Mid-Level Job Application Tips: Share Your Best Advice for Mid-Levels!
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Ladies, what are your best mid-level job application tips — for when you're not quite fresh out of school but you're not so senior that they're knocking on your door? Do you have different tips if you're applying online for mid-level jobs vs. applying more directly for a mid-level position? What are the best things you've learned from mid-level recruiters?
Something that's always interesting to me is how in college and grad school, there is this huge emphasis on job application skills — writing cover letters or requests for informational interviews, tweaking your resume to be elegantly phrased, impressive, yet concise — and a lot of guidance around following up for job applications, like when to check in, what to say in follow-up messages, and so forth.
Then, the education kind of stops, unless you seek it out by working with your alumni career office, a career coach, or an executive recruiter. But that's where the trouble is, I think — I don't think mid-levels can necessarily use the same job application tips that they learned in college or grad school.
So let's talk, ladies — how do you think applying for a job changes as you rise in seniority? What tips and habits do you still use after the initial college/grad school career fair — and what have you adapted and changed as you've gotten older? Readers who are really senior and have seen it all, how do you think basic job application advice changes as you climb the corporate ladder?
(Another interesting question — how many stages of your career/job application process do you expect to go through? If you're 5 years out of school are you “mid-level” or would you call it something else? A lot of the “further reading” posts below seem to define “mid-level professional” as someone 45-50 or older, whereas I think the phrase “mid-career” might apply better there…)
{related: the best job application tips for mid-levels}
{related: readers' tips for women interviewing at high-level jobs}
the rules for interview shoes,
As part of our general interview advice, we've rounded up 5 things to always bring to interviews and pondered “rules for interview shoes” (surprisingly there are some!). Depending on where you are in your career, you may want to check out our best general interview tips, best on-campus interview tips, the best job application tips for mid-levels, or readers' tips for women interviewing at high-level jobs.
{related: 5 things to always bring to interviews}
{related: here's how long your resume should be}
{related: 6 new rules for resumes you may not know}
{related: do you still apply even when you don't meet the job requirements?}
Further Reading:
- Here's What a Mid-Level Professional's Resume Should Look Like [The Ladders]
- How to Job Search as a Mid Level Career Candidate [The Balance]
- How to Make a Great Resume for a Mid-Level Professional [Top Resume]
- 15 Tips For Finding a Job At Every Stage Of Your Career [Glassdoor]
- 6 Tips for Midcareer Job Seekers [Bankrate]
- Correcting the 5 Most Common Mistakes Mid-Level Job Seekers Make [Forbes]
For lawyers: do you agree with advice to move education to the bottom of your resume after a handful of years in practice? I have been under the impression that–especially in biglaw and at certain government agencies–a degree from Very Fancy Law School is something that should stay at the top of a resume. If you moved your education section to the bottom of your resume, when did you do so?
Moved it once I was a mid-level associate in Biglaw. At that point, the brand from my law firm training was just as good as my Ivy degrees. And for people who get reverse-judgmental about Ivies (i.e., assume that you’re kind of a snot/rich brat or ivory tower type) it shows that you recognize that your actual work experience should carry more weight.
I graduated from law school more than 30 years ago and it’s still at the top of my resume. Not a Very Fancy Law School, but locally prominent. (Not that I’ve had occasion to dust off said resume for some years…)
I moved it down when I left biglaw (and I went to a highly-ranked law school), but I don’t think there is a hard-and-fast rule on this. You can weigh the brand name value of your law school (and if you were on the law review or whatever) vs previous employment, and decide what you want to put forward first. Assuming your resume isn’t insanely long, they will probably get to the “education” section at some point!
Same here.
I think it depends on what position you are going for. Dad says that if you have already established yourself in a particular legal subspecialty (like litigation or WC) and wish to remain in it, then move the law school history down out of the way. However, if you have some experence, but wish to switch, then keep the law school up top, and in your COVER letter, explain that you did X for 3 years but need to move into Y, because of (blah blah blah).
In this way, you are showing your flexibility, but at the same time, showcasing that you are an attorney at law, and at the same time, a graduate of a reputable ABA accredited law school.
Dad says that if you are not a graduate of an ABA accredited law school, move it down, or better yet out of the picture entirely, as long as you are in good standing as a member of the STATE bar.
I remember when I was at GW, I met a guy who was a Harvard Law School graduate at a bar on 19th street, and he was so stuck on Harvard Law School when trying to impress me, but I really did not care that much. My freind and I were GW law students, so it was not that much of a difference to us, and we preferred to talk about our freinds from high school. He got miffed at us, telling us we were dumb b/c he was a HARVARD LAW graduate, so who cares about freinds from high school! Needless to say, we did NOT wind up doing anything with him–he thought we were just two dumb law students that would do $exueal things with him in his fancy car b/c he was a Harvard man who worked at a very big law firm in town (Covington). FOOEY on him! That poor Yutz went home alone that night! DOUBEL FOOEY on him for thinking WE were the dumb ones!
