I was first introduced to the Salesforce platform 12 years ago when I moved to Australia. Since then, I have worked as a Salesforce developer, consultant, administrator, and architect in both consulting and end user companies, including some that are multi-national. So you could say I now have a vast and varied experience of the platform! Let me share my Salesforce Journey of Firsts.

My First Certification.
I come from a developer background, so the first natural step on my certification journey was to strive for the Force.com Developer credential. It was the first exam I had taken in many years, and I remember feeling a little anxious. I asked my friends in the community for any tips on passing, and was told that it was not easy, and that many people fail on their first attempt. I worked hard weeks leading up to exam day. I devoted a lot of time going through the exam guide and trying to get my head around all the topics. And then in June 2011, I passed on my first attempt. Wow!

My First Training.
I attended my first Salesforce University training, Administration Essentials for New Admins, back in 2012. For me, it was a real eye opener and gave me a true understanding of what you can really do with the platform. And now, there are even specific courses to help you pass your certifications. The classroom environment, open discussions, and hands-on exercises were invaluable to me in cementing my knowledge of the different topics. I can highly recommend them.

Passing your certifications exams the first time.
Since my certification journey began, I have sat for one exam each year to make sure that my Salesforce skills continue to grow and be validated. But last year, I decided to do something different and sit for six exams, mostly from the Architect track, and I passed all of them on my first attempt. Here are my top tips on how to get it right the first time:

• Target the certification you would like to acquire, and set a realistic date (1-3 weeks for me), making sure you don't have any big projects, events, or deadlines around that time.
• Download the exam guide, and get hands-on in a developer org or sandbox. Bookmark the topics where you feel you are weaker, then concentrate on these.
• Try to keep one day prior to exam day free for final studying and prep. Pay particular attention to your bookmarked topics. Then eat well and go to bed early.
• I tend to choose an exam time slot just before lunch. If you're doing an onsite exam, set an alarm to bring two photo IDs for verification. On the exam day, arrive early, drink plenty of water, say a prayer, and start.
• Read the questions carefully to make sure you understand what is being asked. Mark the ones that you are not 100% sure about.
• Each exam has a specific time limit. Just make sure you do not spend too much time on any one question. For example, the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam has 60 questions to be completed in 90 minutes, so try to accomplish one minute per question for this exam, allowing you enough time to review all your answers, and make any necessary corrections before you hit the all important “Submit” button.

Put maintenance exams first.
One of the best things about the Salesforce certification program is the maintenance exams. I have worked with many other admins, consultants, and architects from various backgrounds, including vendors and Salesforce partners. Even though these professionals have been in the Salesforce ecosystem for many years, after speaking with them, I realized not all of them were aware of the newer Salesforce features. Salesforce has three releases every year with hundreds of features in each release. This made me realize the absolute importance of the Salesforce maintenance exams. We're all busy with our daily lives. A consultant will work on Salesforce implementations for new customers, or enhancements for existing ones. An admin will deal with many daily requests, support issues, and more. A developer is always looking to customize applications to gain efficiencies. With all this noise, it can be easy to forget the importance of the maintenance exams and what a positive impact these feature releases can have on everyday life.

Make getting certified first on your list.
Even if you have years of experience in a number of Salesforce areas, getting certified is one of the best ways to prove that you are an expert in your field. The benchmark is not just within your city, region, or country, but the whole world. It will show that not only do you know a particular aspect of Salesforce inside and out, but you also understand best practices.

And if you're ever looking for a new role, certification is a huge differentiator that puts you above other candidates. Nowadays, business moves fast! Companies are looking for someone who knows the technology well, and will expect their admin, developer, or architect to hit the ground running from day one. Certification is a surefire way to demonstrate you are THE candidate an employer should snap up.

Why I look at certifications first when hiring.
Whenever I conduct an interview for a new candidate, I will look to certification as one of the major deciding points. When an applicant claims to be certified, I first confirm them on the Salesforce Certification verification site. It is vital that the credentials claimed actually exist! I can then rely on the fact that they understand Salesforce well, will be able to implement best practices when joining our team, and can easily manage or configure our Salesforce org. From a consultant standpoint, customers will appreciate that you really do know your stuff if you hold one (or even better, multiple) Salesforce certifications.

I currently hold 12 Salesforce credentials, and don't plan to stop there. I'm charting my way up the Architect track. So I'll see you at the top!

Johan Yu is a Salesforce MVP and an active blogger at simplysfdc.com with hundreds of tips for the Salesforce admin and user. He is also the author of “Salesforce Reporting and Dashboard.” He is based in Singapore and is the Singapore Salesforce User group leader.

Johan's Certifications
Salesforce Certified Force.com Developer June 29, 2011
Salesforce Certified Administrator January 28, 2012
Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator October 14, 2013
Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant December 30, 2014
Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder July 9, 2015
Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Social Specialist June 14, 2016
Salesforce Certified Integration Architecture Designer November 8, 2016
Salesforce Certified Sharing and Visibility Designer November 9, 2016
Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle & Deployment Designer December 6, 2016
Salesforce Certified Data Architecture & Management Designer December 8, 2016
Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I December 27, 2016
Salesforce Certified Application Architect February 1, 2017

If you’ve been inspired by Johan's story, learn more about how you, too, can become a Salesforce Certified Professional.