Organizations are constantly looking for experts to extend the capabilities of the Salesforce products they use, improve technical agility to meet changing business demands and handle complex IT issues with confidence… and the demand for Salesforce administrators is only increasing as a result.
With foundational knowledge of Salesforce, administrators can deepen their expertise in areas like business analysis, automation, security or data, and leverage this specialization to meet market demands.
Salesforce certifications are an optimal way to showcase your skills and prove your knowledge of the Salesforce platform. Up-leveling your Salesforce skills indicates that you are passionate about your career. Combine these together, and you have multiple career paths available as a Salesforce administrator.
A Thorough Understanding of Salesforce
Nic De Bonis CEO of Workyard, developer of a workforce management system, says a career as a Salesforce administrator frequently begins with having an excellent understanding of Salesforce, its functions, and how it may be modified to fit the demands of a business.
“Self-study, online classes, or receiving a Salesforce Administrator certification are all possibilities,” he says.
The position typically involves administering the organization's Salesforce system, which includes user administration, data management, and customizing the system to match the needs of the company.
“A Salesforce administrator can pursue a variety of professional routes,” he adds. “They can specialize in a certain Salesforce feature, such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or Marketing Cloud. They can even advance to the position of consultant, coaching other organizations on how to effectively use Salesforce.”
Other possibilities include advancing to the job of Salesforce Developer, where they would write code to further modify Salesforce. “Alternatively, they could move up to a management position, supervising a team of Salesforce Administrators or other IT staff,” De Bonis says.
Tapping the Trailblazer Community
The Trailblazer Community is another key resource to progress your career as a Salesforce admin, offering learning content to educational meetups and social events.
“As a Salesforce administrator, you have a more varied list of opportunities for flexibility and progression than almost any other role within the Salesforce ecosystem,” explains Kris Lande, senior vice president of marketing, community, and content at Salesforce.
She points out an admin’s transferable skills can open the door to other Salesforce roles such as developer, architect, or business analyst. “They can also upskill to become a Senior Salesforce Administrator, progress to managing a team of admins, or teach and train new admins,” she adds.
Trailhead offers a suite of resources for people to continuously improve their Salesforce skills and advance their careers. There is also an Advanced Administrator credential, designed for Salesforce Administrators who have mastered the ability to utilize advanced Salesforce features and functionality to solve a variety of business problems.
Accruing ‘Superbadges’
In addition to Salesforce credentials, people can put their Salesforce skills to the test in meaningful ways via ‘superbadges’ and ‘super sets.’
These allow Salesforce professionals the opportunity to apply their Salesforce skills in a specific area and test their foundational knowledge of key concepts. “My recommendation to a Salesforce administrator who wants to develop in their profession is to keep learning and expanding their skill set,” De Bonis says. “Salesforce is a platform that is always changing, so staying up to speed on the newest upgrades and features is essential.”
He agrees getting more advanced certificates can also help you exhibit your expertise and commitment, and recommends networking within the Salesforce community and seeking mentoring possibilities: “On the technical side, knowing Apex, Salesforce's programming language, and Lightning, its front-end framework, may be quite valuable.”
Lande points out that organizations are constantly looking for experts to extend the capabilities of the Salesforce products they use, improve technical agility to meet changing business demands, and handle complex IT issues with confidence. “This is great news for those looking to take the next step in their career journey and progress in their field,” she says. “With foundational knowledge of Salesforce, admins can deepen their expertise in areas like business analysis, automation, security or data, and leverage this specialization to meet the demands of the market.”
Salesforce administrators have opportunities for leadership and management positions. “This might involve leading a team of administrators or other IT staff or possibly controlling a company's complete Salesforce deployment,” De Bonis says. “To prepare for such positions, one must have strong leadership and managerial skills.”
He says seeking leadership training, finding a mentor, or getting experience in lower-level management jobs could all be part of this journey. Excellent communication skills are one of the key soft skills or personal characteristics that may help a successful Salesforce administrator job, as the position often involves dealing with multiple departments within a firm.
Problem-solving skills are also required, as the job often requires troubleshooting and fixing challenges inside the Salesforce system. “Finally, being proactive and seeking methods to enhance the system may be quite useful,” De Bonis says.
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