Achieving 1000 Salesforce certifications at Revolent: Where Revolution meets Talent

 

Dedicated to breaking biases around working in tech, Revolent is celebrating differences, drawing diverse talent into the ecosystem and upskilling Revols with great training, certifications and on-going support.

Revolent recruits, cross-trains, and deploys incredible talent into the Salesforce ecosystem. Their two-year career programs provide all Revols with intense training and valuable industry experience in real businesses. In early 2022, the company reached an impressive milestone - a combined total of more than 1000 Salesforce certifications achieved by Revols, worldwide.

Nabila Salem, President, Revolent, comments: “We’re thrilled our Revols have gained over 1000 Salesforce certifications. It’s a formal acknowledgment of how amazing they are, demonstrating that they know their stuff and can apply their learnings in real-world situations. When you consider they’ve also notched up 1300+ Superbadges and we’ve got 200+ Trailhead Rangers (the highest rank a Trailblazer can achieve on Trailhead), I think it sends a strong message about their commitment and potential.”

 
 
“Reaching over 1000 Salesforce certifications is a huge moment in our story. It’s a fantastic milestone to celebrate how far our Revols have come.”
Nabila Salem
President
Revolent
 
 
 

1. High-quality training for the real world

Offering tangible value is at the forefront of the Revolent approach, but candidate diversity is just as much of a priority. Nabila continues: ‘Our Revols come from an array of backgrounds and walks of life - they just need at least a year of previous technology experience. Some of our Revols have two years of prior tech experience and some have more than 20. What they don’t have is experience with Salesforce, which is where we can help through our cross-training programs.

‘We offer many different tracks, including Development, Marketing Cloud, and Business Analysis, and start with 10-12 weeks of intense training with a Salesforce-Certified Instructor, leading to two or three certifications. Once completed, each Revol is allocated a Professional Development coach to ensure that they continue to build the skills they need to succeed and feel supported on their placements over the next two years.

‘Our model requires a huge upfront investment from us. But we’re happy to take that leap of faith as we take great pride in providing Revols with a rich, hands-on experience. We’re one of very few Salesforce Authorised Training Providers (SATP) and all our instructors re-certify with Salesforce every year - one was even awarded the Marketing Cloud Champion Award for 2021. They’re also rated by the Revols and have to achieve a rating of over 4.5 out of 5 from their students or they’ll lose their certification. Luckily, our average is 4.8!’

 
 

2. How Equality, Diversity & Inclusion make a difference

A key driver of Revolent's ethos is revolutionising where exactly ecosystem talent comes from. Nabila continues: ‘We live and breathe equality and diversity, and in our last survey, 97% of employees agreed that Revolent had an inclusive culture. Circa 63% of our employees identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic and over 50% of the management team are women. What’s more, 34% of Revols are female and 37% are the first in their families to go to university, which means we’re making strides in social mobility as well. It was wonderful to have this recognised by winning Diversity Employer of the Year two years in a row at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards (2020/2021).

‘However, more than just measuring statistics, we actually celebrate differences. We’d like to change some of the biases in tech so we look for attitude and authenticity, rather than candidates who fit a mould. It’s something we regularly ask in interviews – tell us what makes you different! We’re also part of the Salesforce Talent Alliance, which emphasises building a diverse workforce across the globe. Actively breaking down barriers encourages creativity, and our clients appreciate this.’

 
 

1300+

superbadges achieved
by Revols

 

It sends a strong message about commitment and potential.

 

3. Time for a change

Two Revols who embody this Revolent ethos are Akasia Perran and Kev Cadger. Akasia, from Indianapolis, US, explains: ‘I come from a career background of Systems Engineering, amongst other things, so when I found out about Salesforce, I was blown away about how much power was in the users’ hands and what we could do without programming. Learning with Trailhead was an amazing start to gaining my first certification but finding a job was trickier. Many employers wanted three to five years' experience - and then there was a world pandemic to contend with too.

‘I found out about Revolent at a Salesforce careers fair, saw how much they invested in training and valued previous work experience, and quickly realised ‘This is my place!’. I also know first-hand how much Revolent value inclusion, as I’m legally blind. Instructors are extremely accommodating, and conversations around what you need couldn’t be more natural or easy.’

With eight years’ experience on CRM platforms in South Africa, Kev Cadger joined Revolent after emigrating to the UK in 2019: ‘I’d already started learning on Trailhead before I left, and soon saw how big the Salesforce ecosystem was in the UK. I decided to apply to Revolent for the cross-training opportunities and had a fantastic trainer who really inspired me to learn more. I thought Salesforce must be something special if one person spoke so highly about it, but discovering how open and helpful the Trailblazer community is was an absolute game-changer.

‘I now have six certifications and am taking the seventh next week. In fact, I’m the most certified Revol in the UK! There’s so much support, personally and professionally, that I’ve grown a lot, bettering myself with soft skills as well as with digital skills, and completing two placements. My next step is moving into the consulting space, which I’m really excited about.’

Akasia, on the other hand, is joining the Learning & Development team at Revolent to be an instructor herself. She concludes: ‘My advice for others? Take a look at Salesforce and be prepared to fall in love. The ecosystem is wonderful and accessibility is a given. Then take a look at Trailhead - it’s like a sandbox you can play with and the support is tremendous. And then investigate Revolent, who are in perfect alignment with Salesforce’s values, giving you all the training you need and holding the door open to some incredible work opportunities.’

4. A world of opportunities and success

As you might expect, when you re-skill or cross-train into a new career, there can be a temporary drop in wages. However, after a two-year placement, boundless opportunities await. Nabila says: ‘We find that Revols double their salaries or even more after two-years. We partner with some of Salesforce’s largest end-users and operate globally, so we’re a great springboard into many credible companies. Some people choose to remain at their placement company, others become Senior Revols, while some take on in-house roles, become instructors or coaches, or pursue independent opportunities. Their options become extremely lucrative.

‘This success is of paramount importance to us. It’s why we have a dedicated Revol Success pillar in our business that reports directly to me. And our coaches check in every month during the placement, after the first spurt of intense training. We want to guard against anyone feeling abandoned on-site and ensure Revols remain happy, confident and on track to achieve their goals. They’re the most important part of our business and their success is our success.

‘Reaching over 1000 Salesforce certifications is a huge moment in our story. It’s a fantastic milestone to celebrate how far our diverse Revols have come. But we’re not stopping there! Our mission is to help close the skills gap, which we’ll do by adding new tracks to keep up with the rapid pace of change, working closely with our clients to strategically build their digital skills pipeline and focusing on our Revols’ continued success. Above all, we’ll look at how we can keep attracting fresh, diverse talent into the Salesforce ecosystem. Concentrating on any single group just isn’t going to solve the problem - our target is to break new ground and lead the way as we welcome thousands of new Revols to join us this year and beyond.’

 
“Our Revols have notched up 1300+ Superbadges and we’ve got over 200 Trailhead Rangers. It sends a strong message about commitment and potential.”
Nabila Salem
President
Revolent
 
 

For more information, visit Revolent.

 

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