Veterans Day is a day of reflecting and honoring military veterans that have served in the United States Armed Forces. At Salesforce we don’t just say, “Thank you for your service.” We show our support of veterans by investing in training and career support to help them transition to rewarding civilian careers.
In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, when technology is blurring the line between the physical and digital worlds, many types of jobs will disappear while entirely new categories of jobs emerge. Salesforce and its ecosystem of partners will drive an estimated 4.2 million new jobs by 2024, and the Salesforce Military Program enables the military community to be first in line.
In honor of Veterans Day, we are proud to celebrate the five-year anniversary of our commitment to the military community. Salesforce Military solidifies our ongoing investment in this diverse and dedicated community of veterans, service members, and military spouses by upskilling them to work in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Trailhead Military is a Salesforce workforce development program that provides an onramp for the military community to tap into the booming Salesforce economy of high demand, high paying tech careers. Trailhead is Salesforce’s free, online learning platform that empowers anyone to skill up for the future and learn in-demand skills that lead to top jobs. Through Trailhead Military, members also have the opportunity to take classes and earn up to 13 certifications for free. Learn more by visiting Salesforce Military.
Meet a Salesforce Military Trailblazer
AJ Sawhney is one of the over 20,000 (and growing) Trailblazers in the Salesforce Military community. After AJ completed six years of service in the Army National Guard, he gravitated towards a civilian job in tech. After finding hundreds of job listings with “Salesforce” in the titles and wondering what those jobs were, AJ joined Salesforce Military, hit the trail on Trailhead, earned free Salesforce certifications, and landed a job in the Salesforce ecosystem.
He credits much of his success to networking and building relationships. “This work blurs the line between online and offline, and professional and personal,” AJ says. “The majority of my work takes place online. That’s why I was so touched when I shared the news online that my wife and I were expecting a baby, and my house was showered with baby presents from my online network. The people who I have professional relationships with have been there for me during times that had nothing to do with my career.”
Bringing the community together at Dreamforce
AJ, as well as other Trailblazers, are constantly looking for more opportunities to meet with the online network in-person. Naturally, AJ jumped at the opportunity to apply to be part of the Salesforce Military cohort this year at Dreamforce, happening from November 19-22 in San Francisco.
Out of 140 applicants, AJ was one of the fifty people from across the globe who was awarded a full scholarship to connect with others in the Salesforce ecosystem, learn from keynotes and thought leaders, and share stories to give back to the community. Additionally, more than thirty Salesforce Military ambassadors will be on-site at Dreamforce to spread the word about the career-changing opportunities available through the program.
A commitment to interviewing and hiring
Throughout the week at Dreamforce, the group will meet Salesforce Military Alliance partners. This will be an especially valuable opportunity for members of the Salesforce Military cohort who are seeking jobs within the ecosystem.
We know it isn’t enough to train the military community with the necessary technology skills to succeed. Transitioning veterans are often overlooked during the hiring process because their unique experiences might not translate directly to a posted job description. So, they need help to get their resumes to the top of the pile. That’s why we launched the Salesforce Military Alliance back in May, creating a larger movement to prioritize and accelerate the interviewing and hiring of veterans and military spouses for Salesforce ecosystem roles.
The alliance kicked off in partnership with Accenture Federal Services and Prudential, and now is up to 15 partners and more than 115 military community members have signed up for interviews. These Salesforce partners and customers commit to conducting guaranteed job interviews and removing the college degree requirement for all military participants who earn Salesforce certifications.
The newest companies to join the Salesforce Military Alliance include Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, PwC Canada, HigherEchelon, Archima Solutions, and MST Solutions. These partnerships will drive tangible opportunities for military community job seekers and bring military talent into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Blaze your trail
Are you looking to take advantage of the Salesforce training resources and join the Trailblazer community, but don’t know where to begin? AJ has experience encouraging people, even those with limited tech experience, to get started. While his friends and family felt overwhelmed at first, AJ reminded them that no matter their industry background — whether they worked at a pizza shop, in retail, or in a bar — that Salesforce technology can solve issues they faced and that there are resources available on Trailhead.
It just takes a few minutes to begin. Start with the Strengthen and Diversify Your Workforce with Military Veterans trail to learn how businesses can build a stronger workforce that’s inclusive of military veterans. Be sure to follow Salesforce Military on Twitter to meet the Dreamforce cohort and get an exclusive peek at the event from their perspectives.
