Land Your Next Opportunity

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Prepare for interviewing by creating your elevator pitch.
Create your Salesforce resume and profile.
Connect with employers.

Now You're Ready!

Now that you know where you’re headed and you’ve created your plan to get there, it’s time to go out and land that next role. We’ve created a job seeker checklist, included in the Resources pack you downloaded, to help you make sure your personal presence is amazing both in person and online.

You’re ready!

Update Your Resume

If you haven’t updated your resume in a while, it’s time to dust it off and add in your most recent work experience, and any new skills and certifications you’ve earned.

If you’re making a major career change or changing industries, consider hiring a professional to help you position your previous experience that is relevant for the new role.

Make sure you proofread your resume carefully. Have a friend or family member read it over if you can. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you missed a typo.

Here are a few additional tips for creating a rock star resume.

DO THIS

NOT THIS

Use action verbs

Trained 500 users on new sales processes.

Responsible for end-user training.

Highlight accomplishments

Designed an automated lead qualification process using Salesforce that resulted in XYZ.

Automated processes using Salesforce.

Be accurate

Include dates for each position you’ve held.

Don’t leave off information.

Don’t lie or provide incorrect information.

Create Your Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is the 30-second story of who you are and where you want to go, and it usually ends with a specific ask or request. It’s your personal “commercial.” Hone and practice it until you can deliver it smoothly.

Your elevator pitch is the perfect response to questions like, “Tell me about yourself” or “What do you do?” It can prepare you for that chance encounter with the company CEO in the elevator (or in the line at the coffee shop, or anywhere!).

You can have slightly different versions of your pitch, depending on who you’re talking to, but the basic structure is the same.

Elements to include	Examples
Who are you? What is your goal?	I’m an experienced Salesforce administrator looking to move into a consulting role... I’m a recent MBA graduate looking for a role at a nonprofit...
Why are you pursuing this goal? What is your motivation?	I love helping teams optimize their use of Salesforce and tackling new challenges. I’ve been an avid hiker and camper since I was a kid, and I want to work for an organization that’s environmentally focused.
What are the skills and strengths you bring? What is your key differentiator?	I have 5 years’ experience as a Salesforce administrator, and I am a self-taught developer. I’ve earned 85 Trailhead badges and multiple certifications. I’ve successfully implemented Salesforce for a nonprofit, and I’m an expert with the Nonprofit Success Pack.
What is your ask? What are the next steps?	Can I get your business card to follow up and ask you a few questions? Do you have any recommendations of people I can speak with? Are you available to grab coffee in the next couple weeks?

Polish Your Personal Brand

Your social media presence is the new resume. Employers and recruiters look to social media to learn more about candidates, so it’s important to make sure your profiles are top notch and that your personal brand is epic, amazing, and every bit as professionally compelling as you are in real life.

Consider getting a professional headshot taken to use for all your social media profiles. Or use the best recent photo you have.

DO THIS...

NOT THAT...

Your profile picture:

Looks like you
Is clear and in focus
Is high-resolution (1400 x 425 pixels)

Your profile picture does not:

Include other people
Look like you from 10 years ago
Look out of focus or blurry

Salesforce Profiles

Complete your profile on Trailhead. Make sure you have a professional photo and use your newly perfected elevator pitch for your bio.

The Salesforce community is on X, so that’s a great place to look for news and information as well as establish yourself as a thought leader.

DO THIS

NOT THAT

X handle

Choose an X handle that represents you professionally.

One option is to use some version of your name, like @SusanSmith.
Or use a handle that identifies your area of expertise, like @SusanCRMpro.

Don’t use a handle that can be considered offensive.

Profile

Use a professional photo.

Use your 160-character bio to describe to employers your key skills and accomplishments.

Include a link to your LinkedIn profile or other site where employers can get more information.

Don’t write your personal memoir.

Don’t leave it blank or empty, and don’t sell yourself short.

Content

Tweet primarily about things that relate to your role or industry (consider setting up two accounts if you do a lot of personal tweeting).

Follow people and companies that you’re interested in.

LinkedIn

Show off the skills you’ve acquired on Trailhead by listing your badges and superbadges as well as any certifications.

DO THIS

NOT THAT

Job title and headline

Use your current actual job title.

If you are looking for work use a job title that conveys the type of role that you want to land..

Your job title shouldn’t lie. Tell it like it is. It’s a small world out there—it’s surprising how many connections you share with others. So keep it honest.

Summary section

Include a short description of yourself and what you do currently.

Make sure your contact information is up to date.

Market yourself as a leader—if you speak at events or have been recognized in your industry, make sure it’s on your profile.

Don’t write your personal memoir.

Don’t leave it blank or empty, and don’t sell yourself short.

Don’t include anything that seems outlandish or too personal.

Rich media

Share content 2 to 3 times a week to keep your name fresh and to establish your professional brand.

Add key work examples to your profile where appropriate.

Don’t add things that aren’t relevant to your career and might confuse the viewer.

Don’t overwhelm people by sharing content multiple times per day.

Research Prospective Companies

Another important step in creating your career plan is identifying what type of company you want to work for so you can narrow your search. There are many types of companies within the Salesforce ecosystem where Salesforce skills are in demand. Here are a few examples.

Salesforce customers: Salesforce customers span industries and include both large enterprise companies and small and medium-sized businesses. Check out our customer success stories for examples.
Implementation partners: Our partners, also called system integrators, have deep technology and industry expertise and help get Salesforce up and running. They include all-around heavy hitters like Accenture and Deloitte, and local and industry-specific partners who can give you a tailor-made implementation.
AppExchange partners: These are companies that have built applications on the Force.com platform and sell them on AppExchange.
Nonprofits: There are over 20,000 Salesforce nonprofit customers. See Salesforce.org success stories for examples.

Here are some questions to ask yourself in narrowing your search.

Do you prefer working for a small company or a large enterprise?
Do you prefer a startup or a more established organization?
What type of company culture do you prefer?
Do you want to work for a nonprofit or mission-driven organization or a commercial enterprise?
What industry are you most interested in?

Search for Salesforce Opportunities

Ready to start your search? In addition to the general job sites such as dice.com, monster.com, and others, there are many specific job boards for Salesforce roles. Here are a few of the job boards.

AppExchange Jobs Marketplace: Search for jobs by location or title, or post your profile for employers to find.
Jobs at Salesforce: Work at the company voted “most innovative company in the world” for the past 5 years by Forbes magazine.
Trailblazer Community: There are various groups dedicated to job search and job postings such as the Jobs Postings group.

Connect with a Recruiter

Connect with recruiters that specialize in finding candidates for Salesforce roles. Here are just a few of the recruiters that specialize in recruiting talent with Salesforce skills.

Apply for a Job

Once you’ve identified an opportunity that you want to apply for, search on LinkedIn. See if there’s anyone in your network who works at that company and can provide more information or a recommendation or introduction.

Review the company’s website and social media to learn more about the company’s business, culture, and products or services.

Create a cover letter tailored to that job posting. Make sure you address how you fulfill the specific skills and competencies the employer is looking for, using the language they’ve used. Update your resume as needed to better target your experience to the posting.

Feel free to use the job seeker checklist included in the Career Exploration Resource pack you downloaded.