What experience are required for junior/entry level positions? [closed]

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I have been perusing job adverts but many say nothing about the desired level of experience apart from the tech stack they're looking for.



What does junior and entry level mean in terms of skill requirements and experience?



If their only requirement is knowledge of particular technologies without mention of years of experience, how can I tell if this is suitable for me and what I need to learn?







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closed as off-topic by Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, jcmeloni, Michael Grubey Aug 8 '14 at 3:34


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, Michael Grubey
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 2




    Hi squarlson and welcome to The Workplace! Unfortunately, the "What should I do" type of questions like this are off topic here and likely to be put on hold/closed. I recommend that you edit your question to be more widely applicable so that it can avoid closure and attract some good answers.
    – Ian Holstead
    Aug 2 '14 at 0:54







  • 2




    is that better?
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 11:35






  • 3




    @squarlson I edited this to focus on your core question about junior level experience. The "years of experience" part is very well covered here but the other half of this question is great! Thanks for being willing to edit your question to be more clear and welcome!
    – Elysian Fields♦
    Aug 2 '14 at 12:47










  • This is so variable and dependant un industry the expectations for a junior doctor vs a trainee hairdresser are so wide
    – Pepone
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:34










  • My question specifically refers to front end web development, but this is not as clear after editing
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:40
















up vote
6
down vote

favorite
1












I have been perusing job adverts but many say nothing about the desired level of experience apart from the tech stack they're looking for.



What does junior and entry level mean in terms of skill requirements and experience?



If their only requirement is knowledge of particular technologies without mention of years of experience, how can I tell if this is suitable for me and what I need to learn?







share|improve this question














closed as off-topic by Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, jcmeloni, Michael Grubey Aug 8 '14 at 3:34


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, Michael Grubey
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 2




    Hi squarlson and welcome to The Workplace! Unfortunately, the "What should I do" type of questions like this are off topic here and likely to be put on hold/closed. I recommend that you edit your question to be more widely applicable so that it can avoid closure and attract some good answers.
    – Ian Holstead
    Aug 2 '14 at 0:54







  • 2




    is that better?
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 11:35






  • 3




    @squarlson I edited this to focus on your core question about junior level experience. The "years of experience" part is very well covered here but the other half of this question is great! Thanks for being willing to edit your question to be more clear and welcome!
    – Elysian Fields♦
    Aug 2 '14 at 12:47










  • This is so variable and dependant un industry the expectations for a junior doctor vs a trainee hairdresser are so wide
    – Pepone
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:34










  • My question specifically refers to front end web development, but this is not as clear after editing
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:40












up vote
6
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
6
down vote

favorite
1






1





I have been perusing job adverts but many say nothing about the desired level of experience apart from the tech stack they're looking for.



What does junior and entry level mean in terms of skill requirements and experience?



If their only requirement is knowledge of particular technologies without mention of years of experience, how can I tell if this is suitable for me and what I need to learn?







share|improve this question














I have been perusing job adverts but many say nothing about the desired level of experience apart from the tech stack they're looking for.



What does junior and entry level mean in terms of skill requirements and experience?



If their only requirement is knowledge of particular technologies without mention of years of experience, how can I tell if this is suitable for me and what I need to learn?









share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Aug 3 '14 at 17:22

























asked Aug 1 '14 at 22:43









squarlson

5315




5315




closed as off-topic by Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, jcmeloni, Michael Grubey Aug 8 '14 at 3:34


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, Michael Grubey
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




closed as off-topic by Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, jcmeloni, Michael Grubey Aug 8 '14 at 3:34


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Jim G., Garrison Neely, alroc, Michael Grubey
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.







