We recently caught up with Salesforce Business Analyst and super mum Mariam Majeed to see how she found returning to work after her maternity leave, closely followed by a global pandemic. As well as getting insight into how Mariam's Saleforce journey began. 

When did you decide to join the Salesforce Eco System? And what was it about Salesforce that sparked your interest?

I joined the salesforce eco system in 2014, I was part of a project to move over to Salesforce. At the time my manager Muhammed Musharaf gave me the opportunity to be hands on, and kick started my Salesforce career. The learning journey for Salesforce was exciting and sparked a new energy within the business, seeing the breadth of impact this new system had across the business ignited my interest and it’s been an inferno ever since.

You’ve been working at Teach First as a Salesforce Business Analyst for over a year now, how are you finding the role?

The role is really interesting, I get to wear many hats other than being a Business Analyst, I've had a chance to do some project managing, training & testing and most recently I have been involved in procuring and licensing which I've thoroughly enjoyed.

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the Salesforce ecosystem?

The constant opportunities to develop and learn, there is a pathway for improvement and success both functionally and technically.

How has the Salesforce world changed since you started working in it?

The Salesforce world is defined by change, it is constantly improving and developing to give us the best tools to implement change within our own workplace.

As a mother of twins – what were the biggest challenges you faced when returning to work?

My answer is very biased as we went into lockdown a month after I started at Teach First. So, I shared the same challenges most people faced whilst trying to juggle work and the children. Initially they weren't allowed to go to nursery and it was extremely overwhelming. Teach First have been amazing at adapting during the pandemic to introduce flexible working. My manager Mehrun Begum has also been extremely supportive, enabling new ways to work to ensure that work life balance is achieved.

What’s been the biggest challenge in your career to date?

In every role I've had, managing the businesses expectations has been a challenge. You can have the best Salesforce implementation, however, without 100% adoption the integrity of the data is lost.

What would be your advice to women entering this industry?

Be honest about your expectation of a work life balance, if you have any, and to take the opportunity to become a subject matter expert in an area you are passionate about.