Salesforce Certification – why it is worth to have one?

Salesforce Certificate – what is it?

In short, it is an official document issued by Salesforce, confirming knowledge of a given area of ​​this technology – knowledge of its latest version and currently used solutions. The platform enables certification in five specializations associated with your role in Salesforce: an administrator, an architect, a developer, a marketer, and a consultant. Each is a separate development pathway and a chance to achieve several certifications, and there are 30 of them in total. They confirm the horizontal expansion of competences or can be a pass for vertical promotion (together with the designated order of certification achievement). The candidate who wants to specialize as a Salesforce architect has the most expanded development pathway ahead of him.

Salesforce certification not only confirm and structure the knowledge but also allows to manage career development actively. When you know the certification of each pathway is multi-stage, you can make arrangements reasonably (it is worth starting as early as possible)). You have a large selection of certification areas. Thanks to that, it will be easier for you to focus on what you are really interested in and expand your knowledge in this narrow field. This way, you have the biggest chance to become a valued specialist with specific skills. You become an expert, not a person knowing everything about nothing.

Knowledge always up to date

It sounds interesting, but maybe the perspective of the certification still does not seem that exciting to you. You are after studies. You don’t even think about learning for the next exams. You prefer to gain experience while implementing the projects.

And you are right, practice is essential. Do not neglect it. Just look through the offers – employers are primarily looking for candidates with experience.

However, today, in the IT industry, certificates matter. Thanks to them, your attractiveness in the labor market increases. The diploma is a credible confirmation of your knowledge, competence, and keeping up with changes – it is simply a must-have in the IT industry.

Moreover, in the case of Salesforce technology, certifications are irrefutable; they are one hundred percent guarantee that you are up to date with novelties. Why? Because they are not indefinite, you have to renew them systematically. The Salesforce platform releases updates of its products three times a year, and at the same time, it indicates deadlines for renewing certifications. After that specified time, their term of validity expires.

So getting certification works as a self-motivation. Since you have already invested your time and money (certificates are paid), it is too bad the effort would have gone in vain. If you do not renew your certification at a particular time, you will have to pass the exam and go through a certification procedure from the start. It is not worth it, right?

Learn online

Certified Salesforce specialists are for the employees a real treat. Moreover, in some organizations having a certificate is simply a necessity – without it, you have no chances to participate in the project. Let us assume that you are a Salesforce newcomer: you have neither certification nor professional experience. Whereas depending on the path you have chosen, Salesforce suggests that the candidate taking the exam already has from three up to twelve months of practice. So you ask yourself a question: do I have any chances to appear in the labor market at all?

Do not worry – definitely yes. Of course, you can take into account a suggestion mentioned above from Salesforce. But If you want to, you can go in dry for the exam anyway, no one expects a certificate of employment or a letter of service from you.

Besides, you can try to look for a job where the certification is not needed or at least not in the beginning. This way, you can slowly gain experience and simultaneously study for your exam.

Where to look for learning materials? To begin with, remember these two addresses: www.trailhead.salesforce.com and www.focusonforce.com. Anyone who thinks of Salesforce certification seriously, and wants to prepare appropriately, uses these two websites. It is a mine of exam knowledge – both for those who take the exam and that shared by Salesforce. On the Trailhead (the official Salesforce platform), you will find tutorials in the form of structured materials in the field of specific certification. It contains questions and tasks, so-called trailmixes. And FocusOnForce (paid access) will help you to familiarize with the exam’s structure and get into the groove, learn the keywords. On this website, you will read about sample examinations questions and extensive documentation attached to, justifying the correctness of individual answers.

By learning, you not only increase your chances of passing the exam, but also you gain practical knowledge. Although certification exam does not bind to working on a project, it does not only check the knowledge of theory, but mostly the ability to apply concrete solutions in practical situations.

Certification step by step

How does it look in practice? You start with the registration on the website: www.webassessor.com. You find certification concerned; you choose the deadline and the exam mode: remote or stationary (in the certification center; there are three in Poland). You pay a fee – it costs from 100 to 200 USD, depending on the type of certification (mainly on level of advancement).

The only exception is the CTA certification (The Certified Technical Architect). It is the most expensive (costs 3.000 USD) and the highest level certification, and it is a board exam.

After completion of formalities, you get a code, and you go for it! The exam lasts 110 minutes, and it consists of 60 multiple-choice questions. There can be different numbers of assigned answers, including the correct ones (e.g., to a specific question, there can be seven answers, of which three are correct). To pass the exam, you have to answer correctly to 67% of the questions. The score on the exam is in the zero-one system, so there is advice for the examinees: it pays to guess!

The exam results are available immediately.

Failure does not close the door to certification. You can try it again until you succeed. However, it is worth to pass the exam the first time because every next attempt has to be paid.

With us, certification is included!

195 valid certifications – that is how many we have currently at Craftware. We underline that because we are aware of their value entirely, as well as our customers are. Certification is supported by the knowledge about better understanding the needs of the customers and the answer to their expectations. It is proof that we keep up with the fast-changing market, and we are a trustworthy business partner, both for the customers and Salesforce.

If not the efforts of our employees, there would be no reasons to be proud – it is evident to us. Therefore, we encourage team members to obtain certificates and renew them regularly. Above all, however – knowing that success must be rewarded – at Craftware, we refund the cost of passing exams! Good luck!

And what do our employees say about certificates?

Marcin Zabadaj, Salesforce Developer (currently 11 certifications): In my opinion, certificates are an excellent complementation of a resume. The working experience with a specific technology is essential, but certifications are the confirmation of competencies. Besides, a desire to get certified is a great motivation for knowing that part of Salesforce, which you have never dealt with in the project before, but it appears interesting. Salesforce allows you to get almost 30 different certifications. The number of it is still growing each year, which shows how well developed is this technology. To get to know the whole platform seems really hard, but obtaining the next certifications might be a specific measure of its cognition and motivate for further learning.

Anna Wałach, Senior Salesforce Developer (currently 4 certifications): Certifications help to cement and confirm knowledge, and what is more important – it is practical knowledge. In my view, this is the biggest value. The theory is not enough to pass the exam. You have to demonstrate that you acquired knowledge of particular tools usage, various solutions, possibilities, and limitations. But above all – the ability to use them in practice and adjust to the specific circumstances.

Grzegorz Laskowski, Application Architect (currently 12 certifications): I had worked for a few years without any certificates. I envied others that they had them and that they found time to exam preparation. At last, I mobilized myself, and I started getting wanted levels of certifications. I treated it as a challenge, as examining myself and my knowledge in comparison to other specialists. It was the right decision. While learning to the exam, I expanded my knowledge of solutions offered by Salesforce, and I got to know of the tools I had never used before. Thanks to certification, I improve competencies and develop my career. Also, my attractiveness in the labor market increases, because more and more often, it is required from candidates to have certifications. It is understandable because, in an obvious way, it proves the experience with a product. In short, certification is very prestigious.

Krzysztof Lesisz, Senior Salesforce Developer and Administrator (currently 4 certifications): Certification lets us organize knowledge gained in the process of working with technology. In the Salesforce case, a supplier of technology enforces regular renewing of certifications. And it is an excellent opportunity to get to know the new capabilities of Salesforce that is continuously developing. Thanks to Salesforce certification, it is also easier to get a good job offer.

Register now for the certification exam at www.webassessor.com