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Why do I keep getting graduate roles?

Alica127·Mar 17, 2023

Posted in:Software Engineering Advice Early Career Job Hunting

I have been in the job-hunting phase for a while now. My concern is that I keep getting responses for graduate/entry-level roles instead of mid-level roles. I have 2 years of work experience and I am worried that if I accept the graduate roles I will be regressing in my career journey instead of progressing. Any advice?

ara206·Mar 17, 2023

Once you get an offer, you can negotiate the title. As long as the title is "Software Engineer" and not "Junior Software Engineer" or something else that looks like a lateral step or step backwards, then I think it's ok. 2 years is still quite early. Good luck!!

Shubhashree·Mar 18, 2023

I agree that 2 years is not enough for mid-level roles. But one thing I learnt is to update your skills in LinkedIn to indicate what you have done in addition to a fresh grad. Also, if you got a promotion or being considered for one - highlight that. The other is to impress the interviewers to be considered for a non-entry-level position. Good luck.

Randy140·Mar 20, 2023

I think 2 years is definitely enough for some companies' mid-level roles! You might need to sell yourself a bit more on paper. I read an advice on Twitter that all junior designers should remove the word "junior" from their resume, because they are still designers and it's the company's job to decide where candidates are on their internal levels. I had 1.5 years of product manager experience and got a mid-level PM role last year. Good luck and I'm sure your profile is more valuable than you think!