  • 2




    Hi squarlson and welcome to The Workplace! Unfortunately, the "What should I do" type of questions like this are off topic here and likely to be put on hold/closed. I recommend that you edit your question to be more widely applicable so that it can avoid closure and attract some good answers.
    – Ian Holstead
    Aug 2 '14 at 0:54







  • 2




    is that better?
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 11:35






  • 3




    @squarlson I edited this to focus on your core question about junior level experience. The "years of experience" part is very well covered here but the other half of this question is great! Thanks for being willing to edit your question to be more clear and welcome!
    – Elysian Fields♦
    Aug 2 '14 at 12:47










  • This is so variable and dependant un industry the expectations for a junior doctor vs a trainee hairdresser are so wide
    – Pepone
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:34










  • My question specifically refers to front end web development, but this is not as clear after editing
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:40












  • 2




    Hi squarlson and welcome to The Workplace! Unfortunately, the "What should I do" type of questions like this are off topic here and likely to be put on hold/closed. I recommend that you edit your question to be more widely applicable so that it can avoid closure and attract some good answers.
    – Ian Holstead
    Aug 2 '14 at 0:54







  • 2




    is that better?
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 11:35






  • 3




    @squarlson I edited this to focus on your core question about junior level experience. The "years of experience" part is very well covered here but the other half of this question is great! Thanks for being willing to edit your question to be more clear and welcome!
    – Elysian Fields♦
    Aug 2 '14 at 12:47










  • This is so variable and dependant un industry the expectations for a junior doctor vs a trainee hairdresser are so wide
    – Pepone
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:34










  • My question specifically refers to front end web development, but this is not as clear after editing
    – squarlson
    Aug 2 '14 at 13:40







2




2




Hi squarlson and welcome to The Workplace! Unfortunately, the "What should I do" type of questions like this are off topic here and likely to be put on hold/closed. I recommend that you edit your question to be more widely applicable so that it can avoid closure and attract some good answers.
– Ian Holstead
Aug 2 '14 at 0:54





Hi squarlson and welcome to The Workplace! Unfortunately, the "What should I do" type of questions like this are off topic here and likely to be put on hold/closed. I recommend that you edit your question to be more widely applicable so that it can avoid closure and attract some good answers.
– Ian Holstead
Aug 2 '14 at 0:54





2




2




is that better?
– squarlson
Aug 2 '14 at 11:35




is that better?
– squarlson
Aug 2 '14 at 11:35




3




3




@squarlson I edited this to focus on your core question about junior level experience. The "years of experience" part is very well covered here but the other half of this question is great! Thanks for being willing to edit your question to be more clear and welcome!
– Elysian Fields♦
Aug 2 '14 at 12:47




@squarlson I edited this to focus on your core question about junior level experience. The "years of experience" part is very well covered here but the other half of this question is great! Thanks for being willing to edit your question to be more clear and welcome!
– Elysian Fields♦
Aug 2 '14 at 12:47












This is so variable and dependant un industry the expectations for a junior doctor vs a trainee hairdresser are so wide
– Pepone
Aug 2 '14 at 13:34




This is so variable and dependant un industry the expectations for a junior doctor vs a trainee hairdresser are so wide
– Pepone
Aug 2 '14 at 13:34












My question specifically refers to front end web development, but this is not as clear after editing
– squarlson
Aug 2 '14 at 13:40




My question specifically refers to front end web development, but this is not as clear after editing
– squarlson
Aug 2 '14 at 13:40










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
6
down vote













To me, "junior" implies anything from just graduated to less than 3 years. When I put out an add for a junior dev, I expect I'll have to "untrain" them before building them back up. The only thing I really want is that they've at least worked a little bit with the tech stack and have the ability to learn fast.



This contrasts with when I put out an ad for a Senior Dev. In those cases I expect full competency on the tech stack we're working with along with knowledge of how to solve the common corner cases.



What you should be applying for are jobs that list the skills you have. Even if they say "2 years" or whatever. Sometimes the hiring manager just throws a number out there because HR is asking for it. So it's best to let them decide if your work history is good enough for an interview.



