Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we’ve got Michele Corwin, Senior Salesforce Platform Administrator at Integrate. We learn how she transitioned from a career in banking and finance into the Salesforce ecosystem.
Join us as we talk about how Michele got her first Salesforce admin job through the community, how volunteering played an important role by giving her hands-on experience, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to apply for something even if you don’t have all of the qualifications.
You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Michele Corwin.
Michele is a Salesforce admin and a career transitioner, moving to her new role from her previous job in banking and finance. “A lot of clients were in IT,” she says, “if there was a sector that I completely did not understand, it was IT. So I would say if I can do it, anyone can do it.”
When Michele’s career stalled out, she started looking at other options. She knew she loved helping people and solving problems, so she decided to take that and look at job descriptions in any industry, regardless of title. “Everything that I kept finding that I loved what the core work was mentioned Salesforce,” she says, “and that’s how it all started for me.”
Michele’s next step was to connect through a family friend to someone how worked as a Salesforce consultant, which led her to Trailhead. She immediately fell in love with every aspect of it, not just the platform but the community around it, which she connected to through a Women in Tech meetup in Indianapolis.
The next challenge was how Michele could get her foot in the door. “Everyone wants one to two year’s experience — how do I do that when I can’t get in?” She went to the community to offer her skills for free in exchange for some hands-on experience and got connected with Indy Lost Pet Alert, which had a free Salesforce instance and didn’t know what to do with it. “I got to build it myself with no other resources but myself and Trailhead,” she says.
After six months of job applications, Michele landed her first full-time Salesforce position in November 2019, but she only got to spend three months in her physical office. “One thing that really helped me was that I didn’t not put in for things just because they wanted two or three years,” she says. While the job she landed wanted someone with more experience, she felt her other skills would make her a good fit.
In January 2021, however, Michele’s LinkedIn started blowing up. “You’re in an industry that is open to all sectors,” she says, “which is so powerful.” She ended up taking 19 interviews, and ended up with 3 offers that all met her requirements. Along the way, keeping her LinkedIn up-to-date was key in making sure she popped up on recruiters’ radars. “Don’t underestimate yourself, don’t be afraid to get out there and do it,” she says, “when I was in it, it felt like it took an eternity, but it’s only been two to three years since I heard the word Salesforce and asked, ‘What is it?’.”
Gillian Bruce: Welcome to the Salesforce Admins Podcast, where we talk about product, community and careers to help you be an awesome admin. I’m your host, Gillian Bruce. And today we have a very inspiring story for you, whether you are thinking about switching your career, mid career or if you were thinking about trying to get your first admin job or help someone else get their first Salesforce admin job, this podcast is for you today.
We are joined by Michelle Corwin, who is now a senior Salesforce platform administrator. She has an incredible career story that took place just over the last couple of years. And she’s got some mazing things to share with you to help you with your career transition, your first admin job search, all kinds of great nuggets. So, without further ado, let’s welcome Michelle to the podcast. Michelle, welcome to the podcast.
Michelle Corwin: Thank you for having me.
Gillian Bruce: Well, it’s not often we have a Salesforce superhero joining us on the pod. So, I’m very happy to have you here with us today. I would love to introduce you a little bit to our audience. Can you tell us what you do and then give us a brief intro to maybe some of your journey and then we’ll talk a little bit more about that.
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. Perfect. So, I’m a Salesforce administrator and I am also a career transitioner. So, I transitioned from a career in banking and finance. So, the most recently, like private client banking and hit a spot in my life where it was like, what am I doing? Do I like this? Do I enjoy it? And it all went from there.
Gillian Bruce: Okay. So, you’re a Salesforce administrator now. Congratulations. That is awesome.
Michelle Corwin: Thank you.
Gillian Bruce: I would love to know… Let’s talk a little bit about your journey because one of the things I’d love to talk about today to help some of our listeners, maybe who might be mid career transitioners themselves. Talk to me a little bit more about your decision to make that move. Because I mean, banking to Salesforce admin, that is quite a difference. Can you tell me a little bit more about your motivation behind that?
