How to Land Your First Well Paid Community Manager Role
A lot of people think you need tons of direct experience or years of unpaid volunteering to break into the industry. You don't.
There is a massive misconception out there about getting your first paid Community Manager (CM) role. A lot of people think you need tons of direct experience or years of unpaid volunteering to break into the industry.
But honestly? You really don't.
Because there isn't a direct, standardized path into community management yet, most current CMs actually just fell into it by accident. This is great news for you because it means you can draw your experience from anywhere, school projects, past jobs, personal projects, or just general life experience.
The catch is that while anyone can get into it, you need a solid strategy because the competition is fierce. If you just rely on polishing a resume and firing it off to random job boards, you are probably going to end up ghosted and frustrated.
I firmly believe people should be paid for their work. So, if you want to skip that gruelling volunteer phase, here is a three-step strategy to getting a well paid CM role straight away.
Step 1: Perfect Your Positioning
This is where most entry level (and even senior) CMs get stuck. You can't just list what you did in the past; you need to translate your previous experiences into exactly what the hiring manager wants to see.
Whether on your resume or your LinkedIn profile, your background needs to align perfectly with the specific needs of the person holding the keys to the job. If we don't do this, we simply don't get picked. When you fix this, the results are wild, one person in my program, Jennifer, literally doubled her interviews just by tweaking her positioning strategy.
Step 2: Create Your Own Opportunities
How are you finding jobs? If you are relying completely on publicly advertised roles on job boards, you are competing against everyone else.
Here is a little industry secret: the best community manager roles aren't always publicly advertised.
While you shouldn't ignore job boards completely, you need to learn how to create your own opportunities. Pitch yourself for roles that might not even exist yet. By approaching a company directly with your specific skill set, you completely bypass the traditional application process. It minimizes the competition because you are the only one talking to them, and it puts you in control of your own career.
Step 3: Master the Conversion
So, you've got the interview or started a conversation. Now the panic sets in. Many junior CMs worry about saying the wrong thing and letting the opportunity slip away.
To convert these chats into an actual career, you have to optimize your communication. You cannot just walk in and say, "I'm good at making people feel good. "Yes, helping members is crucial, but a business is hiring you.
You need to speak their language, talk about revenue, retention, and strategic business value. When you show that you understand the business side of community, the hiring manager will see you as a massive asset to the team, greatly increasing your chances of getting picked.
The Skills Come With Time
It can feel scary stepping into a paid environment, but it is always best to learn on the job. However, a lot of CMs struggle and even lose their roles because they don't bring that strategic business value to the table. That is why having a mentor alongside you can be a total game-changer to keep you confident and on track.
You can totally do this, it just takes hard work and the right strategy to get ahead of the game!
Take the first step to fix your positioning, find the right opportunities, and actually start converting them into roles.
Why Aren’t you Getting Community Manager Roles?
💬 And if your serious about securing the role you want, apply now.