Everyone remembers what it’s like to be a college intern. I like to sum it up as a time dominated by uncertainty, doubt, and confusion. You filter through job titles and career fields until you find the perfect match. The goal of an internship is to land an opportunity that will strengthen your resume and prepare you for your future career.

Coming into a sales internship, I had no idea what to expect except that I wanted to gain valuable experience and be part of an exciting company with a fun culture. It is hard to pinpoint exactly which skills I will carry on with me from my summer with Think Tech Labs | REthink CRM, except for one. My experience with Salesforce, a leading and innovative CRM that has proven invaluable to all areas of business, without a doubt will help me in the future. The following are three surprising lessons I learned from Salesforce during my summer internship.

1. Top companies use Salesforce, and understanding Salesforce makes my resume that much stronger. 

I had no idea before starting at Think Tech Labs just how many companies utilize Salesforce. Over 100,000 of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies use Salesforce to generate business and close deals in a fast and efficient way. By learning this software, I've made myself a more desirable candidate for a top-performing company.

2. Salesforce is full of valuable data; maintaining updated and accurate records is essential.

One important thing to know about Salesforce is that it helps keep crucial information accurate and up to date. A few of my assigned tasks this summer included cleaning up duplicate records, entering new lead information, and updating client information. As I sorted through thousands of data files, I saw firsthand that old information costs a business time and impedes client relations. It is important—not only for a sales team, but for any businessperson—to maintain a database of current, well-kept records that enable quick, seamless interactions with contacts. The heart of a business relies on updated information and Salesforce, when used correctly, provides just that.

3.    Salesforce and Data.com can play a key role in sales strategy.

The final aspect of Salesforce that I found intriguing and valuable was the Data.com integration. This search engine allows you to access a massive pool of contact information from within Salesforce and then save that contact information into your personal Salesforce account with the click of a button. A large part of my job involved lead generation and inputting contact information, and Data.com made these tasks much easier.

Learning Salesforce has been a fundamental part of my intern experience. It is a skill that will transfer to my future endeavors, especially as the ecosystem of partners on the AppExchange continues to grow. No matter where I end up—whether with a company that uses Salesforce or at one of the 2,300+ AppExchange partners whose products are built on the Salesforce1 platform—Salesforce knowledge is the key takeaway that has made me a valuable candidate. Now, it’s up to me to take this experience and see how I can apply it to my career in the future.