How to Be Salesforce Developer - Job Description, Skills, and Interview Questions

Oct 16, 2021 / 5 Minutes Read / By Albert

How to Become

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Salesforce Developers play an important role in building applications on the Salesforce Platform, a cloud-based service that enables businesses to connect with their customers, partners, and employees. As a result of their expertise, companies benefit from increased efficiency, improved customer service, and greater scalability. Salesforce Developers are able to leverage the latest technology trends and tools to create custom solutions that meet the needs of the business and the customers.

By utilizing Salesforces vast array of features and services, Salesforce Developers can help create applications that are secure, reliable, and cost-effective. Salesforce Developers are essential for any organization looking to maximize their ROI with the Salesforce Platform.

Steps How to Become

Get Familiar with the Salesforce Platform. Start by familiarizing yourself with the Salesforce platform, including its features and functionality. Make sure to check out the Salesforce Trailhead platform for interactive tutorials, which will help you understand the platform.
Take the Administrator Certification Exam. The next step is to take the Salesforce Administrator Certification exam, which will demonstrate your knowledge of the Salesforce platform and how to use it.
Learn Apex and Visualforce Programming. Once youve passed the Administrator Certification Exam, you should start learning Apex and Visualforce programming. This will be the foundation for building custom applications on the Salesforce platform.
Take the Developer Certification Exam. After mastering Apex and Visualforce programming, you can take the Salesforce Developer Certification exam to further demonstrate your expertise in the platform.
Join the Developer Community. Once youve become a certified Salesforce developer, you should join the Salesforce developer community and network with other developers. This will help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in Salesforce development and give you access to valuable resources.
Build Apps on the AppExchange. Finally, you can start building apps on the AppExchange and making them available to Salesforce customers. This is a great way to showcase your skills and increase your profile in the Salesforce developer community.

The demand for qualified and skilled Salesforce Developers has grown exponentially in recent years, as businesses become increasingly reliant on Salesforce technology to streamline their operations. Companies are on the hunt for those who possess the right combination of technical knowledge, industry experience, and customer-focused problem-solving abilities. To become a successful Salesforce Developer, one must possess strong coding skills, be familiar with various Salesforce platforms such as Lightning, Apex, Visualforce, and Java, and be able to develop efficient solutions to meet customer needs.

it is important to have effective communication and collaboration skills to work successfully with other teams and stakeholders in the company. With these qualities, Salesforce Developers have the power to create innovative solutions that drive business success.

You may want to check Front-End Developer, Web Developer, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) Developer for alternative.

Job Description

Design, develop, test and deploy custom Salesforce solutions using Apex, Visualforce, Lightning and other technologies.
Design, develop, and troubleshoot custom Salesforce integrations.
Build custom Lightning components and apps.
Create and maintain data models and application architectures.
Create and maintain reports and dashboards.
Identify and implement solutions to user requirements.
Develop custom solutions to automate business processes.
Support end users in their use of Salesforce.
Analyze data to identify trends and suggest solutions.
Work with stakeholders to define scope and priorities for projects.

Skills and Competencies to Have

Apex and Visualforce development
Salesforce declarative customization (Workflows, Process Builder, Lightning App Builder)
Understanding of Salesforce architecture and data model
Experience with SOQL and SOSL
Experience with Salesforce APIs, including REST/SOAP/Bulk
Working knowledge of Salesforce security model and best practices
Strong communication and problem-solving skills
Experience using source control tools such as Git, SVN, etc.
Ability to troubleshoot and debug code
Understanding of the software development life cycle (SDLC)

Being a Salesforce Developer requires a wide range of skills, but the most important one is the ability to think critically. Having a solid understanding of the Salesforce platform and its various components, such as workflows, Apex classes, and Visualforce pages, is essential for any successful Salesforce Developer. By understanding the basics of the platform, a developer can then apply their knowledge to create innovative solutions that can help an organization reach its goals.

problem-solving and communication skills are invaluable for effectively working with stakeholders to understand their requirements and turn them into functional solutions. Finally, an understanding of different programming languages, such as HTML and JavaScript, is necessary for customizing existing Salesforce applications and creating entirely new ones. With these skills, a Salesforce Developer can create powerful applications that can be used to maximize efficiency and increase the effectiveness of a business.

