Strategic Job Search Tips for Advancing from Entry-Level Roles to New Opportunities

Starting your career in an entry-level role is an important step, but don't solely rely on luck and others to help move your career forward. You are the one with the most to gain so invest planning and effort into it.

I see so many early-career professionals who find themselves stuck or unsure how to take the next step. The sad truth is, at most organizations upward progression is limited, and the criteria and process for recommending employees for progression are opaque. Looking outside your current workplace is often the path of least (lesser) resistance.

The key to advancing starts with a strategic approach to your current role, how you present your professional self online and in real life (IRL), and how you search for new opportunities. I'll offer some practical advice and my experiences to help you move forward with purpose.

Make the Most of Your Current Role

Your current job is more than just a paycheck. I know it can be especially hard if you are unhappy there. Sometimes you feel your efforts are not recognized, or you are surrounded by so many people who don't take their work seriously, or worse, the bad employees are getting ahead for reasons unrelated to the quality of their work.

Look at your job as a platform to build skills, demonstrate initiative and expertise, and prepare for the next opportunity. Start by mastering your focus area of responsibility. If you have a good manager and team structure, that should be easy to define. But sometimes you will have to define that for yourself (even if it's not official... let your manager know this is your plan (not to the exclusion of other areas) just as a way to focus and bring more value to the team. It is very difficult to master a very broad set of responsibilities in a short period of time.

Here are ways to maximize your time in an entry-level role:

• Take Initiative - Look for tasks or projects beyond your basic responsibilities. Volunteering for additional work shows motivation and helps you gain new skills. Align this with areas you are interested in, have some expertise in, or are interested in exploring

• Build Relationships - Connect with colleagues, supervisors, and mentors. Networking inside your company can open doors to new ideas, projects, and possibly roles. As you work with these colleagues, you will start to build up your reputation.

• Seek Feedback - Regularly (quarterly and after projects) ask for constructive feedback to understand your strengths and areas for improvement (primarily from your manager but also from leaders of projects). Use this to grow professionally.

• Document Achievements - Keep track of your accomplishments with specific examples and measurable results. This will be useful when updating your resume or LinkedIn profile. When you get good feedback, ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation. These are great to look back on when you start to feel any sort of imposter syndrome.

• Learn Continuously - Take advantage of training, workshops, or online courses related to your field. This is why loving what you do is so important. Learning is just fun rather than a chore. Staying current increases your value to employers.

Present Yourself Effectively

How you present yourself online and on paper can make a big difference in attracting the right opportunities or getting you a meeting with the opportunities you have sought out. Focus on relevance, mastery, and clarity.

Resume Tips

• Tailor Your Resume - Customize your resume for each job application. Know that your resume is being screened by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and HR people so you want to make their jobs easy to pick your resume for the next round of review by the hiring manager. Highlight skills and experiences that match the job description.

• Quantify Results - Whenever possible, include numbers to demonstrate your contributions. For example, "Increased customer satisfaction scores by 15%." Sharing your experience in an area shouldn't be a binary expression. In addition to sharing your experience, you want to show how well you did your job.

• Use Action Words - Start bullet points with verbs like "managed," "developed," or "improved" to show impact. These make it clear you are not a passive passenger who had good fortune, but rather you actively caused this positive outcome.

• Keep It Concise - Limit your resume to one page (entry level) if you have less than 10 years of experience and two pages for seasoned professionals. Use clear headings and bullet points for easy reading. Again, you want to make it easy for the reviewer to pick you for an interview.

LinkedIn Profile

• Professional Photo - Use a clear, friendly headshot with a simple background. Some say you don't want to provide any extraneous data that might eliminate you (maybe they don't like the way you smile, or the colour of your hair, etc). Personally, I would rather take the chance and hope they make a stronger connection to my name and experiences with a face to tie them to.

• Compelling Headline - Instead of just your job title, include your skills or career goals. For example, "Marketing Assistant | Content Creation | Social Media Enthusiast." This is one of the columns that is included in the Search results and is an opportunity to draw attention to your profile. Think of it like a subject line in an important email. Take time to refine it.

• Detailed About section - Write a brief summary that highlights your experience, skills, and what you are looking for next. Don't just reuse points from your Experience section; that is your raw data. What insight should they walk away with after reviewing your Experiences? That is what you should write here. It might help to think and write this from a 3rd person perspective... how do your colleagues view you and your work?

• Showcase Skills, Endorsements, and Recommendations - List relevant skills and ask colleagues for LinkedIn Recommendations. A month before annual reviews or after large successful projects is a good time. It can be helpful to include in your request areas you would like them to include some commentary on (reviewing your other recommendations to see if there are areas that could use reinforcement or are relevant to the next role you are seeking).

