MASON FRANK’S 2023-24
CAREERS AND HIRING GUIDE
The ultimate source for the latest career insights, hiring trends, and salaries across the Salesforce universe.
Welcome from our CMO
Kashif Naqshbandi
Foreword
As it nears a quarter of a century leading the way in enterprise software, Salesforce is at one of the most exciting crossroads of its 24-year history right now.
Artificial Intelligence is dominating the agenda, presenting a range of thrilling possibilities with the sort of potential that I’m not sure I’ve seen at any other period of time in the two decades I’ve spent working here.
That brings with it a real sense of excitement. There’s an element of trust and ethics also involved, with our customers relying on us as we sail these unchartered waters together. And while that’s certainly a challenge, it’s also a huge opportunity, one that we are leading the way on and building those capabilities that help support our customers along this journey.
This comes in a variety of different ways. The first is through our partner network, who our customers are really looking towards to help drive that AI strategy for them and with them. It’s very different from a lot of the innovations that we’ve seen in the past, but we’re working closely with our partners to really support them and make sure they have a clear understanding of our AI capabilities, and what we expect from them.
Expand to keep reading more from Nia Samady
Expand to keep reading more from Nia Samady
There’s also an opportunity (and need!) for professionals to be a part of this journey with us. The skills gap in Salesforce faces an increasing need to be addressed. There’s already a depth of Trailhead badges and content around the subject of generative AI that will keep you ahead of the curve as we further embrace the possibilities that AI presents. That then lends itself nicely to gaining certifications and ensuring that you’re able to demonstrate to employers that you’re ready to help them (and reap the rewards this brings).
The current innovations may be new, but they are going to massively transform the way people use the Salesforce platform, as well as how businesses engage with their own customers. I don’t subscribe to the line that it’s going to take over the world and remove thousands and thousands of jobs. What it is going to do is revolutionize existing roles and offer us all the opportunity to work smarter and better.
It’s impossible not to feel excited about that, but it means we all have a responsibility to do our part in order to ensure the ecosystem harnesses its true potential. Businesses have to ask themselves whether they’re doing as much as they can to attract a truly diverse range of candidates into the industry to address the skills gap, while those professionals need to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.
In turn, Salesforce and its partners will be there to support everyone as we enter a truly transformational era in the platform’s evolution.
Executive summary
Welcome to the 2023/2024 edition of our industry-leading Careers and Hiring Guide, crammed with everything you need to know to fly high in your career and build a successful business in the Salesforce universe.
Whether you’re at the start of your Salesforce journey, a pro with many years of experience to your name, or a hiring manager seeking top talent – our exclusive insights will help you to fulfil your personal and professional goals.
Our findings were collated through two main sources: self-reported data from an online survey and statistical analysis of vacancies and placements made by our team at Mason Frank. The result? The most comprehensive compilation of stats, trends, opinions, and insights you will find anywhere in the ecosystem right now.
Let’s delve into some of this year’s key findings, starting with Salesforce certifications.
We know that learning lies at the heart of the Salesforce community, so it’s no surprise to hear that 82% of our survey respondents currently hold a Salesforce certification, up from 78% last year.
So, what have we discovered this year?
Expand to keep reading the thoughts of our President Zoë Morris
Expand to keep reading the thoughts of our President Zoë Morris
Interestingly, 86% of professionals believe certs make you a more valuable candidate. Their value doesn’t end there; on average, those who reported a bump in their salary post-certification received an extra 20% in their take-home pay.
Certifications aside, 94% of Salesforce professionals believe that your years of technical experience are the factor most likely to increase your earnings. Moving to a new employer is another route to boosting your income, with 78% of respondents reporting an increase when making this all-important switch. On the flip side, finding a better company culture was the top reason why professionals would consider taking a pay cut.
Looking specifically at freelance life, our survey tells us that the average contract lasts six months, and a sizeable 59% cite finding new contracts and customers as the number one issue they face. (Our expert insights later in the guide will help you navigate this problem, so read on!)
Let’s focus on what businesses are doing around equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the Salesforce space. Encouragingly, there has been an increase in the proportion of organizations investing resources into EDI initiatives, up from 66% last year to 75% in 2023. Even more positively, 80% of respondents tell us that people of all cultures and backgrounds are respected and valued in their organization, with 72% believing their employer champions equal rights.
This is a small flavor of the findings you can pore over in our latest edition. I hope I’ve piqued your interest and that you find the rest of this guide a helpful resource, whatever your current priorities and long-term ambitions.
Thank you to everyone who completed our survey, as we couldn’t have published this guide without you. Congratulations also go to our prize draw winner, Ben Chute, a Senior Business Analyst from Quebec who holds a whopping seven certifications and won a $500 voucher for participating.
Our Salesforce survey will return very soon, so look out for your chance to contribute and shape discussions in the global Ohana!
Until next time,
Zoë
Zoë Morris
Mason Frank International
What's in this guide?
Exploring training and certifications in the Salesforce universe
Discover the skills you need to master in order to advance your career with Salesforce
Insights for employers and hiring managers: Recruiting and keeping talent
Read the comprehensive guide to attracting and keeping skilled Salesforce professionals
The digital skills gap
Explore the consequences of the skills shortage
Insights for candidates: Career development and the jobs market
Learn how to supercharge your Salesforce career with our industry insights
Equality, diversity, and inclusion
Discover what EDI looks like in the Salesforce universe
Career spotlights
Find out more about some of the most sought-after Salesforce roles
Exploring training and certifications in the Salesforce universe
Discover the skills you need to master to excel with Salesforce
Insights for employers and hiring managers: Recruiting and keeping talent
Read the comprehensive guide to attracting and keeping skilled Salesforce professionals
The digital skills gap
Explore the consequences of the skills shortage
Insights for candidates: Career development and the jobs market
Learn how to supercharge your Salesforce career with our industry insights
Equality, diversity, and inclusion
Discover what EDI looks like in the Salesforce universe
Career spotlights
Find out more about some of the most sought-after Salesforce roles
Want to size up your Salesforce salary against the latest market rates and uncover your earning potential?
About this guide
This report is based on over 130,000 data points, including self-reported survey information from over 1,000 Salesforce professionals worldwide between March and July 2023. Respondents span a range of industries, come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, and include a mix of professionals and hiring managers.
We’ve validated every survey response using robust statistical analysis and automated data validation rules to be included in the final results. Any data that didn’t pass our validation rules and statistical analysis or was deemed questionable, incomplete, or duplicate was removed so that the results published are meaningful and accurate.
The following should be considered when interpreting the data in this report:
- Not all percentages add up to 100% because some questions have multiple-choice answers
- Answers are rounded for single-choice questions, so not all responses will total 100%
- Findings based on a small sample of results (i.e., under 5%) should be taken as indicative only
- For questions that asked for an open (qualitative) response, there may be some overlap in the quotes used to identify the themes, with quotes illustrating more than one theme
- Themes identified when grouping qualitative responses are displayed in no particular order of importance and are purely representative of the answers given
- Respondent views are their own and do not reflect the views of Mason Frank and its employees
Interested in learning more about the demographic profile and the types of organizations our respondents are from?
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the Salesforce ecosystem.