As one of the fastest growing companies during the past 20 years, Salesforce is used by over 150,000 organizations worldwide. Given the expansive use of Salesforce to power organizations ranging from the Fortune 50 to emerging start-ups, Salesforce and its software ecosystem are expected to create more than 9.3 million new jobs by 2026. To support both the needs of organizations and create pathways to professional careers for individuals, Salesforce developed a gamified learning platform, Trailhead, to enable individuals to skill up for the future by learning Salesforce skills.

To build upon the success of the Trailhead program, Salesforce sought more opportunities to help Trailblazers put their new skills in to practice as they look to turn a credential into a career.  Enter Micro-Internships.

Through a partnership with Parker Dewey, Salesforce Experience Builders enables Trailhead job seekers to apply to and work on paid, short-term, hands-on experience with Salesforce clients.  In addition to supporting Trailblazers in launching their careers, these Micro-Internships also help organizations recruit individuals for open roles that require Salesforce skills.

For Paolo Sambrano, Business Solutions Designer at Common Sense Media, hiring a Micro-Intern was a no-brainer. “We were looking for help on a few projects, and when I heard about Salesforce Experience Builders I loved the philanthropic impact of giving someone real experience in a live production environment. It was a win-win to provide opportunities for professional development while getting on-demand support.” 

Through the program, Paolo connected with Talla Gass, a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from George Mason University. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Talla continued her professional development by earning a Salesforce Administrator Credential through Trailhead. “I knew that pursuing this certification would open up more opportunities within the workforce, but after receiving my credential, it was tricky to find a starting position with very little hands-on experience in the production environment,” shares Talla. 

“Working with Talla via Parker Dewey was easy. She was very coachable and willing to learn, which made it easy for her to jump in and get to work. These low-risk projects weren’t the most glamorous, and there was a clear benefit in freeing up my time,” shares Paolo. 

Paolo and his team strategically chose projects that would help with the organization’s productivity, but wouldn’t put important workflows or sensitive data at risk while getting on-demand intern support. Projects included data cleansing, archiving, and documentation.

Bhavana Singh, Founder and CEO of Three Moons Consulting, echoes Paolo’s sentiments, “The process was so easy. I quickly had about 10 candidates, and Talla’s application stood out. She was really curious to learn and detailed out how she would go about the project which demonstrated she knew what she was talking about.”

Talla further shares how her Micro-Internship set her up for professional success:

“Dance gave me many skills and qualities that have translated in my everyday work environment. I learned how to collaborate with a team, find solutions and adapt quickly, think outside the box, perform tasks with precision and accuracy, and strive to challenge myself by learning new skills. Micro-Internships gave me the opportunity to complete complex projects, ask questions and learn in a welcoming environment.” 

“The Salesforce Experience Builder Micro-Internship program is a great internship-to-hire model,” Bhavana continues. “You can interview, but you don’t really know how you’ll work with a person until you actually work with them. With this, you get to try someone for 20 hours and make sure your working styles match–at no cost!”

Talla and Bhavana did match. In Talla's words, “Micro-Internships has helped me land my first job as a Salesforce Administrator and I am so excited to continue my Salesforce journey with Three Moons Consulting.”

Host your own Micro-Interns to give the gift of experience while knocking items off your Salesforce to-do list: https://info.parkerdewey.com/trailhead/companies