Salesforce for All: The Opportunity You Might be Missing

Authors: Naeem Khalid, Sehar Panjwani, Andrae Bell

The Salesforce for All program was created by a Toronto Salesforce Solution Engineer to address both the high demand for Salesforce-certified talent—and the need for stable employment for refugees and new Canadians. It recently expanded to target disadvantaged and under-represented communities as well.

For certification and training, participants must attend virtual workshops and classes, and fulfill a number of requirements, with the end goal being a career in the Salesforce ecosystem. The program has met with so much success that there are plans to expand it to several different countries.

Our own organization was so impressed by two recent candidates that they were invited to join Diabsolut. We have their stories as well as feedback on the program from their interviewer, our VP of Professional Services.

Naeem Khalid, VP Professional Services:

One of our Salesforce partners approached us about the program and invited us to present a short introduction about us and view presentations by a group of participants. There was a mix of candidates that had all been given high-level requirements to meet, all very new to Salesforce, and a broad mix of about 6-8 companies, including Diabsolut, that would be viewing the presentations.

What was unique about the whole process was that it gave us the chance to see not only how well they understood the material, but their individual personalities. Organizations can then reach out to interview individuals, and we ended up bringing both Sehar and Andrae on board while they finish their training. It was a unique way to find new talent, and something we’ll definitely be participating in again.

Sehar Panjwani, Associate Consultant:

My background is in customer service and sales, but due to Covid, finding work was a struggle. I was aware that Salesforce had opportunities for free training, but it wasn’t until my cousin mentioned the Salesforce for All program that I decided to finally go for it.

Being accepted not only gave me the opportunity to learn something new—it gave me a community of people dealing with similar struggles to learn with. We had daily soft skill meetings and Salesforce skill modules a few days a week, it was all really manageable, and the instructor helped keep us engaged.

The course hasn’t been completely smooth sailing, but if you want to make a change and have a support network to get you through it, this is your chance. If you’re thinking about the program, my best advice is to show up and say yes, people will notice if you put in the effort, and your enthusiasm won’t lead you astray.

Andrae Bell, Associate Consultant:

After spending years in retail and logistics, I ended up being laid off last year due to the pandemic, along with a number of colleagues. My former employer had hired a career coach to help us find new work and they ended up reaching out to me about the program.

The course is broken up in a way that makes it easy for different styles of learning and I started off by downloading the classes—but realized that I really enjoyed the material and if I wanted to get the most out of it, I should be attending them live. When I did everyone was so supportive. There was a family aspect to it, the teacher was great, and people were always willing to offer advice and help.

For people interested in the program, yes, it can be intimidating for a novice. But if you don’t give it a try, you’ll never know what could have come from it. Take the optional opportunities, put in the time, and be patient with yourself. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.

 

Want to know more about Diabsolut and the employment opportunities with the company?
Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to put you in touch with our recruitment team!