4 Ways to Move from Entry Level to Dream Job.
Nobody wants to rack up thousands of dollars of student debt to work in a job they hate for the rest of their life. But in reality, fresh college graduates are fortunate to even have a job in this economic climate. Millennials don’t get to complain if we have a some sort of steady paycheck, right? Maybe so — but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a meaningless, gray, cubicle caged life. So how do we rise above that and pursue our dreams?
Unless you’re an engineer, doctor, or lawyer — a satisfying and well-paying job doesn’t come naturally. To make matters worse, some of the best jobs available these days don’t have clear, specific degrees dedicated to them. This makes it hard to know what qualifications you might need to pursue your dreams. How exactly do you get into user research, market consulting, product management, data science, or any of the other up and coming career paths? Unless you’re a superstar, odds are you’ll need to take an entry level position to get your feet wet and go from there. Additionally, you may not even know what the hell you want to do for the rest of your life so it’s even harder to target a specific, fulfilling job.
That was my story. I was never a straight-A student and wasn’t involved with a bunch of extracurriculars. To make matters worse, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my professional life. My first year of college I thought I was going to be an architect. By the next semester, I wanted to be an athletic trainer. After realizing I needed to make some sort of decision, I got a boring old business degree.
Coming out of school, the only jobs I were even close to qualified for were entry level positions. So, I took one. Fast forward a few years and I’m working at an amazing company that has allowed me to flourish professionally. Recently, I moved into a high impact, challenging, and fulfilling role that I see myself building a career in for the next decade. So, what did I learn over the last few years? How did I go from an entry level intern to my dream job? Read on.
1. Don’t look for a perfect role. Search for A+ companies.
This is critical. If you’re going to start in an entry level position, look for great companies instead of great jobs. What makes an A+ company? It’s going to be different for everyone. But there are a few fundamental questions you can ask yourself: What are the company’s mission and domain? Do you get excited when you think about it? This is a key place to start because it’s so much more fulfilling to work in an entry level position for a place that you’re 100% bought into.
Are the people talented, hard-working, and folks you want to be around? Hows the culture? It’s important to note here that perks DO NOT equal culture. Who cares if you can bring your dog to work and have free snacks if the place sucks outside of shallow benefits. But most importantly, you need to ask if the company will invest in your professional development in tangible ways consistently. This means professional development stipends, in-house training, apprenticeships/mentor programs, and an evident culture of continuous learning.
It’s really up to you to figure out what factors are most important and go from there. Once you find the right company, figure out what you’re qualified for and start applying. If you’re not sure what you want to do in the long run, look for generalist roles that will allow you to gain experience in various domains. If you already have a good idea, look for junior level positions or entry level roles that will build skills needed for that dream job later on. But remember, the important thing here is NOT your first role — it’s getting your foot in the door at an amazing company you can grow with.
2. Be the best damn entry level employee in the room.
Once you land that entry level position at the kick-ass company, it’s time to start learning the gig. Do not make the mistake of thinking you’re too good for this or overqualified. No one in your department cares about your resume at this point. You may damn well be overqualified, but this is the job you’re in now. So start proving your qualifications actually matter. This is the time to put the work in and grind. Don’t be afraid to put in the extra hours to build up experience and skills. To be clear, I’m not advocating for workaholic-ism. First and foremost take care of yourself and your family. You can’t thrive if you aren’t healthy and happy.
Your goal for the first year should be to the best in the room at the base requirements of your job. Whether it’s support at a technology company, a clerk at a law firm, or a tax assistant at a financial company — start mastering the basics ASAP. After you’ve gotten those basics, it’s time to start specializing a bit. Look around the room and figure out who are the most valuable people in your department? What do they do? Why are they so valuable? There are opportunities to learn from them and take a similar path.
Another solid approach is to identify the biggest problems around you and actually do something to solve them! This will stretch your ability and force you to learn new skills. Being a problem solver will also help you start to make the right impression across your department and the company.