• Engage Regularly - Share articles, comment on posts, and connect with professionals in your field to stay visible. Sharing articles is a low-effort way to share value with your network. This also shows topics you are interested in and the perspectives you might have about those topics. Commenting on posts is a way to share your perspective and also give others the value of your experience.

Personal Website or Portfolio

Most fields benefit from showcasing work samples (design, writing, programming) or work war stories or guides/frameworks, create a simple website, blog, or portfolio. This is a good way to give back and help others learn from your experiences. It also helps prospective colleagues see the quality of your work and how you think about and approach your work.

The type of site really depends on what you are comfortable sharing. A good example will be an investment of time. It's not a one-and-done approach, but an ongoing initiative that grows with your experiences. Some things you might include:

• Your bio and contact information

• Examples of your best work

• Guilds, Frameworks, and Tutorials

• Testimonials or references

• Links to your LinkedIn and other professional profiles

  
  

Search for new Jobs with Purpose

Job searching is more effective when it is focused and strategic rather than random (shotgun approach) or passive (hoping you will be lucky and someone will notice you within all the noise). If you are competent, you can grab the bull by the horns and make your own luck.

Define Your Goals

• Identify the type of role you want next (start with what you think the next level for your progression is, but also add some secondary targets that are also interested and adjacent to the ideal next job)

• Consider industries, company sizes, and locations that interest you. These can be used in your filter and alerts in LinkedIn Jobs page. This might translate to multiple job search items

• Create a list of Ideal Companies you would love to work for because of thier mission, products, culture, etc. Then look at their competitors and related companies (partners, suppliers, etc.

• Set realistic timelines and milestones for your search activities

  
  

Use Multiple Channels

• Job Boards - In addition to LinkedIn, use popular sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, and especially any industry-specific boards. Set up alerts for new postings based on the goals you defined previously.

• Company Websites - Follow companies you admire (Ideal Company list) and check their career pages regularly. You might apply for some roles that are not geographically where you want. Depending on how the company is organized there may be flexibility on the location.

• Networking - Attend industry events, webinars, or local meetups, or online forums, slack groups, etc. Participate while there, asking genuine, thought-provoking questions while sharing some of your thoughts and experiences. This might feel a little contrived and it is a little. You are giving the other participants the benefit of your experience with the question. But also, we must learn to live in the world as it is rather than only try to bend it to be the world we prefer it to be. Connect to contacts in your target departments of companies in your list to share ideas and tap into each others experiences. If you have content you generate regularly on your website or post about news, these are benefits for them to connect with you. If you have a topic that needs an in-depth conversation, reach out to contacts for informational interviews. These contacts will help you connect to hiring managers and bypass the filters of the ATS and HR teams.

• Recruiters - Connect with recruiters who specialize in your field. They can provide insights and match you with openings. These can be at recruiting firms or internal recruiters at your Ideal Companies).

Apply Thoughtfully

• Avoid mass applications. Focus on quality over quantity. This is a little controversial, as many other writers have touted the benefit of mass applications. This might work well for just landing any job interview, but if you are looking for your next ideal job, I firmly believe you have to invest the time to research the company and job

• Customize your resume and cover letter for each job. Personalize each resume for the job posting.

• Look to see if you have and 1st or 2nd level contacts at that company to see if there is a path to bypass the filters of the ATS and HR teams.

• Follow application instructions carefully.

  
  

Prepare for Interviews

• Research the company and role thoroughly.

• Practice common interview questions and answers.

• Prepare questions to ask the interviewer.

• Follow up with a thank-you note after the interview.

• Read my article on Preparing for Interviews

  
  

Stay Motivated and Organized

Job searching can be challenging, especially when balancing a current job. Keep your efforts consistent and track your progress. This could be a note in your favorite note app (i.e. Joplin), a spreadsheet (i.e. LibreOffice Calc), a kanban board (i.e. Atlassian Trello), or a simple database (i.e. Clickup with template).

• Use a spreadsheet or app to log applications, contacts/companies, and follow-ups.

• Set daily or weekly goals for networking and applications. Having an app help orgainize your activities and alert you when your attention is need reduces the mental load on you as you balance your day job.

• Celebrate small wins like getting an interview or positive feedback. Give yourself a small reward... a sweet if you have a sweet tooth, a guilty pleasure song, etc.

• Take breaks when needed (with a specific plan on when you start up your activities again) to avoid burnout.