'Junior' to 'Senior' - ready yet?

Is it time to shed your ‘junior’ label? How might you show you’re ready? When I started my career as a fresh graduate at a large employer, there were a number of rungs in the progression ladder to mark the development of our skills and knowledge. The system was predicated mostly on spending a few years at each level to gain the required on-the-job experience: junior specialist, intermediate specialist, senior specialist etc. 

Each role level also had required competencies, which allowed managers to delineate between them – a system I now know as a ‘competency framework’ or ‘capability model’. But, as I’ve continued to get more and more ‘senior’, my memory of the requirements has faded! 👴 

In this article, I discuss the shift from junior to senior roles. Read more for thoughts on the contributions we make at work, benefits of experience, and practical tips for being seen as more senior, including framing, looking up and outside, asking for help, crafting your brand, and more… ​

Hold your horses, Junior 
If you’re a junior, you may feel like others get all the interesting work, while you’re stuck with the more repetitive (and boring) tasks… You may be enthusiastic and raring to go, yes, but might you be wanting to gallop before you can trot? 

In other words, temper your excitement with realism – on-the-job experience does really help. But, you can still make a powerful contribution to your organisation as a junior, if you earn others’ trust. To build trust, volunteer for projects. Be curious, and open to learning about the organisation and areas you’re not yet familiar with. And, back up your zeal with real delivery i.e. show the value you add and the level you can operate at. 

Please don’t exude a sense of entitlement though, acting like you ‘deserve’ to be in the C-Suite already because of your background, connections, alma mater and/or cum laude. Such an approach is highly unlikely to serve you well. 

Nevertheless, your newness can be an advantage – your fresh perspective could bring insights that existing staff might not have. For example: data skills, programming skills, exposure to newer technologies, connection with academic research. In my case, I contributed familiarity with financial economics and stochastic scenarios, together relatively new to our profession at the time. And, perhaps part of the value you can add at your organisation is teaching new skills to existing staff or facilitating information flow from outside the organisation? 

A side note: professions/industries differ in their timeframes for juniors stepping up. For example, given the pace at which the technology industry evolves, junior software engineers can rather quickly become experts in specific technologies. Junior doctors though need to invest time learning from seniors like consultants as part of their multi-year training. ​

Benefits of experience 
Bear in mind please that seniors know things too… More experienced professionals tend to solve challenges faster (because they may have seen something similar before). 

An engineering example: experienced coders are more likely to be able to spot problems in code (and more) in advance because they’ve seen before how things play out in the real world. And, they understand the constraints better. In the actuarial profession, we refer to this sixth sense born from experience as ‘professional judgement’ e.g. knowing what ballpark an output should be in, sensing what’s material, or anticipating how stakeholders might react. 

This assumes, of course, that we keep learning (and unlearning) and don’t close our minds and become set in our ways. Adaptability is a key skill for the future as you know i.e. as you gain experience, be careful not to miss new techniques or approaches because you become used to doing things in a certain way. As mentioned earlier, juniors can help seniors keep up-to-date. 

Practical advice 
Over the rest of this article, I’ll offer some practical advice on how to be seen as more senior. Please do let me know in the comments if you find these helpful, and what else you’d suggest. 

1) Framing and emulating 
Rather than thinking about how to stop being a junior, reframe it as how to start being a senior. And, slowly but surely, as you do more ‘senior’ things, you’ll see yourself as more and more senior. Ask yourself what seniors in your company do – perhaps look at your organisation’s competency framework and/or observe what people in senior roles spend their time on. Do more of those things. 

2) Don’t keep your head down
Volunteer to participate in more complicated work. Perhaps it’ll be by shadowing or learning from others to start, or sitting in on meetings. Offering to take meeting notes is a way to help when you’re the most junior there. Also write down personal reminders of things you’re unfamiliar with and research those areas later to accumulate knowledge.

Shadowing is a great way to learn from senior executives – and Executive Associate roles are often designed to give talented employees exposure to the C-Suite. 

Over time, you’ll be able to contribute more and more – actively try to participate and make helpful suggestions. Aim for confidence and humility (yes, this is tricky). Confident without being arrogant, yet humble without being self-deprecating. Venture your opinion without apologising, and be careful not to be pushy or know-it-all: acknowledge that others might have more context than you, so be respectful (without diluting your views). Build relationships with others, including peers and sponsors.

Look outside your organisation as well. For example, speak at conferences, volunteer on professional working parties, and build connections across your industry. These will help you keep up-to-date with trends, bring outside knowledge into your organisation, and perhaps teach your colleagues. 

3) Ask for your manager’s help 
Your manager can be a helpful ally (or a difficult blocker). Speak with them about your goals and intentions, and ask for their support over the longer-term to progress towards them. This signals your ambitions, and will give you a good sense of how they see you and your contribution. They’ll need to advocate for your future promotions, so share evidence which makes it easier for them to do this. They should know your goals way before your performance appraisal, and you can also ask them what they expect of you at different levels. 

4) Crafting your brand
The impressions others have of you are important – for example, do they see you as the intern? You need to be deliberate about your personal brand, and take active steps to shape how others see you (authentically). Some of the suggestions above will help with this too. 

Sometimes perceptions are so entrenched that they won’t budge, irrespective of the value you demonstrate repeatedly. In these cases, a reset might help i.e. finding a new environment without preconceptions. You don’t necessarily need to move cities or countries for this – a change of department or employer might work too. For example, if you worked with your team as a part-time student, and have now graduated, they might still think of you as a student. A new employer (or team) wouldn’t have this reference point. 

5) Try it til it fits
Stepping up can feel uncomfortable, and you may feel a little like an imposter as you try doing things you’ve not done before. This is a natural part of learning, so embrace being outside of your comfort zone, and keep pushing yourself. Eventually you’ll be so used to doing what seniors do, that it’ll feel like the perfect fit! 

I wish you well on your journey from junior to senior – do let us know how it goes!