Networking & the

Successful Job
Search
Learn the simple 9-step iterative process to go from no job to job with
your guide, Faraz Khan.
Faraz is a recovering entrepreneur turned Salesforce Consultant
who went from 0 to 4x certified in 1 year. In this session you will get a
step by step guide packed with tips, activities and templates to
transform yourself into the Salesforce professional you were meant
to be.

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Agenda
1. My Story
2. The Process
3. Key Tips
4. Steps & Details
5. Other Resources

Created by: Faraz Khan

 My Story

Worked at a couple different startups

First Job @ Startup
Worked for a couple different startups. One
small business (good business, bad
Mistake #1: Turned down an offer at a real
partnership). One startup crashed and burned.
consulting firm, to work at a startup. The
Another “hot” startup with toxic manager. Lost
startup didn’t go anywhere.
a lot of money on a bad real estate
partnership.

2012-2015 2020

2010 2016-2020
Self Employed Salesforce, PepUp Tech & First Salesforce Job
Graduated top of class
Raised money to buy real estate investment Found Salesforce as a career path. Joined PepUp
Graduated at top of my undergrad class.
properties. Did well. Also crashed and burned. Tech, landed first Salesforce job in ecosystem

Created by: Faraz Khan

 The Process

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Key Tips
● Simplify by focusing on next 1-2 goals and the 3-5 steps needed to accomplish that goal
● Print out the workflow chart about and review it daily, so you don’t get lost on your journey. It is your map!
● Set daily actions and a weekly goal every week
● Don’t overthink the process
● Find an accountability partner for your actions
● Focus on your next draft of the deliverable and get feedback, don’t focus on perfection.
● Adjust the process for your unique circumstances
● Have fun and find the opportunity/blessing in the struggle. You get to learn new skills, defuture, and make new friends.
You also learn an invaluable lifelong skill: how to learn something new and get a job. Awesome!

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 1: Craft Career Plan

Key Points:
● When you have a clear job position in mind, you can focus your efforts on
developing the mindset, skills and network to get the job.

To do:
● Complete Career Planning Trailhead (1 hour) + Worksheet (3 hours)

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 2: Develop Mindset

Key Points:
● You MUST get into the mindset that you are already a Salesforce Business
Analyst, even if you don’t have the job title yet. You must believe that the job is out
there and it’s coming to you.
● Nobody can tell you you aren’t a great SFBA if you already ‘are’ the great admin. If
you believe in yourself, then others can believe in you.

To do:
● Create a daily and weekly physical and mental development schedule

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 3: Update Resume & LinkedIn

Key Points:
● Your goal for your resume and linkedin is to get an INTERVIEW, not the job.
You are not explaining everything, only relevant information to the job
description.

To do:
● Create Resume
● Update LinkedIn

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 3: Update Resume & LinkedIn
Resume How to:
1. Lookup your desired job on Indeed.com
2. Copy and paste job responsibilities that you have some related experience with from
the job description to a google doc. Now you have a list of key bullet points. (example
Salesforce Job Descriptions)
3. Adjust your resume to incorporate these key bullet points in your previous work history
4. Adjust your job title to sound more like the position you want (ie. Salesforce
Administrator).
5. Add you learning experiences in the education section
6. If you are unemployed, create a position for yourself as a freelance Salesforce
Consultant and hunt for jobs. When the company asks you about your current job, say
you are an independent Salesforce consultant with the goal of gaining SF experience
so you can land a full time position. No shame.

Resume Tips:
● The format must be easy for the recruiter and job app system to read
● Keep it SIMPLE, clear and to the point
● Only include relevant information
● Don’t overthink. Time box 2 hours and get it done.

Resources:
● Faraz’s Resume
● STEAL MY RESUME!!! = David K Liu
● How to write the best product manager resume
● How to Craft a Resume for More Product Manager Interviews

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 3: Update Resume & LinkedIn

To do: Update LinkedIn (1 hour)

● Follow your resume
● Make the job titles and job roles use the words in your
desired job posting, so that recruiters can find you when
searching (admin, analyst, salesforce)
● Professional headshot
● Update your title to Salesforce Consultant or Salesforce
Administrator (don’t put the “seeking this/that”). You want
to look like you already have the job, so a recruiter will
reach out to you and the Linkedin algorithm works.
● Turn on the looking for a job feature so recruiters can find
you

Resources:
● https://www.linkedin.com/in/farazukhan/

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 4: Craft Story & Value Proposition
Key Points:
● You should write out your story and have
a short elevator pitch (30 seconds to 1
minute), so that you can quickly explain
who you are, what your goals are, and
what value you bring to someone new.

To Do
● Write Elevator Pitch

Resources:
● See the Land your Next Opportunity
module in the Skill Up for the Future with
Trailhead trail

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 5: Attain Salesforce Certification
Key Points:
● The certification is the main barrier to entry to get a job.

To Do:
● Pass the Salesforce Admin Certification test

Resources:
● www.focusonforce.com
● Mike Wheeler Exam Prep Videos

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 6: Gain Project Experience
Key Points:
● You need experience to get a job, you need a job to get experience. This is your hurdle and you need to be
creative.

To Do
● Reach out to 3-5 project opportunities per day (30 minutes)
● Get project experience
● Build a portfolio
● Alternative: Setup Sales Cloud from scratch using this Implementation Guide, this Getting Started Workbook
(sales cloud), and a Dev Org

Tips & Resources:

● VolunteerMatch.org: Search for Salesforce administrator or developer volunteer opportunities by location
and cause. Or find marketing and fundraising opportunities.
● LinkedIn for Volunteers: The LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace connects professionals to nonprofit volunteer
opportunities.
● Network with nonprofits and small businesses - “Do you use Salesforce?”
● Set a goal to reach out to 3-5 project opportunities per day until you land a project.
● Build your Personal Portfolio on Salesforce | Salesforce Trailhead
● Or --- create a Developer Salesforce Org and build it out for a fictitious company that sells a product!
Created by: Faraz Khan
 Step 7: Network
Key Points:
● Most of your opportunities will come from your network. You also need practice
talking about yourself, listening to how Salesforce professionals speak, and figure
out where you can add value in a Salesforce job. Plus it’s fun to meet people and
make friends!

