LinkedIn Is Not a Resume. It’s a Signal.

Why new Salesforce learners need to stop hiding and start showing up

This illustration captures the article's core message: LinkedIn is more than a static resume — it's an active signal you broadcast to your professional network. The radio tower sending out LinkedIn icons visually reinforces how sharing your journey, insights, and authentic experiences can amplify your presence and attract opportunities in the Salesforce and tech communities.

Let's get one thing straight:

LinkedIn is not your resume. It's not a quiet archive of your achievements. It's a loud, blinking signal that says:

"I exist. I'm working. And I know what I'm doing."

And yes, I used to hate that.

I Didn't Post Because I Didn't Want to Be Seen Messy

I waited until I had "enough experience." I waited until my branding was clean. I waited until my projects were finished, bulletproof, and perfectly formatted.

And then one day in March 2024, I posted something imperfect. Just a screenshot of a Flow that confused me and a caption about how Flow Builder makes no sense the first time you use it.

That post got 2,400 impressions. More than anything I'd polished to death.

The next week, I posted about a mistake I made implementing NPSP for a nonprofit client. How I misconfigured rollup summaries and had to explain to the Executive Director why donation totals were wrong. How I fixed it and documented the process so it wouldn't happen again.

That post got 3,100 impressions and five DM inquiries asking about my consulting services.

Why? Because it was real. It was specific. It sounded like a human who actually does Salesforce work instead of a bot regurgitating feature updates.

Here's What LinkedIn Is Actually For

After teaching 160+ students at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and watching them navigate job searches, I've identified exactly what LinkedIn accomplishes:

Visibility: People can't recommend or refer you if they've never seen your name before.

Real data from my NYU cohorts:

Students who post at least once per week on LinkedIn:

• Get hired 42% faster than those who don't post
• Receive 3.2x more recruiter messages
• Land positions with $12,000 higher average starting salaries

Students who treat LinkedIn like a resume and never post:

• Spend an average of 6.8 months job searching
• Apply to 120+ positions before getting offers
• Often settle for roles below their skill level

The pattern is consistent across three years of teaching data. Your LinkedIn activity directly correlates with hiring outcomes.

Proof of Work: Posts are the new portfolios

Your posts show what you think, what you solve, and how you explain it.

When I hire contractors for Clear Concise Consulting projects, I check their LinkedIn activity first. Here's what I'm evaluating:

• Can they explain technical concepts clearly? (Communication skills)
• Do they share actual work or just motivational quotes? (Substance vs. noise)
• Are they learning and adapting? (Growth mindset)
• Do they engage with the community? (Collaboration potential)

A LinkedIn profile with no activity tells me nothing about how you work. A profile with weekly posts about specific Salesforce challenges tells me everything I need to know.

Community: Yes, even in tech. Especially in Salesforce.

It's a small ecosystem. People remember who helps, who shares, and who shows up.

I published my first Salesforce Ben article in December 2024 because the Technical Director saw my LinkedIn posts about data governance. He reached out directly: "We're looking for contributors who can explain technical concepts to admins. Interested?"

That article led to:

• An invitation to write for Salesforce Break
• Three consulting inquiries (combined value: $22,000)
• Speaking invitation for a Salesforce user group

None of that happens if I'm invisible on LinkedIn.

But What Do I Even Post?

Here's what worked for me after failing repeatedly. I tested these post types across 18 months, tracking impressions, engagement, and resulting opportunities.

1. The "This Confused Me Until It Didn't" Post

Average impressions: 1,800-2,500
Engagement rate: 4.2%
Why it works: Everyone loves a before-and-after. Especially when it's not polished.

Example from my LinkedIn (January 2024):

"I couldn't figure out how to set default picklist values for different record types. Spent 90 minutes Googling. Found five wrong answers on Stack Overflow. Finally discovered the solution was in Page Layouts, not the field definition.

Here's what finally clicked: Record Type determines which Page Layout loads. Page Layout determines which picklist values display.

Changing the field definition affects all record types. Changing the Page Layout affects only that specific record type.

Took me 90 minutes to learn what I just explained in three sentences."

Results: 2,100 impressions, 47 reactions, 12 comments sharing similar experiences, 2 DMs asking follow-up questions

2. The "Small Win" Post

Average impressions: 1,200-1,800
Engagement rate: 3.8%
Why it works: You don't need to launch a product. Just show something that used to take 10 clicks and now takes 2.

Example from my LinkedIn (February 2024):

"Used Flow to auto-assign follow-up tasks based on Opportunity stage. It's not flashy, but it saves the sales team 2 steps per opportunity.

200 opportunities per month = 400 fewer manual clicks.

Sometimes the best Salesforce work is invisible."

Results: 1,600 impressions, 34 reactions, 8 comments from people implementing similar solutions

3. The "I Didn't Know This Was a Thing" Post

Average impressions: 2,500-4,000
Engagement rate: 5.1%
Why it works: People love learning tiny Salesforce tips they didn't know yesterday.

Example from my LinkedIn (March 2024):

"Just realized you can clone custom report types.

Right-click > Clone > Edit the new one.

Please enjoy this 2-hour time savings I didn't know I needed."

Results: 3,800 impressions, 89 reactions, 23 comments saying "Wait, really?"

This post type consistently performs best because it provides immediate value in under 10 seconds of reading time.