3. Start to broaden your horizons.
After you’ve really honed skills in your current position, it’s time to start taking on more responsibility and exploring future options. The exciting thing about being in an entry level position is that your opportunities are vast. You could pursue any number of careers. If you find yourself interested in a specific role or department, don’t be afraid to go learn more about it. Sit in on some of their meetings. Ask if you can shadow someone in that role for a day. Ask them what most of their time is spent on. If you’re feeling it, take on a few projects for them to really test the waters.
At a certain point in time, it’s important to identify what specific career path or discipline you want to pursue. Don’t worry about being locked into this for your whole life. If it’s something you can see yourself doing for the next 5-10 years, you’ve found a solid next step in your career. Additionally, there may intermediate paths (internal promotions or roles in a different department) that will help move you towards your ultimate goal. When evaluating these opportunities, just ask yourself where they’ll take you in the next few years.
Once you set your eyes on the future, it’s time to really invest in relationships with the team where you want to end up. Read their updates. Shadow their meetings. Volunteer to do their grunt work. Ask them what they need and what their biggest problems are right now. Take on projects for them in your spare time. You absolutely want to be top of mind when opportunities come knocking. Additionally, if you’re lucky enough to work for a company that offers formal on the job training for different roles — take advantage of that!
In addition to building these important relationships, you can improve your stock by building skills in your current situation that are applicable to your desired future role. For example, a large part of being a Product Manager is being able to manage complicated projects and motivate a team. With that in mind, I started taking on project management in my own department. Whether it was implementing a new phone system or revamping our internal knowledge base, I was able to demonstrate that I was building skills that would be valuable to the role I wanted long term.
4. Find some mentors.
This may sound cliche, but senior level people that work in the role or area you want to be in are invaluable to your career development. However, it’s good to remember these relationships don’t have to be official. You don’t have some awkward conversation where you ask someone to be your mentor. Instead, identify the people you want to learn from and ask if you can grab lunch or coffee to chat about professional development. Most folks will be more than willing to give you some advice.
If they are able and willing— it’s time to be a sponge. Write everything down. Get recommendations on books, online courses, and other resources that have helped them develop their own craft. Ask if there are projects you can take on for them that would be good learning experiences. Most often, people are swamped and would love to hand off a few responsibilities in the name of investing in others. More importantly, get feedback on all the work you do for them. If things are going smooth, don’t be afraid to ask to schedule regular sync ups.
This will not only help you learn new skills, it will also help you find professional advocates that will be critical when opportunities arise. These people will give you a lot of wisdom and guidance that will generally make you a better person and a better professional. I’m so thankful for the leaders that have invested in me at my own company. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
Make the move.
Opportunities will always be there for people who are the best in the room at their current job, are building skills for the future, and have strong relationships with people across their company. You want to be an obvious choice when that new role comes open. But those opportunities aren’t guaranteed to be on your own ideal timeline. It’s so critical to be patient and always keep at it.
It’s absolutely essential that you do not check out of your current role while pursuing potential new opportunities. I’ve seen people make this mistake a lot. They build up some success in their current role but then mentally move on to greener pastures. This leads to poor performance in their existing role which completely blocks their ability to succeed long term. If your old boss isn’t sad to lose you, a potential new boss won’t ever want you in the first place.
But for those who keep at it, opportunities will eventually come knocking. And when they do — I highly recommend to soak it all in. It’s too easy to move on to the next milestone. You’ve worked hard. While there were many that helped along the way, you’ve earned it. You’ve achieved a huge personal goal. Reflect, be grateful, and enjoy the progress you’ve made.
I hope some of the things I’ve learned over the last few years can help you grow professionally, whatever stage of career you’re currently in. I also know that everyone’s path and experiences are different. With that in mind, I’d love to hear from you! What has helped you grow professionally lately? How did you take that big step in your career? Leave a response to this article or shoot me a tweet @nichols_austinj on twitter.