To Do:
● Make 3-5 Linkedin connections per day (15 minutes per day)
● Have 3-5 info interviews per week

How To:
● Linkedin Connect with 3-5 Salesforce Business Analysts / Admins per day
● Add a Note requesting a 15 min call

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 8: Apply to Jobs
Key Points:
● Getting a job is a numbers game.
● Your goal is to maximize your actions, get feedback on where you need to adjust your
strategy & skills, and repeat.
● Don’t worry about getting the job.
● Your goal is to hit your daily activity goals.

To Do
● Apply for 10-30 jobs per day, 5 days per week (1 hour per day)

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 8: Apply to Jobs
How To
● Recruiters: Find local Salesforce recruiting firms, and reach out to the local recruiter and ask
for a 10 min call to introduce yourself.
○ Mason Frank International
○ Hire On-Demand
○ Tech2 Resources
● Job Application Strategy
○ Create a google sheet to track activity
○ Create a generic (short, simple) Cover Letter you can use to apply to all positions
○ Apply on Indeed.com, DICE.com and Linkedin.com (prioritize that order)
○ For the jobs you want, find the Salesforce professional or hiring manager at the
company on linkedin and reach out to them.
○ Review your numbers every week
Resources
● Salesforce Job Tracker / Project Hunting Example (work in progress)

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 9: Interviews
Key Points:
● Your goal here is to practice your pitch, get feedback and understand the interview process. You’ll
eventually hear all the questions and all the fear will go away. You’ll build up a ton of confidence by being
familiar with the situation and you’ll have practice answering a variety of questions. Once you’ve got enough
practice, your job offers will start rolling in, but you have to go through the process and learn (ie. fail) a
bunch of times.
● Remember, your goal is to practice interviewing, not to get the job.

To do:
● Write down and review the questions after each call
● Write out answers to your tough questions
● Identify where you need to improve (skills, strategy)
● Take 1 action step to improve (write out answer, trailhead, ask a friend)
● Repeat

***LINK to the best article on interviewing, complete with questions, videos and examples:***
https://productgym.io/blogs/product-management-blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-product-manager-interview-question/

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 9: Interviews - How it Works
Round 1: Screening with recruiter
● The goal of the recruiter is to see if you fit the job description. Focus the conversation on the bullet points of the
resume
● Always follow up with a short email. “I enjoyed meeting you today and discussing topic 1, topic 2 and topic 3. I
understand you are looking for x, y and z and with my experience and passion I would be able to meet and exceed
the expectations for this role. If there is an opportunity, I would love to move forward to the next step.”

Round 2: Technical Interview

● The goal here is to make a connection with the interviewer, showcase what it would be like to work together, and
demonstrate your ability to solve problems with Salesforce
● The interviewer is not an interviewing professional
● Focus on asking the interviewer about their role, ask about the challenges they face on projects, brainstorm ways to
approach those challenges
a. How did you get into Salesforce?
b. Tell me about what your day-to-day looks like?
c. What are some of the challenges you face on projects?
d. How have you tried to overcome those challenges? What worked? What didn’t? Have you tried xyz?
e. How do you see your career growing with xyz company?

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Step 9: Interviews - How it Works
Round 3: Hiring Manager
● The goal here is to showcase that you understand what the manager’s needs are and that you are reliable and trustworthy. If you’ve made it
this far, then they already believe you can do the job.
● Pro tip: when the interviewer says “tell me about yourself”, you can respond by asking: “Sure! I’ve found that I have better conversations
when I know what you’re looking for. Could you tell me, what are the top 3 qualities you’re looking for for someone in this role?”. Then, you
design your pitch/story to say those three things.
● Questions
a. What are the top 3 qualities you’re looking for for this role?
b. What gap does this role fill on your team?
c. What are your goals and how does this role fit?
d. What challenges do you currently face when thinking about those goals?

Round 4: Senior Executive

● The goal for this role is to ensure there is a cultural fit. You’ll usually meet with a senior level person / VP / executive.
● If you’ve made it this far, it’s more of a cultural fit thing and comparing experience of a few candidates.
● Your goal is to showcase your passion and cultural fit as well as your ability to add value above and beyond the role. You can also talk about
your 3-5 year career goals and see how the company will support you. You also want the company to support you!
● Questions:
a. What are the company’s and your goal over the next 5 years?
b. What are company’s biggest strengths, weaknesses and challenges?
c. How can individuals contribute to this overall goal?
d. What is mission critical for the company to accomplish to meet its goals?

Created by: Faraz Khan

 The Process, again.

Created by: Faraz Khan

 Resources
Other Resources
● Courses
○ The Salesforce Job Search System = Systems to Success
○ The Salesforce Guide to Landing your 1st Job - BradForce Academy

● YouTube / Influencers
○ Toni Martin - Salesforce Business Analysis Summit
○ Bradley Rice on YouTube - get started in your Salesforce career
○ Bridging the Gap - learning BA skills
○ Natalie Fisher - confidence in yourself & in interviews
○ Product Gym - #1 resource to get a (product manager) job (it’s the same process)
○ David K. Liu

● Groups
○ Facebook: Salesforce for Everyone
○ Trailhead: Salesforce Business Analysts Group
Created by: Faraz Khan
 You got this!

Connect with me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/farazukhan/

Created by: Faraz Khan