Employer: Salesforce

Job Title: Senior Signature Success Engineer

Degree Path: BS in Informatics

Hometown: Bloomington, IN

City: Indianapolis, IN

What led you to your getting into tech and support jobs? What was your first job in tech?

When I started my journey at Indiana University, I went in knowing I was going to fulfill my passion of music, but I also took a class called “Introduction to Informatics” as I was attempting to complete my requirements for my major. The first sentence that was said in that class was “raise your hand if you like change.” Nearly everyone looked confused as we hesitantly decided if we wanted to raise our hands. The instructor then went on to discuss that if you don’t like change, this isn’t the right major for you. As your daily lives from here on out in IT will always be a puzzle. That was the day I knew that even though I had a passion for music, IT is a more fitting field for me and has endless possibilities.

From there on out my tech journey continued. I switched jobs from teaching summer school music classes to a job with the University Technology Services. I started as a standard consultant who helped students and faculty with login issues, basic HTML/Word/Excel questions, and printer maintenance. From there I moved onto the Tech Team to setup routers around campus, and eventually landed a Consultant Supervisor position. My first job in tech was an experience I will always remember. I love helping people and this job provided just that.

What has been your career path so far?

When I graduated from IU, I had a fulltime job offer here in Indianapolis with a company named Kronos. I accepted an application consultant position with that company and was there for 2 years. I then transitioned to my current company Salesforce, where I am a senior signature success engineer.

When you think of a day in your life, what are the main work activities you do or responsibilities you have?

The main activities and responsibilities I have on a daily basis are as follows:

  • Building relationships with my clients as I interact with them via chat, email, or phone calls.
  • Assist with daily problems that occur within their system such as query errors, application errors, monitoring requests, etc.
  • Use SQL Server Management Studio to create/run queries that help prove what could be occurring in their system.
  • Maintain case status updates on open issues the client has reported.
  • Manage escalations with internal teams.

Help us picture your work environment.

Salesforce is a company that is very employee friendly when it comes to work environment. While each team differs, my current team allows us to work from home 2 days a week of our choosing. Our office space is filled with desks that are all connected together in pods and have partitions to help muffle some of the talking that occurs on calls. There is no traveling with my position, however there is always the potential that clients might want us onsite. Since we work in an open environment, we are able to ask our teams questions and interact with each other on a daily basis. Most work is done at our desk, but we host meetings and calls with clients daily or weekly.

Amanda Shields at the Salesforce Cafe in the Indianapolis Salesforce Tower

What do you love about the work you do?

I love helping people. This is something that always has fulfilled me and felt as if I had a purpose in this world. When I come into work I know the things I accomplish are going to help my client. It doesn’t get much better than that. They know they can depend on me and when they see my name associated with casework, they are relieved. I also love that every day is a puzzle. Not all issues are alike, and I’m constantly learning new things on a daily basis.

Which personality traits, interests, and abilities are important or common for a person to succeed in and enjoy support jobs?

In order to succeed and enjoy my current position, I feel the following are needed:

  • Positive attitude
  • Enjoy change
  • Enjoy puzzles
  • Enjoy Change
  • Works well under pressure

Which tools/technologies or technical skills are particularly important for a person to be proficient in for support jobs?

  • SQL
  • FTP knowledge
  • Coding knowledge in certain languages, or at least the understanding of coding

Which soft skills (aka general business skills or employability skills) are particularly important for a person to be proficient in for support jobs?

  • Communication Skills
  • Time Management
  • Patience
  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork

Which resources, people, books, websites, etc. would you recommend to those who want to learn more or advance their skills in this occupation?

  • Lynda.com
  • LinkedIn Learning
  • Certifications in Salesforce- Marketing Cloud, SQL, etc
  • Stack Overflow
  • Salesforce Help Documentation
  • Any SQL book

What encouragement or advice would you offer to others considering this occupation or wanting to stand out amongst others?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Be bold. Be open. Confidence in yourself and your abilities takes you a long way in this profession. If you are willing to learn, you will succeed within this profession.