It’s well recognised that the Salesforce ecosystem is one of the most exciting places to be, so it’s no wonder that there is a continuous queue of new Trailblazers constantly looking to take their first steps. At CloudShift we are invested in supporting the next generation of aspiring Salesforce Consultants and Developers, and in alignment with Salesforce Talent Alliance, we have created The CloudShift Academy to help people launch their Salesforce careers.
We are currently recruiting for our next intake of graduates across the business, so take a look at our open positions over on our careers page.
What is the CloudShift Academy?
Each year we welcome ambitious, innovative, tech-savvy individuals to join the CloudShift team to work with our in-house Salesforce experts and accelerate their learning in a rapidly growing industry. Our Academy is a 6 month, fast track program designed to equip graduates and those seeking a career change who have little to no experience with all the skills necessary to kick-start their careers in Salesforce. Including an in-depth education of the full Salesforce suite, live project shadowing and mentorship from our experienced team. All this is designed so graduates end the program as knowledgeable and certified members of the Salesforce ecosystem.
Working with our latest group of aspiring Trailblazers, we caught up with them to hear about their experience so far.
Shifting into Salesforce
There is no single path into the Salesforce ecosystem and even though some may assume you need to come from a technical background, that isn’t necessarily the case. The purpose of our Academy is to take those who have the potential to achieve great things and equip them with all the support and knowledge they need for success. While some of our grad team have come from more traditional tech backgrounds having studied Computer Science or Business at university and had previous experience in the tech industry, others took the opportunity for more of a career change. One of our grads explained her journey into the ecosystem. “Previously I worked as a Lab Manager in an environmental consultancy, but seeking a career change I studied for a master’s in computer science. I was previously accepted onto the Salesforce Pathfinder program which was my introduction to Salesforce and from there the CloudShift Academy felt like a perfect fit to continue learning”.
We believe that our team having diverse backgrounds adds a huge amount of value to our offering, and as we see more organisations across various industries invest in tech to adopt a digital-first approach this is where our diversity and experience can shine. For another one of our grads, it was a module focused on the impact of AI in the Legal industry during her Law degree that piqued their interest. She said “I enjoyed understanding how technology is taking over most parts of every business. I found myself wanting to go into something more engaging such as consulting, this is where CloudShift came into play”.
Working in the CloudShift Academy
The program offers different learning paths and each graduate can specialise in the areas of Salesforce that interests them most. From technical specialist to product focused, the Academy team have participated in several sessions led by senior members of our Growth team as well as started to shadow and get involved with live projects. Each of our grads started from a slightly different place and for some it’s a whole new platform to learn about; “I knew of Salesforce before but had never used it, so I have learned so much about the platform, all the associated products, how customers use it, and how to manage it”. They’ve also deep-dived into the technical side of being a consultant, “I have been learning to customise Salesforce implementations with Apex code, test it, and deploy it. There are some times it’s challenging but when a solution is working it’s extremely rewarding.” Beyond this, they have also been working with Tableau, MuleSoft and many more of the Salesforce product and integrations.
But there is much more to learn beyond the technical know how. We encourage our people to build upon their soft skills and gain a deeper understanding of how CloudShift operates, the project lifecycle and the vital role each person plays to create and deliver optimum solutions for our Customers.
Life at CloudShift
They say that you spend around a third of your life at work which makes it pretty important that you love what you do. At CloudShift we like to encourage our people to come together and create an atmosphere in which we can all thrive. This doesn’t just reflect in our day to day, but it’s an energy we convey to our customers too. Here are a few things our grads had to say about working at CloudShift…
“It is by far a very open-minded organisation that values each one of its employees. When I first walked into the office I could feel its soul. It didn’t feel like walking into a typical work environment, it’s extremely vibrant and lively.”
“The people and culture make CloudShift a great place to work and I am enjoying myself every day. Makes me forget this is my job sometimes!”
“I love the camaraderie that comes with working in a team, and striving to provide the best solution possible.”
“CloudShift provides you with the space and environment for you to thrive. It is a place for growth and I love how you are able to express yourself regardless of the background you come from, plus of course, I have to mention all the perks but that’s just the start of working here!”
Overcoming Challenges
Sometimes the biggest learning opportunities are concurring the challenges we face day to day. From complex technical processes that take time to master, to working on your confidence in delivering presentations, working through these tasks is a necessary part of personal and professional development and growth. We had the graduates share what challenges they had overcome.
A common answer was related to a few technical aspects with one of our grads mentioning “Software development involves fixing bugs and other issues but with the support from my colleagues and the open, collaborative environment I now have the confidence and ability to fix issues independently.” We work hard and operate in a very fast-paced environment, getting up to speed can take time but as a team, we help all our people be as productive as possible.
What Next?
It’s great to hear how our graduates have found the program but it’s also a great time to look to the future. With only a short time remaining as part of the CloudShift Academy before they graduate, we wanted to know what they’re working on next and what they’re most excited about. For most of the grad group, the next big goal they’re aiming for is their Salesforce Certifications. They’ve been racking up the points on Trailhead working towards this big milestone in their journey and we are so proud of them for securing their first cert of many! Beyond this, the shared feeling of excitement for the future, getting more involved and hands on with projects and continuing to develop knowledge and experience around Salesforce.
It has been amazing to see the hard work our grads have put in and the progress they have made so far. The program is designed to not only equip them with the knowledge and skills they need but to empower them with the confidence and assurance that they can perform to the best of their ability and deliver the best solution for our Customers. At CloudShift we are dedicated to the education and upskilling of our team to lead the way with the evolving trends and advancements in Salesforce and the wider industry. This not only helps us to provide the best service and solutions to our Customers but supports them in their career development.
If hearing from our grads has inspired your own journey to join the Salesforce ecosystem and you think you’ve got what it takes, check out our CloudShift Academy and CloudShift Graduate roles we have available.
We look forward to working with you soon.
