How to avoid taking an entry-level position as your first job

For most people, entry-level jobs are a rite of passage, a necessary slog before reaching the next step in your career. They can be synonymous with grunt work, low pay and long hours, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?

But what if that “somewhere” is a level up from the traditional first rung on the ladder? Is it possible? Absolutely.

Monster talked with career experts and experienced professionals about when to consider applying to positions that are one level up, how to get the training to qualify for the jump and how to tailor your application to prove you have enough experience to bypass the entry level.

Get the training you need

Does the job description look within reach, except for one or two things? If you lack specific experience or tangible skills, fill those gaps by pursuing online training.

“There are so many jobs and careers that have online training available, whether it be on YouTube or Udemy or another platform,” says Stephen Twomey, founder of MasterMindSEO, a digital marketing consultancy in Las Vegas.

In addition to coursework, there are other ways to demonstrate your job readiness without having had an entry-level job. Give yourself a project to complete, and go after it like it was your actual job.

“Let's say you want to be a social media manager at a company. Well, then start managing your own social media,” says Twomey. “Become a personal brand. Start putting out content that is designed to engage people.” Write blog posts and stories on platforms like Medium, use a program like Hootsuite to plan and track your social actions, and then gather and analyze your data to show employers you know the basics of this kind of work.

Another way to get hiring managers to consider your resumes is by showing evidence of real-world experience. “If someone has done an internship, they have a better chance at skipping the entry-level job,” says AJ Saleem, executive director of the tutoring and test-prep company Suprex Tutors in Houston. That’s because in certain fields, internship experience is on par with entry-level work, which sets you up nicely to reach the next level.

Tailor your resume to highlight your most relevant experience

One trick you should use when applying for more senior roles is to order the items in your resume in a strategic way. There are two main types of resumes: functional and chronological. (The third type, a combination resume, pulls from both formats.) If you’re looking to skip the entry level, you might want to go with the functional resume, also known as a skills-based format.

“If you lack experience, introduce your education or skills first, and [put your work history] at the end of your resume,” says David Mitroff, CEO of Piedmont Avenue Consulting in San Francisco. “That way the employer will look at the strongest points of the application before other areas that might not be as convincing.”

In some cases, skills can be more important to a hiring manager than years of experience. So if a job requires five years’ experience and you only have two, but you have all of the skills the company is looking for, apply for the job.