Michelle Corwin: Sure. And it’s actually ironic too because with a lot of my clients, a lot of them were in IT and I was always like, “I don’t understand what you do.” If there was a sector that I completely did not understand, it was IT. So, I would say, if I can do it, anyone can do it. I have no IT background at all. I loved what I did and I loved helping people and I loved problem solving. And if someone came in and was a problem to solve, that was the highlight of my day, right?
Because I get to take something that’s horrible and frustrating and turn that around and make it something great and then I’m the superhero, right? I’m the person that fixed everything. And that’s my way of giving back and how I give value. And I loved those pieces of it but I had been in banking and finance so long and I was frankly just bored. I was really at the top place that I could go in my career. There wasn’t a lot of upper movement. I had some career options either go to a financial advisor that really wasn’t just right for me, I didn’t want to be stuck in one city, in one place with this clientele for 30 years.
That’s just what my family didn’t see for our lives. And I just hit a point and I said, “You know what? I’m going to start looking through job descriptions,” right? “And I’m going to take what I know I live and I’m not putting any filters on it. I’m not saying it’s going to be banking. I’m not saying it’s going to be this. I’m not saying…” I literally just opened window job prescriptions.
And everything that I kept finding that I loved with the core work was mentioned Salesforce. And I was like, “What in the heck is Salesforce,” had no idea, never heard of it. So, that just started the journey of I started researching online. I went to Salesforce, this website, I started going on LinkedIn and just searching for anyone that was in that space that I could talk to and learn more. So, that’s how it all started for me.
Gillian Bruce: You say you reverse engineered finding a Salesforce career path. That is incredible to me. So, I mean, were you just putting the search terms that you mentioned of the things that you like like problem solving, helping people?
Michelle Corwin: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So, instead of focusing on title, I tried to really think of what do I like doing in my day? What is the part about my day in my job that I like? To try to find those skills that I could bring into something else, right? Because I was open to, well, maybe it’s not in banking, maybe it’s not in finance, maybe it’s somewhere else but what’s that core value that I can bring.
Gillian Bruce: That’s amazing. It is truly, truly awesome. Okay. So, then you discovered the Salesforce thing and you start getting dialed into resources that are online, you start connecting to folks, I’m assuming via probably like a LinkedIn or something like that?
Michelle Corwin: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Gillian Bruce: How did you bridge that from learning and connecting with folks to actually looking for a job and getting trained up? Tell me a little bit about that journey.
Michelle Corwin: Sure. So, in the next step of, it was where those things when you start going down the right path, things start falling in place, right? I had a family friend that actually had a business relationship in a whole other city with someone who was a Salesforce consultant. And she had mentioned me to her and was like, “Oh my gosh, she would be amazing at this. I would love to talk to her.” And that was Vivian roles in what I spoke with her, she was like, “Hey, have you heard of Trailhead?” I was like, “Nope.”
So, she’s the one that armed me with Trailhead. And once I got in there and just started going through the system and the community and I literally just fell in love with every aspect of it, with how open it is and that blew me away. And then the software itself blew me away. If I could have had this as a private client banker, my job would have been 20,000 times easier and more productive and the whole community, right? And I just fell in love with it. And I knew immediately, this is what I want to do.
And I just started on Trailhead. I started learning as much as I could there. And then I started getting involved with the community as much as I could. I started asking people, “Where can I go? What can I do? I found out about the Indy women in tech group.” And that was my first meeting locally in the community. So, that was that second phase, right? Was getting plugged into the community, getting started on Trailhead and just getting as much exposure to anything Salesforce that I could.
Gillian Bruce: Okay. So, you’re making actual in-person connections with the community in Indianapolis, which I know is a very vibrant Salesforce community.
Michelle Corwin: Yes. They’re great.
Gillian Bruce: I mean, we even have a Salesforce hub out there. So, I know there’s tons of Salesforce people in that neck of the woods. Tell me a little bit about how… I mean, at this point and you’re still working as in private banking, correct? You still have your regular job.
