The difference between junior, medior and senior

Many vacancies and job sites like Magnet.me mention the terms junior, medior and senior. By indicating the level of seniority for a job, recruiters give students and graduates like yourself insight into the level of experience that they seek.

This article will provide you a thorough explanation of the topic, will help you to determine your seniority level and the experience you need to grow in your field.

The main differences between levels of seniority

When entering the job market after completing your studies, you’re considered a junior employee. As a junior or trainee at a company, also known as an entry level employee, you usually start out with supervision from a more experienced team member. Your main objective as a junior is to learn more about your field and gain experience in working with clients, colleagues and deadlines.

It usually takes about two to three years to develop from a junior to a medior employee. As a mid-level employee, also known as mediors, you have extensive knowledge of your field and you’re used to working in a fast-paced, professional environment. At this point you will have learned how to deal with challenging projects and tight deadlines, and you’ll be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. 

Not everyone wants to become a senior, but this is the next step after medior. Becoming a senior usually requires between 5 and 10+ years of experience, but that’s not all. You also need to have profound and in-depth knowledge of your work field, excellent social skills and fluency in coaching, leadership and innovation.

Some employers use mid senior level and associate interchangeably as a term to describe senior level roles.

Job title	Work experience in years
Junior	0-2
Medior	2-5
Senior	5+

As you can see in the table above, there is a reasonable consensus in the labor market for the number of years needed to move up to a medior or senior rank. However, these numbers do not apply to every sector and are based on full-time employment. In some sectors it can take longer to be promoted to senior rank than in others. And it will also take longer to grow to the next level when you work part time.

Some people also wonder at what age you can start to call yourself a senior, but this isn’t dependent on your age, but on your work experience, years of service and skills.

Salary differences between junior, medior and senior level

One of the biggest differences between juniors, mediors and seniors is salary. As you get better at your profession, you gain more independence and responsibilities, and you’ll also earn more money.

The differences in salary can be relatively large. As you’ll still have a lot to learn as a junior employee, so your salary will be quite modest. Once you become a medior, you’ll usually earn a few hundred more euros. If you’re looking for an indication of your salary as a medior employee, we’d recommend you to research the average income for people in your profession.

Once you make it from medior to senior, your salary will be above the average in your industry. You’ll usually earn over a thousand more euros than a junior and your salary will continue to grow every year, especially if you’re managing a team. That might sound like a huge difference, but it makes sense when you look at the years of dedication and work experience, more responsibilities and leadership capabilities.

Are you making the step from junior to medior, or from medior to senior? And do you want to make sure you’re being compensated well? Then we recommend that you sit down with your employer and negotiate your salary. The more experience you build up, the more value you have for the company. By using concrete examples of how your work benefits the company, you can convince your employer to give you a raise.

Also make sure that you show them what you can do during this interview for that higher salary. Feel free to make realistic promises about your performance in the workplace or discuss with your employer what he expects from you now that you have a higher experience level.

Are experience and years of service decisive?

Work experience and years of service are both determining factors in your job level. After all, you can’t immediately start working as a medior or senior when you first start out in the job market.  You also need to prove to employers what you can do and yourself before you can consider yourself a medior or senior.

However, your job level isn’t only determined by experience and years of service, it also depends on your qualities and commitment.  For example, there are very talented professionals who, after two years of work experience, perform significantly better than some colleagues who have been practicing the same profession for over five years. These are matters that most employers naturally take into account. 

Employers often have a good idea of the qualities of their staff, and if necessary, those qualities prevail over the number of years of service or work experience. This might mean that you grow to a medior position faster than most of your colleagues.

It’s important to realise that the growth to medior or senior does not just depend on your work experience and years of service, but also on your commitment, your talent and your skills. The better you perform, the faster you can move up the career ladder.

Practical examples

The terms junior, medior and senior have no universal meaning. In every profession and in every sector there are different criteria that you have to meet to call yourself junior, medior or senior. Check the examples below for more information.

Developers

Among developers – also known as programmers – there is often a clear division between juniors, mediors and seniors. Looking for a job as developer? Check out the actual job opportunities on Magnet.me or have a look at the different levels below.

• Junior developers solve minor bugs, assist in writing code and develop simple programs, websites or designs in, for example, html, css, javascript, php, python or C##. A junior developer often masters one or two programming languages.
• Medior developers have their own clients and projects, are responsible for debugging, independently write the code that is needed to get a program or website working, and have in-depth knowledge of one programming language, but can often also work well with various related programming languages. A medior developer is often expected to support his Junior colleagues.
• Senior developers are responsible for clients and projects, have years of expertise in various programming languages and are in charge of both juniors and mediors. In short, they are responsible for the development of the team and the successful execution of tasks and projects.

Digital marketers

In digital marketing, the division between junior, medior and senior is present in almost every company. This division is important because the employer can determine which jobs, clients and projects are suitable for his or her employees based on this. Are you searching for a job as digital marketer? Then check out the actual job opportunities on Magnet.me or continue reading about the different levels below.

• Junior online marketers write blogs, create social media posts, optimize Google Ads copy, and assist with keyword research and strategic planning of marketing campaigns. They often do not have their own clients or projects, but work under the supervision of a Medior or Senior.
• Medior online marketers operate on a more strategic level. They not only perform tasks, but also know the background to them and have a good idea of the KPIs that are needed to make a project successful. Mediors are responsible for developing SEO plans, content calendars, advertising campaigns and email marketing campaigns. They also have their own clients and projects in their portfolio. They often work independently on these projects, but with the help of a junior and under the supervision of a senior.
• Senior online marketers often do less of the executive marketing work – think of writing SEO texts, blogging, planning social media and similar tasks – and are mainly concerned with the long-term strategy behind this. They develop branding processes, conduct complex competition studies and take a bird’s-eye view of the results achieved by the juniors and mediors. They also guide them in this. Often seniors also act as strategic marketing consultants for clients.

Frequently asked questions about the differences between junior, medior and senior

You now know the main differences between juniors, mediors and seniors. You also have a good idea of the experience you need to grow to a higher job level, and you understand that work experience is not everything: talent, skills and commitment are also a decisive factor. Below you will find some frequently asked questions on this topic.