If you don't apply then you aren't giving them the option to consider you... and you'll certainly not get the job.






share|improve this answer




















  • When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
    – Brandin
    Aug 3 '14 at 11:50










  • @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
    – NotMe
    Aug 4 '14 at 18:13

















up vote
1
down vote













I'm not huge on the labels. I think calling someone a junior or a senior is a good way to falsely categorize the office and weight opinions where they need not be weighted. There can also be some flaring of egos for no good reason. Having said that, there are plenty of places who use the junior/senior tags well but not all of them do. We recently got a 'Senior Project Analyst', the qualifications? 23 years seniority, most of which was spent elsewhere. He hates the label too but this is what the company gave him. Absent from my email signature is the demarcation despite having spent over 5 years in supply chain related software development and going on 9 with the company so far.



I recently listened to a hanselminutes podcast, that had a ton of information in it about what you're asking. I would give it a listen.



Ideally, the J/S titles should denote levels of experience but as the industry changes, by the day if you're in the Javascript framework land the equation gets a bit hazy. Perhaps the best summary I can think of is a senior has made more mistakes than a junior (and learned from them). If you're fresh out of school doing a ton of work in open source and you get hired as junior under a 'senior' who's spent his career in non open source does the distinction really count when working on an open source project? There's some fundamental overlap sure, but the things I would look to a senior for...nuance and somewhat esoteric about a subject just wouldn't be there would it?



I would say look carefully at the qualifications being asked for in the posting. If you can speak and work effectively through them just apply. The company knows what it's looking for and if you don't cut it for them with 0 years or 10 years they'll let you know.






share|improve this answer





























    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes








    up vote
    6
    down vote













    To me, "junior" implies anything from just graduated to less than 3 years. When I put out an add for a junior dev, I expect I'll have to "untrain" them before building them back up. The only thing I really want is that they've at least worked a little bit with the tech stack and have the ability to learn fast.



    This contrasts with when I put out an ad for a Senior Dev. In those cases I expect full competency on the tech stack we're working with along with knowledge of how to solve the common corner cases.



    What you should be applying for are jobs that list the skills you have. Even if they say "2 years" or whatever. Sometimes the hiring manager just throws a number out there because HR is asking for it. So it's best to let them decide if your work history is good enough for an interview.



    If you don't apply then you aren't giving them the option to consider you... and you'll certainly not get the job.






    share|improve this answer




















    • When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
      – Brandin
      Aug 3 '14 at 11:50










    • @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
      – NotMe
      Aug 4 '14 at 18:13














    up vote
    6
    down vote













    To me, "junior" implies anything from just graduated to less than 3 years. When I put out an add for a junior dev, I expect I'll have to "untrain" them before building them back up. The only thing I really want is that they've at least worked a little bit with the tech stack and have the ability to learn fast.



    This contrasts with when I put out an ad for a Senior Dev. In those cases I expect full competency on the tech stack we're working with along with knowledge of how to solve the common corner cases.



    What you should be applying for are jobs that list the skills you have. Even if they say "2 years" or whatever. Sometimes the hiring manager just throws a number out there because HR is asking for it. So it's best to let them decide if your work history is good enough for an interview.



    If you don't apply then you aren't giving them the option to consider you... and you'll certainly not get the job.






    share|improve this answer




















    • When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
      – Brandin
      Aug 3 '14 at 11:50










    • @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
      – NotMe
      Aug 4 '14 at 18:13












    up vote
    6
    down vote










    up vote
    6
    down vote









    To me, "junior" implies anything from just graduated to less than 3 years. When I put out an add for a junior dev, I expect I'll have to "untrain" them before building them back up. The only thing I really want is that they've at least worked a little bit with the tech stack and have the ability to learn fast.



    This contrasts with when I put out an ad for a Senior Dev. In those cases I expect full competency on the tech stack we're working with along with knowledge of how to solve the common corner cases.