Michelle Corwin: Yes. Yes. So, this whole time, I was still working. I had moved from Texas to Indianapolis actually during this transition time. So, I started looking when I was in Texas. I moved from Texas to Indianapolis, kept looking where I was here, joined a bank here while I was still trying to learn everything that I could and get plugged in. I went to my first Salesforce meeting was the Indy women in tech meeting. And Liz Hellinger was doing a meeting on negotiation, right?
And I thought it was really ironic. I’m like, “I’m doing this being on negotiation.” And I was like, “I have never even had a job in Salesforce.” I was like, “I just want the job.” But I took notes and really took everything in which came into play for me later. And then just started trying to plug in here and then started really look and say, “Okay. How can I get into this role,” right? And one thing that became very evident was, okay, everybody wants one to two years experience. How do I do that when I can’t get in?
So, I quickly became overwhelmed, right? Of, gosh, I want this so bad but everybody wants something. So, I went to the community and I put out and said, “I want hands-on experience. These are things that I’m good at and I’m passionate about animals, pets and music. If you know anybody in that realm that needs help with Salesforce, I’m down, I will do it for free.” And so, then I got connected with a wonderful group of people that run Indy Los Pedaler in Indy. And they had actually been given a Salesforce instance and like one of the hackathons or something like that but they didn’t know anybody who knew anything to do with it. And so, I got to help them.
Gillian Bruce: So, they had the shiny new toy and they didn’t know how to use it. And you’re like, “Cool.” So, I love your mission and I want to use Salesforce. So, this is a fantastic meeting of everyone’s desires at one point. That’s amazing.
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. It was perfect. It was a win-win. And then I got to build it from scratch with no other resource but myself and Trailhead. So, it was a wonderful first experience, right? I know so much more now but just being able to learn how to create an app, learn how to work in service cloud, learn how to work in nonprofit cloud. I got exposure that way. So, then, I did that while trying to find the first role.
Gillian Bruce: So, one thing I’d love to talk a little bit about there. Let’s just pause for a second in your story is having that gap of a lot of people who are transitioning into being a Salesforce admin encountered the same problem of everybody wants a few years of experience in order to just get that first job. And it’s puts you in a tough spot because you’re like, “Well, no, I’m trying to get that first job. I don’t have that experience yet because I am trying to get it. And I promise that I will learn,” so.
And one of the things that we often hear is people volunteering basically for a nonprofit or something like that in order to get this experience under their belt. But then, it does create a little bit of an issue, right? Because then what happens when you leave? So, can you talk to us a little bit about what you set up for that organization and are you still helping them? How have you set them up for success now that you have successfully gotten your first admin job?
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. So, I initially had helped them get everything set up and then it was all also around a project of a new website launch and all this other things that were going into it. And then COVID hit, right? So, we launched the new website, everything happened, COVID hit, things come down a little bit. And then during that time, they were also transitioning where Indy humane society was going to be absorbing the Indy Los pet because it had grown so big that volunteers that we had access to, we couldn’t keep it running anymore.
It just had gotten so big. So, in part of them taking it over, I took meetings and took time with the person that was going to be taking it over and just showed them how to do some basic admin but how to do all of the operations that we got set up and transitioned it over to them. I would have absolutely stayed on and, and help them, build it out but it really did what they needed and it was fairly easy to transition it to them.
Gillian Bruce: I think it’s a very important point to hit on. You then trained and enabled somebody else to continue the work because oftentimes, we have people who dip in for, “Hey, let’s do a quick project for a non-profit because they want experience,” and then later, “Bye. Have fun.”
Michelle Corwin: Oh yeah. No. I was so far deep. I mean, I was so passionate about it. I think that really matters too, right? Don’t pick something to help with something you don’t care about because you’re not going to give it your all. I was very passionate about that in their mission and what they did. And I mean, I put so much into it, because I wanted to make it amazing for them.
So, they’re giving you a chance do right by them. And that became a great relationship. I mean, that the president of that nonprofit was the first person who put probably the best recommendation on LinkedIn I’ve ever had in my life, is Michelle Vickery. And she put that on my LinkedIn and really detailed out what I did to help them. And I know that that was crucial going forward when people went back and looked at that.
