expertise to move beyond the beginner status. After getting certified, I realized that my knowledge was much deeper than I gave myself credit for.
Certification builds confidence. It communicates expertise. It differentiates.
Earn More Money
Last year marked the first annual Denver User Group salary survey. We do this survey annually to provide members a resource which can be used to ensure they are receiving fair compensation in the Denver market.
What we found was fascinating. The average pay of Salesforce experts with no certification was $69,600. The average pay of those with one certification jumped to $86,850. That is a difference of $17,250 annually!
If you are a career Salesforce Administrator without a certification, you are hurting your earning potential. This small investment is worth it’s weight in gold. Invest in yourself. You are worth it.
Click here to see the detailed results of the 2013 Denver User Group salary survey.
I’m Sold! What’s Next?
Hopefully, you are now convinced to become Salesforce certified. Thankfully, there are a number of resources available to make you successful. Let’s look at the options.
Salesforce Certification Courses
Newer administrators should consider taking a class. While they are expensive, they are worth it. You’ll learn best practices, tips and tricks, and information that will be on the exam. The instructors are well educated in the Salesforce platform, and will direct you to the information you need to know to get certified.
Self-Study
For those go-getters out there, Salesforce provides a study guide for every certification they offer which goes through the key competencies tested. Use this study guide to focus on key weaknesses or areas that are less comfortable for you. Read through Help & Training – take notes and create flash cards.
Study Groups
There are community lead study groups on the Salesforce Success Community or through your local user group. Consider joining one. They are typically free and allow a safe environment for asking questions and learning.
The Salesforce Certification Study Group on the Success Community is the largest community-lead study groups. It is an intensive 15-week program lead by community leaders (Salesforce MVP’s and others) who volunteer their time to make you successful. The program is free. As a result, the program has strict guidelines and requires a firm commitment from you. However, the passing rate of those that go through this program is 100%!
Hopefully, you are encouraged to become Salesforce certified. If so, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and share this post!
Admin Hero 
Hi Brent. I am an engineer in IT but a fresher. I want to pursue my career in salesforce. If I start preparing now and give the Admin exam by December, Can I apply for any role in Salesforce as a fresher in India? How long would it take for me to understand and prepare for the certification on my own? (considering that I completed engg 3 yrs ago and lost touch )
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Hello Wamika. The Salesforce Admin certification is a broad exam which covers multiple topics at a high level. You do need to have a pretty good understanding of terminology and functionality (and limitations) in order to pass the exam. While it is possible to pass the exam without any experience, I generally recommend 4-6 months as an admin or in a very hands-on role before taking the exam as your changes of success will be better. Good luck!
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Hey guys, I joined Salesforce team in July 2014 from the BPM background and I wrote my certification exam on the 5th November 2014 and I passed it.
All you need to do Wamika is to study the online training materials salesforce provide. Do tutorials and do lots of mock exams and make sure you score at least 80% consistently.
The exam is very tricky and some answers are misleading so you need to know your stuff. But with that being said, it is doable because I passed it with less that 1 year practical experience. You just need to prepare thoroughly.
All the best 🙂
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Thanks a lot Guys! Will the certification fetch me a suitable role in Salesforce?
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Hi Brent,
I am looking for opportunities as Admin or Developer in the beginning roles.
Both my certifications expired.
Can you guide me how to go about getting a job in SFDC.
Thanks
Bindu
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Hi Bindu, I would work your current network and check the normal job boards for Salesfoce positions. There isn’t any special place where Salesforce jobs are placed. Good luck!
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Hello Brent i am from india and am having experience in sales as an sales engineersince last 6 years.
I have the idea of complete sales cycle, customers relationship, accout management etc that goesinto sales job. I want to change my job profile from direct sales to dales force admin. Will doing dalesforce certification help me acheiving it?
If yes how the industry will treat me in terms of pay, will i be treated as a newbie or my experience in sales wil count.
Kindly suggest
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Hi Brent,
As a result of this article, I joined the Salesforce Certification Study Group on the Success Community after coming back from Dreamforce last year. I decided to make the commitment to become Salesforce Certified. After completing the Study Group for ADM201, I took the exam on March 28 and am now a Certified Salesforce Administrator! Thank you for inspiring me to get certified. For anyone that is considering certification, I highly recommend the Salesforce Certification Study Group on the Success Community. It is a great program and it worked for me.
– Bryan
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Bryan, this is awesome news! Congratulations on such a great accomplishment. That is a great group. I ran one session before having to drop it in lieu of running the blog, but it was super rewarding to be on the teaching/mentoring end as well.
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Hi Brent,
I am currently working in IT sector, and mostly related Oracle Tools. I completed the first worksheets in developer.salesforce.com and I felt, they were easy to do.
For me the problem is, I was not able to connect to/motivated to the big picture of a project. I would try my best, and later, I would get aloof.
But I felt, in salesforce the user guides are easier and made engaging. The energy of the community and the buzz really appeals me; but I really dont know, if I would enjoy or be able to understand the big picture unless I try some real examples.
It would be helpful if I could get some insight on what working in salesforce really is about.
What diff does it hold from other technologies available, in terms of people working in it. Do everyone enjoy this?
I know, I sound confused and a bit jittery. But, it would be great to hear from u
Regards
Vaishak
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It sounds like you need to see how Salesforce can impact an organization on a larger scale in order to understand the little details. The first thing I would suggest is to watch some of the videos on the Dreamforce channel on YouTube. There are some awesome keynotes and customer success stories that may help provide you with an idea of the power of the platform based on how customers are using it. That alone should get you interested and excited about what is possible. From there, I would focus on personal use cases. Find something in your life that you want to automate or track and build it in a developer org. When you can understand the personal impact of that configuration in your personal life, the feature set of Saleforce comes alive. There is a great blog out there called Exploited Dev Orgs which focuses on non-traditional, personal use cases for Salesforce (http://exploiteddevorgs.com/). You can also go through the Zero to Hero series of posts on this site where I walk you through a personal use case for Salesforce. I hope that helps!
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Hi Brent,
I have 7.10 years of experience in sles and marketing profile in electrical and electronics industry in India. I want to take up job in SFDC profile and for that I am planning to get a SFDC certification course. I will be a fresher after the certification so can you please help me to understand the scope of getting a job in the United States of America on the basis of SDFC certification.
Also can you please suggest me a suitable SFDC certification.
Thanks,
Manjiri
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Hi Manjiri! I don’t know much of the logistics for getting a job here in the US for international residents. You’ll probably want to do some research on that. I can tell you that the job market still seems good, but it is competitive now. I have a few posts on certification that you may find helpful. Search for “Certification” on the site and a few posts will come up.
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I have done masters in english literature and linguistics and now i am working in a call centre … have one year experience. I want to change my field. Is it a good decison to do salesforce certification.
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I know folks from all backgrounds working in the Salesforce ecosystem! Give Trailhead a try and see if you like it. If you do, start exploring certification and employment options!
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Hi,
I am a recruiter working for a SF Fin tech start up and I am looking for experienced Salesforce admins. I am having a tough time finding them. Any advice on a good recruiting source? Thanks for your help!
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The future of salesforce is bright because many nonprofit organizations want to implement for resulting improved productivity..
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Dear Randi,
I am a certified administrator.I have done certification with in 2 months of starting my course. I am planning to take app builder by December end. And advanced certificate during March April next year. Please send me your email id that I can share my cv.
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HI There,
I’m very much new to sales force and thinking to have certification done innext one month. Can You please assist me for the same?
Thank You,
Nilesh
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