    What you should be applying for are jobs that list the skills you have. Even if they say "2 years" or whatever. Sometimes the hiring manager just throws a number out there because HR is asking for it. So it's best to let them decide if your work history is good enough for an interview.



    If you don't apply then you aren't giving them the option to consider you... and you'll certainly not get the job.






    share|improve this answer












    To me, "junior" implies anything from just graduated to less than 3 years. When I put out an add for a junior dev, I expect I'll have to "untrain" them before building them back up. The only thing I really want is that they've at least worked a little bit with the tech stack and have the ability to learn fast.



    This contrasts with when I put out an ad for a Senior Dev. In those cases I expect full competency on the tech stack we're working with along with knowledge of how to solve the common corner cases.



    What you should be applying for are jobs that list the skills you have. Even if they say "2 years" or whatever. Sometimes the hiring manager just throws a number out there because HR is asking for it. So it's best to let them decide if your work history is good enough for an interview.



    If you don't apply then you aren't giving them the option to consider you... and you'll certainly not get the job.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Aug 1 '14 at 22:59









    NotMe

    20.9k55695




    20.9k55695











    • When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
      – Brandin
      Aug 3 '14 at 11:50










    • @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
      – NotMe
      Aug 4 '14 at 18:13
















    • When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
      – Brandin
      Aug 3 '14 at 11:50










    • @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
      – NotMe
      Aug 4 '14 at 18:13















    When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
    – Brandin
    Aug 3 '14 at 11:50




    When you put the ads do you also specify what kind of experience level you are looking for, or do you just assume people know what you just described when you say "Senior"
    – Brandin
    Aug 3 '14 at 11:50












    @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
    – NotMe
    Aug 4 '14 at 18:13




    @Brandin: Depends on what I'm looking for. For example, a SQL guy: 10+. A Dev: 5+ When reviewing a resume for a sr dev, I'm looking for at least 3 large projects (1 yr+) and multiple smaller ones (< 6 months). I don't consider someone to be Senior if they have 8 years experience on exactly 1 project; it's just not the same as seeing something from start to finish.
    – NotMe
    Aug 4 '14 at 18:13












    up vote
    1
    down vote













    I'm not huge on the labels. I think calling someone a junior or a senior is a good way to falsely categorize the office and weight opinions where they need not be weighted. There can also be some flaring of egos for no good reason. Having said that, there are plenty of places who use the junior/senior tags well but not all of them do. We recently got a 'Senior Project Analyst', the qualifications? 23 years seniority, most of which was spent elsewhere. He hates the label too but this is what the company gave him. Absent from my email signature is the demarcation despite having spent over 5 years in supply chain related software development and going on 9 with the company so far.



    I recently listened to a hanselminutes podcast, that had a ton of information in it about what you're asking. I would give it a listen.



    Ideally, the J/S titles should denote levels of experience but as the industry changes, by the day if you're in the Javascript framework land the equation gets a bit hazy. Perhaps the best summary I can think of is a senior has made more mistakes than a junior (and learned from them). If you're fresh out of school doing a ton of work in open source and you get hired as junior under a 'senior' who's spent his career in non open source does the distinction really count when working on an open source project? There's some fundamental overlap sure, but the things I would look to a senior for...nuance and somewhat esoteric about a subject just wouldn't be there would it?



    I would say look carefully at the qualifications being asked for in the posting. If you can speak and work effectively through them just apply. The company knows what it's looking for and if you don't cut it for them with 0 years or 10 years they'll let you know.






    share|improve this answer


























      up vote
      1
      down vote













      I'm not huge on the labels. I think calling someone a junior or a senior is a good way to falsely categorize the office and weight opinions where they need not be weighted. There can also be some flaring of egos for no good reason. Having said that, there are plenty of places who use the junior/senior tags well but not all of them do. We recently got a 'Senior Project Analyst', the qualifications? 23 years seniority, most of which was spent elsewhere. He hates the label too but this is what the company gave him. Absent from my email signature is the demarcation despite having spent over 5 years in supply chain related software development and going on 9 with the company so far.