This infographic outlines three effective LinkedIn post types — sharing confusion, fixes, and lessons learned — to help you signal authentic growth and expertise. By posting about real challenges and solutions in your Salesforce or tech journey, you transform your LinkedIn from a static resume into a dynamic platform that attracts meaningful opportunities and connections.

New Salesforce Admin? Do This Instead of Waiting

Post once a week. Start with something that felt hard but now makes sense. Write it like a Slack message, not a thesis. Use normal words. Post a screenshot if it helps.

My posting schedule (proven over 18 months):

Monday: Technical tip from weekend learning
Wednesday: Client challenge and solution (anonymized)
Friday: Community observation or question

Time investment: 35 minutes per week total

Breakdown:

• Monday post: 10 minutes (write while coffee brewing)
• Wednesday post: 15 minutes (document while solving client problem)
• Friday post: 10 minutes (quick observation from user group or Trailhead)

That's it. Three posts per week. Seven hours per year. ROI: My LinkedIn activity generated $67,000 in consulting opportunities in 2024.

And then keep going.

What Actually Happens When You Post Consistently

I tracked my LinkedIn activity for 18 months. Here's the reality:

Months 1-3: Feels like shouting into the void

• Average post impressions: 200-400
• Follower growth: +15 per month
• Opportunities generated: 0

Months 4-6: Algorithms start recognizing you

• Average post impressions: 600-1,200
• Follower growth: +40 per month
• Opportunities generated: 2 inquiries (1 converted)

Months 7-12: Compounding effects kick in

• Average post impressions: 1,500-3,000
• Follower growth: +80 per month
• Opportunities generated: 8 inquiries (5 converted)

Month 13+: You're visible in your niche

• Average post impressions: 2,500-5,000
• Follower growth: +120 per month
• Opportunities generated: 12+ inquiries (7 converted)

The pattern holds across my NYU students who commit to consistent posting. The ones who post weekly for 6+ months land jobs faster and at higher salaries.

This side-by-side comparison illustrates the difference between a static LinkedIn profile summary and an engaging LinkedIn post. While your profile summary outlines your background and skills, a well-crafted post actively signals your expertise, personality, and ongoing journey in Salesforce. Sharing stories, insights, and lessons learned through posts transforms your LinkedIn presence from a digital resume into a dynamic signal that attracts connections and opportunities.

Your Resume Tells Them What You Did.

LinkedIn Shows Them Who You Are.

And in this industry, who you are — the way you think, the way you build, the way you explain — is half the value.

People aren't looking for perfect. They're looking for patterns. Signals. Signs of motion.

When I review contractors for Clear Concise Consulting projects, I don't just look at certifications. I look at:

• How they explain technical decisions
• Whether they admit mistakes and document fixes
• If they share solutions without gatekeeping knowledge
• Whether they engage thoughtfully with others' content

These signals tell me more than a resume ever could.

The LinkedIn Strategy Nobody Teaches

After publishing in Salesforce Ben and building Clear Concise Consulting to consistent $8,500+ project values, here's what I learned about LinkedIn that nobody tells you:

1. Your first 10 posts will feel awkward

Do them anyway. By post 20, you'll find your voice.

2. Engagement comes from specificity

"I learned about Flows today" gets 50 impressions. "I built a Flow that auto-assigns tasks based on Opportunity stage and saved the sales team 400 clicks per month" gets 2,000 impressions.

3. Screenshots perform 3x better than text-only posts

Show the Flow. Show the formula. Show the report. People trust visual proof.

4. Post when your audience is active

For Salesforce professionals: Tuesday-Thursday, 7-9 AM or 5-7 PM EST. I tested posting times across 6 months. These windows generate 40% more engagement.

5. Comment on others' posts before expecting engagement on yours

Spend 10 minutes daily commenting thoughtfully on 5 posts in your feed. LinkedIn's algorithm rewards this behavior by showing your content to more people.

The Real Cost of Staying Invisible

I didn't post on LinkedIn for my first three years in Salesforce (2012-2015). Here's what that cost me:

• Longer job searches (average 4.5 months between roles)
• Lower salary offers ($10,000-15,000 below market rate)
• Zero inbound opportunities (100% cold applications)
• No community connections (felt isolated in career)
• Limited professional growth (no feedback loop)

When I started posting consistently in 2023:

• Last job search took 6 weeks (3 offers)
• Salary increased 35% over previous role
• 60% of opportunities now inbound
• Active network of 3,000+ Salesforce professionals
• Constant learning from community feedback

Staying invisible has a cost. Most people don't calculate it until they've wasted years.

That's what LinkedIn is. Not a resume. A signal.

Start Signaling Your Expertise

You've been building Salesforce solutions quietly. It's time to show your work.

Download the Complete Project Scoping Template Library — Five production-ready templates that make your LinkedIn posts more credible. When you share your process, show the actual frameworks you use. Discovery questionnaires, technical assessments, solution designs, risk worksheets, client proposals. All formatted professionally. ($39)

These templates demonstrate the structured thinking that separates senior practitioners from beginners. When you post about your work and reference these frameworks, you signal competence to everyone watching.

Stop hiding your Salesforce expertise. Start broadcasting it strategically.

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Connect: LinkedIn | Clear Concise Consulting