10 Salesforce Interview Questions and Answers

Salesforce has over 150,000 customers, some well-known companies like Adidas, IBM, and Spotify [1]. Suppose you’re about to interview at a company that leverages this customer relationship management (CRM) software. In that case, it’s important to know the software’s purpose, uses, and applications to the business you’re hoping to work for. 

You may hear one or more of the following questions during an interview. Use them to prepare for the interview and practice your responses. 

1. How would you describe the purpose of Salesforce? 

What they're really asking: Do you understand the software?

One of the first Salesforce interview questions you’ll likely hear is about its general use. The employer wants to know that you know what the software does. 

To answer, explain that Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM designed to help businesses connect with customers in an organised, measurable way. 

Other forms this question might take:

• Define the intent of Salesforce.

• What is Salesforce? 

2. What are the benefits of using Salesforce?

What they're really asking: What's your top-level understanding of the software?

A potential employer may ask a simple question to access your basic understanding of Salesforce, like listing the software’s benefits. Keep the list of benefits short and simple. You can say Salesforce helps a business:

• Identify, track, and engage with customers.

• Make tailored sales plans for individuals or a small group of like-minded customers.

• Prioritise tasks and assign them to specific team members to increase productivity.

• Leverage data for precise decision-making. 

Other forms this question might take: 

• List the advantages of Salesforce within our industry.

• Why should companies like ours use this type of software?

3. Besides standard, what is the other object type in Salesforce, and how is it used?

What they're really asking: Do you have working knowledge of Salesforce?

Your potential employer is testing your entry-level tech knowledge with this question. One of the core components of Salesforce is its ability to track and measure different data points through objects, including standard and custom objects. Explain what a custom object is, but also give a specific example to show how you would use it in a scenario that could apply to the company's work. 

Other forms this question might take:

• How do you create an object in Salesforce?

• What's the difference between custom objects and standard objects?

4. What’s the master-detail relationship?

What they're really asking: How extensive is your working knowledge of the platform?

Salesforce allows brands to make relationships between objects via the master-detail relationship. 

If you’re asked to explain this relationship during an interview, offer an example of when you would use a master-detail relationship for a data model and explain why you believe it is the best choice compared to a lookup or hierarchical relationship.

Other forms this question might take:

• How would you deploy a master-detail relationship?

• How are detail files impacted if a master file is altered? 

5. What’s the Sandbox in Salesforce?

What they're really asking: Do you have development skills?

Another inquiry into your technical knowledge of the platform: this question helps the interviewer understand how you use this important Salesforce feature. In your answer, be specific and thorough as you explain the four types of Salesforce sandboxes and how you use them to test ideas and work independently of production. 

Other forms this question might take:

• What's your experience with Sandbox in Salesforce?

• Give us an example of a test you ran in Salesforce.  

6. What are the most important features that Salesforce offers, in your opinion?

What they're really asking: How many features are you familiar with?

The challenge with this question is to offer a short, digestible list of features. While you can mention popular features, mentioning a lesser-known option or two is a good idea to showcase your knowledge. 

You can include popular features like sales reports and collaborative forecasts, but you can also include lesser-known features that could apply to the company hiring you. If, for example, the company has a national sales team, you can mention the Territory Management feature that helps define zones, keeps reps organised, and track their progress.

Other forms this question might take:

• Name the two best features of Salesforce and tell us why you picked them.

• We're not leveraging Sales Reports (or another named feature) to the best of our abilities. Why is it important to do so?

7. How can our company prevent data loss?

What they're really asking: How valuable is our data to you?

Keeping data safe is a top priority for businesses. According to INTERPOL's Global Crime Trend report [2], the threat of cybercrimes like ransomware and phishing attacks will likely increase over the next few years. However, a lot of data loss results from human error, and this question allows you to share specific steps you would take to prevent it, such as using the Sandbox to test planned changes before widespread implementation and signing up for a third-party backup system.

Other forms this question might take:

• We've had data loss problems in the past. How would you go about solving that problem?

• What safety features should we use to prevent data loss? 

8. What types of reports are available in Salesforce?

What they're really asking: How familiar are you with creating reports?

A big reason for companies to use a CRM is its reporting features. In addition to organising contacts and creating a more transparent workflow, companies can see actionable data that can increase engagement and sales.  

Salesforce touts its reporting features, so it’s important to know what kind of reports the cloud-based system can create. During your interview, you’ll likely mention four different types of reports, which include: 

• Tabular reports: Presents data in simple rows, similar to a spreadsheet

• Matrix reports: Data is presented in rows and columns; useful for comparing information

• Summary reports: Shows groups of data points

• Joined reports: Generates two separate reports in a single view meant for comparison

Other forms this question might take: 

• In our industry, what two reports would you customise?

• What limitations have you found with the reporting features in Salesforce?

9. Which metrics should our sales team pay special attention to in Salesforce?

What they're really asking: How familiar are you with our company and its needs?

As you prepare for an interview, research the company to learn about its management, revenue, and growth prospects. Your answer to this question reveals how much effort you put into this step. The more you understand what's happening within the company, the better prepared you are to explain how you can help it meet its goals.

If you don't have time to research the company or cannot find information, stick to three of the key performance indicators (KPIs) Salesforce tracks:

• Sales Activity Report: This report provides the team with the number of calls, emails, and messages they’re sending.

• Lead Response Time tells reps how quickly they respond to a new lead.

• Average contract value puts a monetary figure on each deal, which helps attract and retain customers. 

Other forms this question might take:

• Our executive team regularly references the sales activity report, but what other report would you suggest we rely on? 

• How can you help us improve reporting to track time and ROI?  

10. Which integrations can our company use through Salesforce?

What they're really asking: Do you know how to use Salesforce with existing apps to gather more data? 

Employers may ask you to apply your Salesforce knowledge to their organisation, and this question gives you another chance to use the company research you did before the interview. As long as you've done your research, you should be able to mention specific Salesforce integrations that can benefit the company, such as Salesforce Gmail or Outlook integration.

Other forms this question might take: 

• What integrations have you found helpful in the past? 

• Which two integrations should our company be using? 

Tips for making a good impression in your interview

Walking into the interview room, you want to feel prepared and confident. To do so, try doing the following before your scheduled time: 

• Research the company's website, blog, and social channels.

• Review the job description and remember keywords to weave into your interview responses.

• Think of a few questions to ask the interviewer.

• Pick an outfit that's appropriate for the company's culture.

• Ask a friend to help you with a mock interview so you can practice answering questions efficiently.

Next Steps

If you’d like to advance your Salesforce skills before your interview or learn how to use the program, consider an online class like Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate or Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate. You can find both of these programs on Coursera. You'll be able to learn how to use the CRM, implement relevant features, and generate insightful reports through four courses.