My education is at the top of my resume, but for the slightly unusual reason that I made a long-distance move to an area with which I have no connection (except my husband), but wherein my law school is highly regarded.
(It would be analogous to graduating from the University of Minnesota, and moving from Texas to Wisconsin.)
I graduated from law school in 2007 and mine is still at the top. I have gradually stripped it of details and only include super basic info (no GPAs but do include my undergrad major and journal participation). It takes up little room and is more important than job number four on my resume. Ideally, it would be between jobs two and three but that would be odd.
Does anyone else find a lot of the current styles in fashion (especially the silhouettes) extremely unflattering? For example, midi skirts, high-waisted trousers, cropped trousers, widish legged jeans? If a 5’11 size 0 model looks kinda dumpy in those styles, why would anyone else wear them? Feel free to just tell me I just old now and fashion has always been like this. I just remember thinking a few years ago how happy I was that the clothes that were in style looked good on my body type, and now we are in a new era and my choices are to either look dated or to wear clothes that I only think lithe 22 year olds can pull off.
I think I wearing clothes that fit you is far more important than wearing what is allegedly in style. I’m fairly young but still wear a lot of things that have been deemed outdated on this site recently (maxi dresses, long necklaces, rockstuds, other footwear brands that are supposedly out). My question to those people is do you wear what is “in” right now – bell sleeves, ruffles, some of the things OP mentioned? If not, I don’t care about wearing what they deem “out.”
High-waisted pants look good on pretty much nobody. They give everyone the illusion of lower belly pooch. Though I’d pick them over the shorts that are so short that the cheek bottom is visible. I saw an alarming number of cheeks last summer. I liked clothes best circa 2010 I think. Cardigans, pencil skirts, dark jeans, knee-high boots FTW.
High waisted pants work well for people with disproportionately long torsos who want to create a more balanced silhouette. However, it’s not a common body type.
I agree that it’s best to focus on clothes that suit you, regardless of trends. If that means sitting out on certain trends, then so be it. After all, there’s a reason many stores sell basics year after year.
Granted, Target may not be the best example, but when I was there over the weekend … well, let’s just say that I’ll be opting out and feeling very OK about it! Everything in the section geared toward younger women was just fugly. From the silhouettes, to the colors — it was all bad!
I would like a few trendy pieces to spruce up my spring wardrobe, but I don’t even know what to look for. Luckily, my style veers toward modern classic and I don’t need a total overhaul.
Personally, I’m all for current trends. I don’t have a super long torso but most sheath dresses I can find in stores have the waist hit too high for me (at my ribs rather than my actual waist), which I guess means I have a longer than average torso. High rise pants are kind of a godsend, and I like all the other stuff too – midi skirts, cropped pants, cropped shirts. I wear sweaters and skinny pants a lot for the fall/winter office wear, but I’m looking forward to maxi dresses and cropped pants or flowy pants with crop tops for summer casual. FWIW I’m 28, 6′, a regular inseam (32″), but always dealing with sheath dresses and other dresses with natural waist ties hitting the wrong place.
As Anon at 2:01pm said though, you should wear what suits you.
I’m a lawyer with 15+ years of work experience looking to move in-house. I don’t feel ready to be GC level but I think hiring managers view me as overqualified for corporate counsel roles. I don’t know what to do about this, and it just gets worse as my search continues. Would appreciate advice…
There is a lot in between GC and the lowest level of corporate counsel. Try to find a mid to senior level role that is one or two steps below AGC. Many of the career professionals in those roles are in the 10 to 15 year range. GC level typically has way more than 15 yrs of experience – I’ve personally never met a GC at an established larger company that wasn’t in the 20+ year range and well into their 40s or 50s
Related question: say you make the move to somewhere, any advice for how to start over as a mid-level? Surely it’s different than first day on the job as a first year associate.
Thanks for discussing this. When I was just starting my career, there seemed to be a lot of different options, and I had a pretty high application-to-interview rate. But now my experience level is in that 5-to-10 year range, there are fewer options overall, and fewer still that fit my areas of expertise. I also get the sense that a greater share of those roles are being filled by internal hires and people in the employer’s network. Plus it’s harder for me to quietly network for jobs now that I am a little more visible in my field and word might get back to my boss.
Seriously seconding everything you said. A lot of smaller companies also don’t tend to even have mid-level roles, and now that I have experience I more know what to look for and what I want in a role/company, which limits options a bit more in a good way. I’ve been actively job searching (while employed) for the past year and, while my field is a bit narrow and I’m being fairly choosy, it’s getting frustrating.
This is perfect timing. I am in that 5-10 year range and have spent the last 8 years at the same company, in a variety of roles. This Thursday is my first interview in around 5 years, at a brand new company. I’ve spent an hour searching through my wardrobe, and I just keep telling myself I’m excited not anxious but… maybe I’m both?!