Gillian Bruce: That’s awesome. That’s fantastic. Okay. So, you’re working with this non-profit, you’re actually getting that hands-on experience with Salesforce, you are transitioning to the new structure that that nonprofit has. And you also described when COVID hits. So, tell me a little bit then what happens with your admin job search?
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. So, I kind of right before I actually got my first full-time role at PSI services in November of 2019. And so, of course, March 20 is when everything really hit the fan, right? So, I was in my physical new job office for three, four months. But before that time throughout, I would say it was probably maybe six months before that time I was at the bank working the non-profit and then I was just putting job applications everywhere, right? I mean, at first, I was looking around here. There wasn’t really anything I could find that I was qualified for the entry level, right? Entry levels, it was hard to find.
And I told my husband, I was like, “I want this so bad that I am putting in…” I made sure it was okay with him. But I said, “I’m going to put in for a job anywhere that’s entry level in this country. I don’t have to care if I have to sleep in my car because I can’t maintain two households. I don’t care. I got to get this first job,” right? And fortunately after a few companies, I actually got in and got to the interview phase and I got to one and was down to the last two and that went to somebody else that was in the Indy area.
And then, I think I had one more and I just wasn’t where they needed to be. And I just kept trying to remember in my mind, I had someone early on in this journey. So, when I had talked to about Salesforce that said, “In the beginning, take every call, take every conversation, take every interview, take everything because you’ll learn a lot from that.”
And it was true during those different interviews and different people I talked to and even if it wasn’t the right fit or wasn’t the thing or I didn’t have enough of what they needed yet. I think all of that build in eventually and I ended up interviewing with PSI and a lot of the value that I could bring, overshadowed the fact that I wasn’t quite a hundred percent there on what they needed for experience yet. And so, they were willing to put that time into me.
Gillian Bruce: That’s fantastic. So, let’s talk about that a little bit too. What are some things that helped you get that? First of all, because as you said, you maybe didn’t meet all of the technical requirements that they had. What were some of the things that you think that you conveyed that helped convince them that you’re the right person to hire?
Michelle Corwin: Yes. Great question. And it’s really a great point that I think one thing that really helped me was I didn’t not put in for things just because the fact that they put two, three years. So, the job that I ended up getting, they were looking for someone that was two to three years, had some different things, maybe they were looking for Apex and they were looking for this and looking for that, that wasn’t the job description. I still put in for it.
And I still ended up getting it because at the end of the day, I think it was very important to focus on what strengths do I have, what value and skillset can I bring from my journey, my career, right? Because I think if you meet those core ideas and culture and same train of thought that that leadership is looking for, you can learn some of the Salesforce stuff, right? You can skill up, you can take classes, you can do Trailhead, you can do whatever. So, if you aren’t as heavy on the experience side, focus on you and be honest to you and what you’re looking for because you’ll end up finding that right fit. And I think the right fit is more important than just telling people what they want to hear.
Gillian Bruce: Yeah. I mean, you have so much experience from I’ll be at a different industry but a lot of experience already to bring that and wasn’t necessarily Salesforce. So, I think that’s important to highlight like, “Hey, don’t throw that all away. That’s still very evil.”
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. And you really never know what it is. So, the funny thing about that interview, I was nervous because I had already done stuff for the nonprofit and I was proud of that. And I talked about what I had done but obviously, some of my terminology around Salesforce was you can tell I’m new to it. But some things that I brought was I am great at talking with executive leadership. I am great at diving. I’ve been doing financial planning. So, if I can get people to trust me with their money, they pretty much trust me with anything, right?
So, I’m able to have those conversations and it is very similar to business analysis, right? So, I was able to let them envision that I’m able to do that because of other things that I’ve done. And then, to that company and my leader that was doing the interview, security was probably a hundred percent top of mind. And I just made a comment of, “Yeah. When I leave for the day, I even unplugged the fax machine because I don’t know if somebody is going to send something over that has client information that maybe the janitor might pick up.” And she was like, “Wow, do we do that?” That has nothing to do with Salesforce, right? Nothing. But it’s just you never know what’s going to resonate with someone, I think.
