1. All about Salesforce certifications:
Are they worth it?
by Tomáš Hnízdil

2. #CD22
Tomáš Hnízdil
Head of Salesforce Development at bluez.io
Working with Salesforce since 2012
Salesforce certified since 2014
Currently 13 Salesforce Certifications
+ MuleSoft Certified Developer
+ CloudSense Commerce Platform Certified
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-hnizdil-0540a0139/
https://trailblazer.me/id/thnizdil

3. #CD22
● Why?
○ 3 Benefits of getting certified
● What?
○ Review of existing Salesforce certifications
○ Future of Salesforce certifications
● How?
○ How to get a Salesforce certification
○ Tips and tricks for passing the exam
+ a quick look besides Salesforce certifications and beyond Salesforce universe
Agenda

4. #CD22
Are Salesforce certifications worth it?

5. #CD22
… a big surprise …
Are Salesforce certifications worth it?

6. #CD22
… a big surprise …
Yes, they are !!!
Are Salesforce certifications worth it?

7. #CD22
… a big surprise …
Yes, they are !!!
By getting a Salesforce certification you get (at least) 3 major benefits:
1. Real knowledge gain from the learning process
2. Proof of expertise, which helps you to promote yourself and your work
3. Increase of your value for your employer (or better chances of being hired)
Are Salesforce certifications worth it?

8. #CD22
Getting more knowledge about Salesforce naturally helps you to do
your implementations:
• aligned with standards
• more efficient
• faster
• more easily extensible
• … just simply better
And you cannot go through the preparation process without actually
learning something useful :-)
Benefit 1: Get the Knowledge

9. #CD22
By getting a proof of your expertise and experience you can
naturally:
• Boost your career
• Get a better position
• Get a higher salary/hourly rate
Benefit 2: Promote Yourself
itbusiness.ca

10. #CD22
The Salesforce Certification Partner Program
• Team certification counts determine your partner program tier
• That number of company certifications can be seen on
AppExchange and in Salesforce Partner Community
Therefore, your employer profits from your certifications … just at
the time of hiring you, even before you actually start working.
Benefit 3: Promote Your Employer

11. #CD22
Know Your Role in Salesforce Universe
As of May 2022, Salesforce offers 38 certifications in 6 roles:
• Administrator / Specialist
• Developer
• Architect
• Consultant
• Marketer
• Designer
See how Salesforce defines each of these roles (on Trailhead) and find the one which fits you the best.
Each role suggests a certification path to go with, but it is not a rule - you can still take any certification.

12. #CD22
Find Your Certification Path

13. #CD22
Salesforce Certified Technical Architect
Review board exam
• Solve a hypothetical scenario and present to a panel of CTA
judges. Followed by a Q&A session with the judges.
• 3 hours for scenario review and solution preparation
• 45 minutes for scenario presentation
• 40 minutes for scenario Question and Answer session
• $6,000 ($3,000 retake)
8+ years of experience required (estimated by SalesforceBen)
Launched in 2011, less than 400 people in the world became CTAs
by mid 2021
The Holy Grail of Salesforce Certifications

14. #CD22
Latest Certifications added in late 2021 and early 2022
• B2B Solution Architect
• User Experience Designer
• Strategy Designer (registrations opened on May 23, 2022)
Rumours about upcoming certifications to be added later in 2022 (Forward-Looking Statement):
• Business Analyst (confirmed at TrailblazerDX 2022, details to be announced)
• Enterprise Architect
Future of Salesforce Certifications

15. #CD22
1. Pass the certification exam
• Either onsite (in a training center) or online (no external camera required during COVID-19)
• Typical parameters (differ slightly for each certification):
• $200 - $400 fee ($100 - $200 retake)
• 60 - 65 multi-choice questions (number of correct answers is always specified)
• 75 - 120 minutes
• 60 - 70% pass rate is required
2. Check the additional criteria for some certifications, e.g. getting a superbadge on Trailhead
3. Don’t forget about the maintenance modules on Trailhead 3 times a year!
How to get a Salesforce Certification

16. #CD22
Know what to focus on:
● Certifications aren’t Pokémons, you don’t need to catch them all. ☺
● Know your role and plan your certification path ahead.
● Domain experts are always in demand on the market.
● Focus on quality over quantity, make sure to get (and keep) the
real knowledge rather than just to prepare for the exam.
Prefer hands-on experience over memorizing facts
● Vast majority of the areas in the exam can be tested in a Salesforce Developer Edition org.
Use your knowledge to get your certification, not the vice-versa.
Tips and Tricks for Planning Your Path