      I recently listened to a hanselminutes podcast, that had a ton of information in it about what you're asking. I would give it a listen.



      Ideally, the J/S titles should denote levels of experience but as the industry changes, by the day if you're in the Javascript framework land the equation gets a bit hazy. Perhaps the best summary I can think of is a senior has made more mistakes than a junior (and learned from them). If you're fresh out of school doing a ton of work in open source and you get hired as junior under a 'senior' who's spent his career in non open source does the distinction really count when working on an open source project? There's some fundamental overlap sure, but the things I would look to a senior for...nuance and somewhat esoteric about a subject just wouldn't be there would it?



      I would say look carefully at the qualifications being asked for in the posting. If you can speak and work effectively through them just apply. The company knows what it's looking for and if you don't cut it for them with 0 years or 10 years they'll let you know.






      share|improve this answer
























        up vote
        1
        down vote










        up vote
        1
        down vote









        I'm not huge on the labels. I think calling someone a junior or a senior is a good way to falsely categorize the office and weight opinions where they need not be weighted. There can also be some flaring of egos for no good reason. Having said that, there are plenty of places who use the junior/senior tags well but not all of them do. We recently got a 'Senior Project Analyst', the qualifications? 23 years seniority, most of which was spent elsewhere. He hates the label too but this is what the company gave him. Absent from my email signature is the demarcation despite having spent over 5 years in supply chain related software development and going on 9 with the company so far.



        I recently listened to a hanselminutes podcast, that had a ton of information in it about what you're asking. I would give it a listen.



        Ideally, the J/S titles should denote levels of experience but as the industry changes, by the day if you're in the Javascript framework land the equation gets a bit hazy. Perhaps the best summary I can think of is a senior has made more mistakes than a junior (and learned from them). If you're fresh out of school doing a ton of work in open source and you get hired as junior under a 'senior' who's spent his career in non open source does the distinction really count when working on an open source project? There's some fundamental overlap sure, but the things I would look to a senior for...nuance and somewhat esoteric about a subject just wouldn't be there would it?



        I would say look carefully at the qualifications being asked for in the posting. If you can speak and work effectively through them just apply. The company knows what it's looking for and if you don't cut it for them with 0 years or 10 years they'll let you know.






        share|improve this answer














        I'm not huge on the labels. I think calling someone a junior or a senior is a good way to falsely categorize the office and weight opinions where they need not be weighted. There can also be some flaring of egos for no good reason. Having said that, there are plenty of places who use the junior/senior tags well but not all of them do. We recently got a 'Senior Project Analyst', the qualifications? 23 years seniority, most of which was spent elsewhere. He hates the label too but this is what the company gave him. Absent from my email signature is the demarcation despite having spent over 5 years in supply chain related software development and going on 9 with the company so far.



        I recently listened to a hanselminutes podcast, that had a ton of information in it about what you're asking. I would give it a listen.



        Ideally, the J/S titles should denote levels of experience but as the industry changes, by the day if you're in the Javascript framework land the equation gets a bit hazy. Perhaps the best summary I can think of is a senior has made more mistakes than a junior (and learned from them). If you're fresh out of school doing a ton of work in open source and you get hired as junior under a 'senior' who's spent his career in non open source does the distinction really count when working on an open source project? There's some fundamental overlap sure, but the things I would look to a senior for...nuance and somewhat esoteric about a subject just wouldn't be there would it?



        I would say look carefully at the qualifications being asked for in the posting. If you can speak and work effectively through them just apply. The company knows what it's looking for and if you don't cut it for them with 0 years or 10 years they'll let you know.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Aug 4 '14 at 10:02

























        answered Aug 3 '14 at 20:02









        Bmo

        1,222717




        1,222717












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