It’s been great to see the new vigor our government and some businesses have about hiring youth and new grads. It’s needed – we need to kept that talent here, and provide them a chance to succeed in the Maritimes. My bitch is for us mid fielders. I have a good job – but I stopped learning a long time ago and I’m dreading getting up in the morning, so I know it’s time for a change. I bring a varied skill set and about 5 years of experience and I cannot find anything!
All the jobs seem to be entry level or senior level (10+ years experience) and there is not much in between. I made a commitment to stay here, so I’m grinning and bearing it for now….but seriously where are the mid level jobs Halifax?! —Stuck in an entry level role and not happy about it
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2016.
I’m in a similar spot, although I’m considering changing industries (I am in school part time to support this), but I’d recommend just going for those entry level jobs. You may get a more pay than what someone with no experience would. Even if it means taking a bit of a pay cut, if you’re happier then it’ll be worth it.
Agree with the above. Not all entry level jobs are created equally. Some provide promotions more quickly, higher salaries, better benefits. The experience you have sets you apart from the majority of other applicants, meaning that you can be more selective.
Just apply for a bunch and bargain your way up to the best combination of salary and promotion opportunities.
Go for the experienced position. It’s hard to find good people, so your 5 years and your awesome attitude can get the job.
I was stuck at a low-level job for many more years than you, OB. I feel your pain. The problem is demographic. The mid-level and higher jobs are fewer and are often get filled by people who can’t or don’t want to go further, or who spend many years at those jobs until they retire. This creates a bottleneck.
If you don’t want to move and you don’t want to retrain for a different field with higher starting salaries your only option is to try to make yourself a shoe-in for when something does show up. Think about doing some training to show you are keen on progressing and not just “waiting your turn”. Some sort of management training or a project management course might help. Other than that, try to be the person who is innovative and takes initiative. It’s all about being noticed. Good luck!
why don’t you turn your entry level job into a mid level position? show some initiative and take on new responsibilities. There won’t be a salary increase but that is not unusual. just go for the experience.
Apply for senior-level jobs anyway (caveat: only the ones you think you can actually do). If there aren’t enough more qualified candidates, you’ll be considered.
When I was entry-level, I was regularly applying to jobs that were posted as requiring five years experience, though I only had school and 1-2 years of real work experience. I got interviews anyway, and eventually a job.
Great Value and JereBat have it right.
In my job I kept asking for more and more responsibility over the years, and occasionally had the opportunity to rewrite my job description to match. (Some companies will allow this, and of course some own’t.) In my case, somehow I went from just-above-entry-level to director without ever actually changing employers.
On the other hand, many advertised “mid or high level” jobs go to people with no more experience or qualifications than you have, and it’s not always just because of their connections. I’m always seeing my peers get jobs that I would think we didn’t have a chance at because of the large pool of more experienced workers. But if you study hard and interview spectacularly, you never know where you might land.
Thanks all for the great tips! I work in a really small not-profit right now, so unfortunately there is no where to grow (salary or otherwise.) I’ve taken on a lot more responsibility over the years as well, but there is just no room to move up – the management of this org have been here for 7, 10, 15 years. They aren’t leaving anytime soon. I’m just going to keep applying for a variety of entry level and senior roles, and using my network and hope something great pans out 🙂