“Just get your foot in the door and see where it takes you.” 

It’s a phrase we hear time and time again from eager parents and well-meaning friends. “Take any job and work your way up,” they say. “Start by making the tea or sweeping the floors and go from there.”

The job market can feel like a minefield and we’re often told that being open to anything is the best way to guarantee success. But while it’s certainly common advice, is it worth taking? If your dream is to work at a specific company, should you really take any position they’re advertising and hope you can manoeuvre your way into a better role once inside?

“I think that the place you work can be just as important as the job you do, so I can see why the advice to ‘get your foot in the door’ at an organisation you admire is important,” explains Laura Cloke, a career fulfilment coach. “Relying on internal hires can absolutely work for companies, but they can often come with a lot of caveats that people don’t necessarily realise.”

While there can be some good perks from being inside an organisation – even if it’s not your absolute dream role – you’ve got to do that job well and be happy day-to-day.

For it to work, Cloke says, you first need to spend some time mapping out the route to your ideal role. “If you’re applying for a job you don’t really want at a company you do want to work for, you need to be forward-thinking,” she says. “You don’t want to simply take a position and then not actually deliver the job that you’ve been hired for, because that’s not going to do your reputation any good either.”

It’s also important to consider how realistic an internal transition would be: “If you’re going into the finance department but want to work in marketing, that’s going to be a lot harder to facilitate,” Cloke adds. Likewise, transitioning your way from intern to CEO is unlikely.

However, showcasing transferrable skills like leadership and time management will help you to better sell yourself if an opportunity does arise. 

“The other thing that I would encourage people to consider is: will you be happy doing this role for six to 12 months, even if you don’t get the improved job you’re looking for?” Cloke continues. “If the answer is yes, then go for it, because that’s a great opportunity. If not, it might be worth considering whether a better role at a ‘less’ ideal company would be more of a fit.”

Ultimately, Cloke says, there is no such thing as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ career advice – it all comes down to what is best for the individual.

“It comes back to figuring out what you want for your career, what will work for you and bring you fulfillment,” she adds. “You’re the one who’s going to be doing the job, so it’s about finding the confidence to know and decide what is right for you.”

Images: Getty