Generalist and Specialists
When individuals ask me what things which I do as a career coach, they’ll start probing with questions such as “Do you do resumes?”, “Do you help prepare people for Interviews?”, “Do You help individuals develop their Linked In page?”, and others of the like. Often the answer to any of these questions, (unless they are “Do you find jobs for people?”) is YES, because I have done each of those items. I am a Career Coach who if you really get down to it, can generally help you with pretty much every aspect of the job search process, but if you asked what I specialize in it is, “I assist my clients in developing their Job Search strategy.”
Our current world of work gets more and more specialized every day. Using my example above, there are fellow Career Coaches that I know who specialize in the development of resumes’, specialize in terms of providing guidance in terms of the development and use of one’s Linked In profile, or specialize in interview preparation. Even further, there are coaches in my very field, who will work only with middle to upper level management professionals, or perhaps individuals in certain professions, (particularly if they maybe once were a member of that profession). And, yet it is tempting when one is without work, and the time grows longer in which that is true, to tell individuals the wide range of things you can do. Often the approach backfires, as the listener is either not sure just what talents the individual has, or will say, “I don’t need all of those items, just this one particular skill.”
For those who have been generalists in the past, it can be frustrating when they are asked in what it is they specialize. Perhaps they have never thought about it. They may have been at a job for a long time where they did everything they were asked to do. Or they feel by “specializing” that they may be limiting opportunities for which they may be hired. A general rule of thumb I have observed over my years in career coaching. The larger the organization to which you are applying, the more likely they are looking for specialists in roles. Why is that? Perhaps some of the functions that were part of the role are now done through automation, or through outsourced resources. Or, the corporation wants strict lines of control on processes, so has decided to limit what each person does in their role and responsibility.
On the other hand, mid-size or certainly smaller companies, may be limited in what they can spend on automation or staffing. As such, those who are employed by the company are asked to take on multiple roles in their job duties. For those who were a generalist in a large firm at one time, moving to a mid-size or smaller firm may take some getting used to, but may address their desire to perform all the duties that were part of the role they previously knew.
For those who have been specialists, the challenge sometimes is when the role they were doing, gradually is no longer needed. Automation, new processes, lack of demand for a product or service, are all things which can put the specialist in a situation of not having as many opportunities. For the specialist, while becoming a generalist may not be the entire answer or even desired, being able to qualify what they have done in terms of skills, and particular “transferable skills,” is essential. The quicker they can make the conversion of how they present themselves stated in terms of the problems they help solve and the talents they offer that meet a particular employer’s needs, the more likely they will attract new opportunities. In addition, as they get better at identifying those problems and how their skills are needed, they begin to learn to listen for the key things that individuals say or present, which make them a candidate to help service another’s issues.
Yes, our world is getting more specialized in the job roles that individuals fill. However, even specialties change? Additionally, many more are taking on an entrepreneurial spirit to start-up businesses, which in the beginning will need those who work in those businesses, to be a “jack of all trades,” to get the venture up and running. Generalist or Specialist! Which one are you? Do you know how to present yourself, and to which audiences to continue to be gainfully employed in the world of work of both the present and the future?