Gillian Bruce: Yeah. Well, I mean, you talked about some what we “traditionally” talk about as soft skills, right? Executive communication ability to work partner with executive leadership, being a security-minded person. I mean, hey, unplugging the fax machine machine may not have any direct correlation to Salesforce but it shows that you think about security very core important to you and how you do your work. And I think that that’s so important to any admin.
So, I mean, to your point, those are things that regardless of if you’re in the Salesforce ecosystem or not, it makes, those are things that speak to your ability to get the right kind of job done. So, I think that that’s very great to highlight. Something that I would also really love to talk about. So, you got this job at PSI, you’re getting your experience. That’s great. You mentioned something to me when we were prepping for this call that-
Michelle Corwin: Oh gosh. No.
Gillian Bruce: Now. But hey, now is a great time to get a job as an admin. Can you talk about that a little bit more and recap that a little bit and share with the listeners?
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. So, I knew like, “Hey, I’m starting to feel like there’s more that I want to learn, want to have more experience with an org that has more. I was already in a complex org but I knew in the next maybe year or so, I would probably look for more to keep that learning path, right? But I didn’t have my mindset on that. And in January, probably about mid-January, there was just one day I don’t know what switch flip happened. And my LinkedIn just started getting blown up. I mean, more messages, calls, emails. I had to get a Google number because I couldn’t keep up with all the recruiters spam that was trying to come at me.
I had to put that on my resume. And I started getting all these messages and I’m like, “What is happening? What in the world is happening?” And I think I probably was averaging 10 recruiters messaging me a day through LinkedIn and that wasn’t even the email and the Google calls. And I started thinking about it and I was like, “You know what? I really feel like everyone in 2020 put a hold,” right? They were like, “Okay. This is going to end. We’re waiting on COVID. We’ll wait another three more months to do what we need to do.”
And I really think January came around and everybody realized this isn’t going anywhere. We have got to find out how to do business around this, right? And then I’m sure there was some strategic changes that happened that warranted, okay, maybe we need to bring on additional people to focus on this side of the business. And it essentially started this crazy story remote for the next I would say in the course of two to three weeks with the calls of the people I had talked to. I had 19 interviews for new positions and that was none of the spam recruiters, that was me already having a good idea of what I wanted and what I was looking for.
And I don’t want to waste anybody’s time. So, if I knew it was something that I’m like, “Hey, I’m not looking for that,” I would let them know like, “Hey, I’m not looking for that.” And it really blew my mind because in I would say around May of 2020, I was on furlough for a couple months. So, I went from get hired in November, COVID hits in March, furloughed around April, May time, come back to PSI. And then, January, February, I’m just getting blown up. It was so crazy.
Gillian Bruce: What a wild ride, I mean?
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. This is in my first year and a half in Salesforce. Yeah.
Gillian Bruce: All the extremes.
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. Yeah. I can withstand anything but I was thinking about it today. I’m like, “You know what though? I have zero doubt in my mind that no matter what happens today, I’m in an industry that I can get a job tomorrow.” That brings such a peace of mind to me and my family to know that the skillset I have, I do not have to worry if something happens with my company I’m at or whatever it may be because you’re in an industry that is open to all sectors, which is so powerful.
Gillian Bruce: I think that is a very, very important point. And just to close your career story or bring us up to where we are now. So, after your 19 interviews, did you get a new job?
Michelle Corwin: Yes. So, I took all the interviews. I took my own advice, right? I talked to everyone and through that process, I would say the most important advice I could give was I was a hundred percent true to me, a hundred percent true to what I value and a hundred percent true to what I needed for that next chapter for me, whether it was work, whether it was the compensation package, whatever it was. And I actually during that process was like, “Oh, I have this role. I’m obviously at a different level now. I have people telling me this is the pay ranges for these positions.”
And at one point, I felt like, “Wow, can I even really ask for that?” And I started thinking back to the negotiation first meeting that I had with Liz and I pulled my notes out for that. And some of the keynotes were, I remember, it’s not just about money, what do I want? What are my negotiables? What are my non-negotiables? Well, I got used to working from home and I loved it. So, that was non-negotiable. If you’re not going to offer me work from home, I’m not doing it.
