5 Ways to Supercharge Your Career with Trailhead Superbadges
Superbadges are simply… super! A superbadge is a skill-based, domain-level credential and the closest thing you can get to real-world experience on Trailhead. You earn a superbadge by applying your existing knowledge in tackling a series of hands-on challenges that test your Salesforce prowess in a given subject.
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If existing Trailhead badges represent what you’ve learned, then superbadges prove that you can take what you’ve learned and use it to solve complex, real-world business problems. Proudly displaying a superbadge on your profile proves to yourself, your current (or future!) employer, your team, recruiters (and the world!) that you really know your stuff.
1. Show off your Trailhead learning superpowers
The secret sauce of a superbadge is in the instant validation you get of the concepts you’ve already learned. The difference is in the real-world scenario approach.
“Not all heroes wear capes, but superbadges definitely do!”
— Travis Morgan, Senior Curriculum Developer, Salesforce
Instead of giving you very prescriptive, step-by-step instructions, like you get with a Trailhead module, a superbadge presents a business case with different pieces of information woven into a story. It’s then up to you to identify the business need and create the solution by completing a series of hands-on challenges which are instantly validated once you complete them.
A superbadge is an investment of your time and a validation of your skills. Each one is designed to take between 4–12 hours to complete based on the fact that you’ve already built up an understanding of a particular subject. But you can’t just jump into the deep end… You need to earn pre-requisite badges to unlock each superbadge, ensuring you have an understanding of the core concepts and can put what you’ve learned into practice.
2. Demonstrate your super domain expertise
Back in 2016, you — the community — asked for new ways to prove your hands-on technical skills and help you land the awesome jobs you want. So, we developed content with detailed, real-world examples built in that also give you real-time feedback on your work. The Lightning Experience, Apex, Reports & Dashboards, and Security specialist superbadges were born.
We’ve since added more specialist superbadges to the portfolio (there are now twelve!) and rigorously tested them all with Salesforce MVPs and the community. During testing, we asked questions like: “Are these the types of situations that would happen in real life?”, “Is this something you’ve experienced on the job?”, and “How would you do this differently to bring it more in line with what you’ve seen in your industry?”
🌟 Pro-tip: Superbadges take months to build out and are reversed engineered from one solution, so pay very close attention to the way things are presented and all the facts that are given. There are multiple ways to achieve the same thing (that’s the beauty of Salesforce after all!), but a superbadge assessment entails looking for one particular way based on the specific information provided. There are no “tricks” designed to trip you up, just be sure you read the descriptions very carefully.
3. Reinvent your resume with supreme skills
The demand for Salesforce skills is growing exponentially. In fact, it’s reported that this demand is going to create 3.3 million jobs in the Salesforce ecosystem by 2022! You can get in on this action by using superbadges as part of your career planning. Earning them won’t only help you in your current role, but can also be used as a way of mapping out your next step in your Salesforce career journey.
“Superbadges will help us identify candidates who’ve put Salesforce skills to the test in meaningful ways.”
- Kimberly Wallins Friedman, Founder & CEO, Hire On-Demand
Think of Trailhead like a personal trainer for your skill development. Make a list or set a goal of what you want to achieve, then attempt smaller chunks of learning, like modules and projects.
You can then put what you’ve learned into practice with a superbadge, earning a skill-based credential for a specific domain. You can even add superbadge completion to your certification prep. It’s a great way to hone your domain experience before sitting for a broader, role-based Salesforce certification exam.
Superbadges test your domain expertise in specific topics, demonstrate your ability to get the job done, and provide a way to level up your career. What’s not to love?
4. Prove you’re superb at automation
Sometimes you just do something in a certain way because that’s the way you’ve always done it. We’ve all been there! But let’s face it: the way things have always been done and the best way to get them done can sometimes be polar opposites.
By earning a superbadge, you’ll push yourself to use best practices. You’ll utilize the automation processes you’ve learned as you practice better ways of doing things which, in turn, will make you more efficient in your day-to-day work.
“I’ve always loved learning with Trailhead! Now, with superbadges, I can prove my skills by transforming real-life requirements into a complete solution.”
— Clara Pérez, Salesforce Developer & MVP, Great Wave Technologies
When you understand the full capability and functionality of the Salesforce platform, you may also find yourself saving your organization unnecessary expense.
After developing your skills and validating you’ve mastered them with a superbadge, then maintaining these skills with the feature releases, you’ll have the knowledge to develop Salesforce solutions to business issues that may have otherwise taken you to an external third party.
The result? Saving money! And time. Nothing wrong with impressing the management team, right?
5. Jump onboard, superbadges are going supernova
The only way is up for superbadges. We’ve seen this credential portfolio grow from four to twelve in just two short years, and there are now superbadges for all, no matter your role.
Check out why the Business Administration Specialist is THE superbadge for everyone, how the Data Integration Specialist superbadge can help you on your Architect journey, and why superbadges are now an integral part of the Platform Developer II certification.
The broadening reach of specialist domains now includes Einstein Analytics, Process Automation, App Customization, and many aspects of Lightning, so you’re bound to find a superbadge in a subject that not only tickles your learning tastebuds but also makes a real difference for your skill-set, experience, and career aspirations.
And we’re not stopping there! We’re doubling down on new superbadges to extend the number of domain-level credentials available to you. So watch this space for new, exciting superbadges coming soon…
Unlock your inner superstar today
Whoever you are and whatever you aspire to be, earning a superbadge can help you get your foot in the door by proving you have technical chops. It validates to everyone that you have real experience and expertise in a skill area you’ve developed. Plus, it’s the cherry on top of your resume — a credential that shows what you know better than outlining your skills in words ever could!
“Finding scalable ways to assess candidates’ skills, such as Trailhead superbadges, is crucial to our recruiting efforts.”
— Jolene Chan, Chief of Staff for Bluewolf, an IBM Company
It’s time to unlock your Salesforce superpowers and earn your first (or next!) superbadge. And be sure to shout out on social when you do so we can help you celebrate.
We promise it’ll make you feel… SUPER!
Want to learn more about the behind-the-scenes magic of superbadges? Check out the superbadge Salesforce Admins Podcast with Senior Curriculum Developer, Travis Morgan.