17. #CD22
1. Know your opponent
● Get the official exam guide (on Trailhead)
● Know the areas covered in the exam
● Try to have a general knowledge about 100% of the areas included in the exam
● Know the exam rules (time limit, passing score, etc.)
● Follow experience shared by other certified experts - Salesforce Ben, Gemma Blezard, Ladies Be
Architects, Martin Humpolec, …
2. Get familiar with the exam language
● Know the specific phrases/keywords, find out what to focus on
● Read some test taking tips: https://focusonforce.com/salesforce-certification-test-taking-tips/
● Find sample questions or mock tests
○ but do not focus on getting full dumps, that violates the Exam Candidate Code of Conduct!
○ focus on the questions only, the answers can often be wrong!
Tips and Tricks for Passing the Exam

18. #CD22
Tips and Tricks for Passing the Exam (2)
3. Study
● Use all resources available - Trailhead, Focus on Force, Trailblazer Community, …
● Prefer hands-on knowledge over memorizing facts
4. Practice
● Try to get some practice exams, if available
● Find a study buddy, if possible
5. Lower the stress
● Plan the best testing setup ahead (onsite vs online, morning vs evening, etc.)
● Get extra 30 minutes of exam time if you are not a native speaker
○ after booking an exam, submit a case with Salesforce Trailhead team
● Watch out for free or discounted voucher events

19. #CD22
• Launched in July 2021
• Specifically designed for Salesforce partners to deepen product and industry
knowledge
• Study courses included in Partner Learning Camp
• Focuses on product badges (e.g. Service Cloud Voice, Einstein Discovery, etc.)
• Similar conditions as for certifications (exam + $150 fee)
• Accredited Professional credentials show in listings in AppExchange and count
against Trailblazer Scores (partner tiers)
Salesforce Accredited Professional Program

20. #CD22
As of May 2022, Salesforce offers 32 Accredited Professional exams in Partner Learning Camp (+ 21 in
Japanese). 6 more are planned to be added later this year.
Salesforce Accredited Professional Program
Sales & Service
● Advanced Field Service
● Digital Engagement
● Einstein Next Best Action
● Revenue Cloud Consultant
● Sales Cloud Einstein
● Salesforce Maps
● Service Cloud Voice
● Workforce Engagement
Platform & Slack
● Heroku Developer
● Process Automation
● Salesforce Mobile
● Security & Privacy
Salesforce Industries: Organic Industry Clouds
● Consumer Goods Cloud
● Financial Services Cloud
● Health Cloud
● Manufacturing Cloud
● Net Zero Cloud
Einstein, B2B Commerce & Experience
● B2B Commerce on Lightning Experience Administrator
● B2B Commerce on Lightning Experience Developer
● Eistein Discovery
● Einstein Prediction Builder
● Order Management Admin
● Order Management Developer
● Salesforce CMS
Marketing & B2C Commerce
● Commerce Cloud Einstein
● Datorama
● Headless API First
● Marketing Cloud Advanced Cross Channel
● Marketing Cloud Personalization
● Pardot Business Units
● Pardot Reporting and Analytics
● Salesforce CDP

21. #CD22
Salesforce-family certifications
https://training.mulesoft.com/certification
https://www.slackcertified.com/
https://www.tableau.com/learn/certification
Going Beyond Salesforce Universe
Salesforce-related Product Certifications
• CPQ Products
• CloudSense
• Apttus
• Document Management Products
• Conga Composer
• DocuSign
• … and many others

22. #CD22
Trailhead … Trailhead … Trailhead!: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/
Salesforce Certification Days: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/credentials/cert-days/
Focus on Force: https://focusonforce.com/
Trailblazer Community: https://trailblazers.salesforce.com/
Salesforce Partner Community: https://partners.salesforce.com/
Partner Guide to Credentials: https://partners-salesforce.relayto.com/e/partner-guide-to-credentials-
vfgkh7myki6y2/F0RQiTX01
Salesforce Ben: https://salesforceben.com/
Gemma Blezard: http://gemmablezard.com/
Ladies Be Architects: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEH6YG30ajz2jLBfYoDjRQ
Martin Humpolec: https://martinhumpolec.cz/
References

23. Thank you! #CD22