And some of those things, I started looking at it and I communicated that through the whole process. So, no surprises. I’m not springing it on anybody at the end, was very open and honest about it. And then, when it came to salary, I had met Angela Mahoney, which I loved, I had actually interviewed with her company, ended up through a weird scenario like not getting that position but stayed in touch with her.
And I messaged her one day and I said, “Okay. I don’t know if I’m allowed to ask this,” right? “But where do you think I could ask for a salary range?” I’m doing this other process, you’ve met me, you’ve interviewed me, you’ve been through the process with me and she gave me a range and it was in a similar range. And I felt really validated, like, “Wow. Okay. Holy cow.” So, I can’t ask for this. So, when I did my interviews, I actually… Hopefully, nobody from my company’s listening, asked for a little bit more than that. And-
Gillian Bruce: That’s what you’re supposed to do. I think that’s our like we’re all supposed to do that, whether we knew it already or not. You learn that lesson at some point.
Michelle Corwin: So, I asked for a little bit over not crazy amount over but asked for a little bit over and crazily the way the timing worked out, I ended up with three offers over the same weekend and all of them were willing to give me what I wanted. So, it was a matter of picking which one I felt lined up with what I needed professionally and personally. And so, I went with Integrate, which is who I’m with now.
Gillian Bruce: That’s awesome. Well, congratulations Michelle.
Michelle Corwin: Thank you.
Gillian Bruce: That is very cool. So, I mean, some of the things that I think were were important to highlight from what you just shared was, I mean, you’ve mentioned all of a sudden something clicked and you got a ton of attention and you mentioned some of the elements that I think are totally completely understandable, right? People realize, “Hey, this new normal is not new anymore. This is the normal.” And if we haven’t already gone through some digital transformation, now is the time because this is the way the business is going to get done.
So, we need people to help us make that successful, which, “Hey, Salesforce admins and your view.”
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
Gillian Bruce: So, I think it’s really interesting perspective. And I think as even though we’re part way through the year here, I mean, are you seeing a similar energy around Salesforce admin jobs from your perspective?
Michelle Corwin: Yes. So, I still get hit up, not to the magnitude that happened January, February because I think that was literally first quarter budgeting court planning, right? And everybody went like, “Ooh, we got to figure this out. We can’t put it on hold anymore.” But I definitely am still seeing a lot of emails, a lot of calls, a lot of LinkedIn messages, a lot of opportunity that’s out there. And I think if I could say the things that I did that helped put me in a position for when that happened January, February, was I never stopped keeping my LinkedIn up-to-date.
I never stopped every once in a while I’d go back and look at it and be like, “Do I like how this is portraying me? Does this match what I’m looking for? Do I have my things up-to-date?” And one thing that I did was in my most recent position, I gave a really good description, bulleted idea of what I do in that role on my LinkedIn. So, it didn’t have to be every role, right? It’s not the whole resume, it’s not meant to replace that but I did that. And then I had a really good just paragraph and that about me section of what I do now, what I’m looking for, what’s my next step.
And that was also something that was talked about in the meeting that Liz had done in that first meeting was a little bit about LinkedIn. You’ve got to show… People can’t just look at your LinkedIn and assume what you’re doing, right? I mean, Salesforce admin, as you know can be really broad. You can have some business analysis that you’re doing that maybe you may not be in your title. So, really painting that picture of what’s important to you, how you help and what you’re looking for, I think is crucial.
Gillian Bruce: I think that’s great, great advice, Michelle. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I think that this is incredibly helpful for anyone who’s thinking about maybe looking for that next job or trying to get their first admin job. So, I really want to thank you so much for sharing all of your lessons and your advice with us. Is there any one last or a couple of last things you’d love to leave the listeners with?
Michelle Corwin: Yeah. I mean, I would say, don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t be afraid to get out there and do it. And I’m a perfectionist. So, I, in the beginning I got very discouraged, right? I’m never going to get this. It’s never going to happen. I can’t find that entry role I’m getting told, no, just keep going, focus on building the blocks. We’ve already talked about what some of those things are, keep working on that, keep working towards it. Be true to yourself. Be honest and it’ll all start building on each other and you’ll find one day you’ll look back.
