How to prepare for a Salesforce certification
If you are considering a professional improvement and want to know how to prepare a Salesforce certification, this article is for you. We give you a series of keys and useful tips to achieve your goal.
One of the most common doubts when deciding to acquire new skills to master the best CRM and boost your employability is how to prepare for a Salesforce certification correctly and successfully.
Salesforce boasts a dominant position in the technology market and has been offering the most sought-after CRM solution for almost a decade. It is therefore only natural to view Salesforce as your best choice of partner when it comes to transforming your professional profile. The digital revolution is upon us, and as we all need to anticipate the changes that lie ahead in the labour market and take action, finding and relying on a transformational ally such as Salesforce will be key in terms of training, reinvention, reskilling and employability.
How should we get ourselves ready to make that change?
Salesforce certification, retraining and renown
If we take a look at the recent change and acceleration processes that almost all areas of production and business have been undergoing, we have seen time and time again that CRM solutions will continue to be key part of this retraining process. More precisely –though also more broadly, as both a platform and ecosystem– Salesforce is the technology of choice for many organisations to continue to grow.
While prior experience working with the platform is certainly a determining factor when applying for positions or projects, it is common to find Salesforce specialists with less than three years’ experience performing key roles on teams. According to an extensive study on this subject conducted recently, 62% of those polled claimed that having an official certification is a determining factor influencing both position and salary potential as a Salesforce professional.
Learning and refreshing knowledge about Salesforce is an ongoing process, yet achieving an official certification ensures that you have acquired a set of core skills and reached a concrete milestone in mastering the tool. It also demonstrates your commitment to the company that is insisting on or offering this training, and shows your willingness to learn and take on new responsibilities, for those profiles that view Salesforce as a driver of professional retraining and reinvention. To achieve this is needed good advice on how to prepare for a Salesforce certification.
Seven first steps focused on how to prepare for a Salesforce certification
In this useful article, Salesforce recommends the following seven essential tips for those of you looking to become certified as administrators. The tips will prove useful to anyone who plans to put their knowledge of the platform to the test, and also for other positions or departments:
- See what the exam is all about. For a basic idea of the specific skills and knowledge you will need for each of the certifications, be sure to check out the Salesforce exam guides.
- Schedule your exam. It may seem strange to schedule your exam before you’ve started studying, but this is a great way to keep you motivated and working towards your goal of a certification.
- Find some friends to study with. Nothing helps more when studying for an exam than having friends to join you on the journey. A Salesforce academy is a great way to connect with others studying for their exam. You can also find support groups within the community.
- Gets hands-on practice. Getting real, hands-on practice with the tools is the best way to entrench the theoretical knowledge you are also going to need. Practical, hands-on training is essential for passing the exam.
- Complete a learning pathway. Salesforce presents a series of paths, modules and projects, such as “how to get as far as possible in as short a time as possible” towards certifying your new knowledge.
- Attend free webinars. Within the Salesforce community, you can also attend these half-day online courses to help you study and plan, or learn more about a specific certification or knowledge by taking part in thematic webinars.
- Excel during the certification exam. While it may seem obvious, the most important thing to do during the exam is to read the questions carefully and optimise the time spent answering them. During the training process, you will have honed your ability to quickly spot and answer the questions you are sure about, while taking your best educated guess at those you are less sure about and coming back to them once you’ve answered the other questions.
The Salesforce community is large, open, extensive and forever growing.
The Salesforce community is large, open, extensive and forever growing. Unfortunately, not everyone will pass at the first attempt. Sitting an exam is excellent training in itself and one of the best learning exercises and motivational tools out there. It is also a great way of testing your skills on the aspects of the platform you excel at and those you need to improve upon.
Choosing the right salesforce pathway and preparing for the right Salesforce certification
When choosing which certification to start preparing for, you can select a specific starting point to reflect your existing skill and experience in using the platform. You may even have a previous certification from which you now wish to advance. Or perhaps you are new to Salesforce and looking to broaden your knowledge, retrain and improve your employability.
Slightly less than half of Salesforce certifications require some level of prior certification. For most entry level certifications, Salesforce experience of three to six months is advised. Yet even without prior knowledge of CRM, it is possible to successfully earn a certification and use it as a springboard for job change and improvement.
One way to compensate for a possible lack of experience would be to complete a training programme designed for beginners in the platform or in the use of a specific tool.
Preparing for and passing the Salesforce Administrator exam is a gateway to a broad range of intermediate certifications and to building an advanced profile as specialist administrator or consultant. With skills ranging from app configuration and security to process automation, Salesforce Administrators are one of the most sought-after profiles in the market.
Other training courses for “beginners” may be equally suitable or advisable, especially if you’re looking to build a specific profile with the right Salesforce certification. Choices here include Platform AppBuilder, Platform Developer and Javascript Developer, Pardot Specialist, Marketing Cloud Administrator, Accredited B2B Commerce Administrator, or Accredited B2B Commerce Developer.
Choosing the right educational partner to transform your job profile
One of the great strengths of this ecosystem is that you can jump right in by using open access training resources while relying on the support of the online Trailblazer community. However, training at a specialised academy that is endorsed by Salesforce will enable you to improve, deepen and enhance your path towards your chosen certification.
ISDI CRM is a Trailhead Authorized Training Provider.
ISDI CRM is a Trailhead Authorized Training Provider. Not only will it welcome you to the ecosystem, it will also support you as you retrain, reskill, upskill and enhance your job prospects, right from the outset and whenever you need to refresh your knowledge. Its Salesforce Academy offers entry-level and mid-level training programmes, along with options for advanced profiles and courses that allow you to combine your training and therefore optimise the effort you put in.
Moreover, joining the training project as a learner also means joining the ISDI ecosystem, thus offering a bridge between training, certification and the professional world. ISDI CRM offers lasting relationships with experts in the platform; with educators hand-picked from among the leading companies in innovation and digital transformation on account of their excellent business acumen and also because they excel in the use of CRM tools in different business and production environments.
By pursuing your choice of certification at ISDI CRM, you will be placed in constant contact with fellow learners, as recommended in these seven key steps to successfully preparing for your exam. You will ultimately be joining a demanding market, but also one that is opening up and is brimming with opportunities for those professionals who are able to officially certify their Salesforce knowledge.
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