QA Automation Developer, Embedded Software Developer, and AI Developer are related jobs you may like.

Frequent Interview Questions

What experience do you have developing custom applications on the Salesforce platform?
How have you used Salesforce to improve customer experience?
What do you consider the most important aspects of a Salesforce development project?
What challenges have you encountered while working with Salesforce and how did you resolve them?
Describe your experience with Apex, Visualforce, and Lightning Components.
How have you used data migration tools such as the Data Loader and workbench for data import/export?
What techniques do you use for troubleshooting errors or bugs in Salesforce applications?
How do you stay up to date with the latest Salesforce releases and features?
How do you ensure that data is secure and compliant with industry standards?
Describe a project that you completed on the Salesforce platform that you are particularly proud of.

Common Tools in Industry

Salesforce AppExchange. A cloud-based marketplace for apps and components that can be used to extend the functionality of Salesforce. (e. g. Expense Management, Document Builder, etc. )
Salesforce Sandbox. A testing environment used to develop and test Salesforce applications without affecting production data. (e. g. creating a new application or changing existing processes)
Salesforce CLI. A command line interface (CLI) used to manage Salesforce orgs, code, and metadata. (e. g. deploy code, create scratch orgs, etc. )
Salesforce Apex. A strongly typed, object-oriented programming language used to develop custom applications on the Salesforce platform. (e. g. creating custom triggers, building custom visualforce pages, etc. )
Salesforce Workbench. A web-based tool used to manage and develop Salesforce applications. (e. g. creating custom objects, editing data, running queries, etc. )
Salesforce DX. A set of tools used to create and manage source-driven development for Salesforce applications. (e. g. creating scratch orgs, managing source code and metadata, etc. )
Salesforce Lightning. A component-based framework used to develop applications for desktop and mobile devices. (e. g. creating mobile applications, building custom components, etc. )

Professional Organizations to Know

Salesforce Developer Group
Salesforce User Group
Salesforce Platform Developer Group
Salesforce Women in Tech
Salesforce Saturday
Salesforce MVP Program
Salesforce Trailblazer Community
Women Who Code
Salesforce Developer Network
Salesforce Developer Forum

We also have IOS Developer, Database Developer, and Full-Stack Developer jobs reports.

Common Important Terms

Apex. Apex is an object-oriented programming language used to develop custom applications on the Salesforce platform.
Visualforce. Visualforce is a framework for developing webpages and applications on the Salesforce platform.
SOQL. SOQL stands for Salesforce Object Query Language and is used to query data stored in Salesforce databases.
SOSL. SOSL stands for Salesforce Object Search Language and is used to search data stored in Salesforce databases.
Lightning Component Framework. The Lightning Component Framework is a component-based user interface framework for building web applications on the Salesforce platform.
Custom Objects. Custom Objects are custom database tables that can be created in Salesforce to store custom data.
Triggers. Triggers are a type of Apex code that execute when an event occurs, such as when a record is created or updated.
Force. com IDE. The Force. com IDE is an integrated development environment (IDE) used to develop custom applications on the Salesforce platform.
AppExchange. AppExchange is a marketplace for apps, components, and services on the Salesforce platform.
Process Builder. Process Builder is a tool for creating automated processes on the Salesforce platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Salesforce Developer salary range?

Salaries for Salesforce Developers typically range from $75,000 - $140,000 per year.

What type of skills are necessary to become a Salesforce Developer?

Skills necessary to become a Salesforce Developer include coding in languages such as Apex, Visualforce, Java, JavaScript, and HTML, familiarity with Salesforce platform components, and experience with database systems such as SQL.

How many certifications are available for Salesforce Developers?

There are currently 10 certifications available for Salesforce Developers, including Developer I, Developer II, Platform App Builder, and Platform Developer I.

How long does it take to become certified as a Salesforce Developer?

The amount of time it takes to become certified as a Salesforce Developer varies depending on experience level and the certification being pursued. Generally, it takes an average of 6-12 months to acquire certification.

What is the Salesforce AppExchange?

The Salesforce AppExchange is an online marketplace where customers can find applications, components, and services that extend the functionality of their Salesforce org. It includes over 5,000 solutions from more than 3,000 partners.