Like when I was in it, it literally felt like it took an eternity. But everything that I’m talking about that has happened has literally happened in the last two to three years. It’s only been a two to three year time span since I heard the word Salesforce and said, “What is it?” So, looking back a hundred percent worth it. And if anyone can do it, I literally could not have even… When I had clients tell me, “I’m in IT,” I’m I’m clueless, right? I’m like, “What do you do? I don’t even understand what you do.”
So, if I can go from there to here, anybody can do it. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in and what better way to do it than Salesforce and Trailhead and not go pay $5 million for college. I’m not saying don’t go to college if that’s your journey. I’m just saying I did college, bachelor’s, everything you feel you’re supposed to do, busted my butt in an industry for a very long time. And I would say I’ve probably already increased my salary by three to four times from what I was doing there.
Gillian Bruce: Wow. That’s awesome. That’s awesome.
Michelle Corwin: So, sky’s the limit.
Gillian Bruce: Michelle, amazing way to wrap up this conversation. I am so excited also to see what you do next because clearly, you are on a very propelled trajectory. So, congratulations on your success so far and thank you so much for sharing and helping others with their journeys as well.
Michelle Corwin: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.
Gillian Bruce: Huge thanks to Michelle for taking the time to chat with me. I’m inspired. I hope you’re inspired as well. I mean, she shared so many great messages, especially about finding, not only finding but getting recruited to be a Salesforce admin within the last very tough year and a half at this point. I mean, what an incredible thing to reverse engineer your way into finding Salesforce career path and then getting recruited in the age of COVID. I mean, what an incredible very positive story for us all to listen to.
Some of the great nuggets I got from our conversation that I think will help anyone, listener, if you are like I said, a mid career transition or looking for your first admin job was first of all, getting connected with the community. I know we’ve talked about this before but it was so instrumental for Michelle to get actually connected with people in her local community that are in the Salesforce ecosystem that then helped connect her with others.
I mean, some of the conversations and names that she mentioned were instrumental to her growing and getting her first admin job. Another thing I thought that was really interesting that she shared was volunteering your Salesforce time. Not just to help out a nonprofit but to get that experience and adding value in a really real way. Now, it doesn’t always have to be a nonprofit you volunteer for. I like how Michelle talked about finding a combination of her passions.
She was passionate about animals and music and wanted a way to use Salesforce in that capacity. And she found an organization that could really use her help. And not only did she help that organization but very important, she left that organization set up to succeed by training the next person to take over her role. So, it’s very important to remember as you volunteer your services when you’re trying to get that one to three years of hands-on experience that every employer seems to want when you’re looking for your first admin job.
Another amazing thing that I think Michelle mentioned that was very important was the art of negotiation. It’s very important to do that no matter what job and industry you’re in is always negotiating for yourself. And always having that passion to help people is what helped her realize that what she was doing in banking industry was going to help her in this new arena of being a Salesforce admin. So, don’t throw away all of that experience you have in another industry in another role because that absolutely makes you instrumental in terms of getting that first Salesforce admin job or any other job, right?
She talks about how her security mindedness, her passion for helping other solve problems. These are things that she conveyed in her interview processes that helped her get hired. So, don’t discount your experience even if it’s not in the Salesforce ecosystem. Okay. I could go on and on. You just listen to Michelle. She’s amazing. If you want to learn more about being an awesome admin, please make sure to go to admin.salesforce.com, where you can find blogs, events, videos, so much great content there to help you in your journey to be an awesome admin.
If you like what you hear on the podcast, I highly encourage you to leave us a review. You can review us on Apple podcast or your wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us some stars. We’d love to know what you think. And if you want to find our incredible guest today, Michelle, on the social medias, you can find her on Twitter. She’s @michellecorwin. That’s just her name, no space in between the first and last. You can find myself at @gilliankbruce and our other amazing host of this podcast, Mike Gerhold, @mikegerhold. I hope you enjoyed this episode and we’ll catch you next time in the cloud.
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