Re: Specialize or Die?
The real challenge is not "specialize or die" its "adapt or die." YouTo me, this is the definition of a generalist.
must adapt your skills and presentation to fit what it hot in the market.
Overly generalized resumes and a promise of "knowing a little about a lot"
doesn't make you stand out.
"Generalist" and "generalized" are two different words. In practice, generalists have several areas of expertise. But most types of knowledge are like learning languages or word processors: it's far easier to learn your seventh language, word processor, or skill than it is to learn your first or second. It's this ability to learn that generalists sell. If their resume doesn't reflect that, then one of their skills clearly isn't resume writing :-)
Anybody can be a generalist. I know generallyActually, anyone can call themselves a generalist. But trying to be one is hard work. You have to keep up to date, and (to draw on another thread) to keep seeing connections and making analogies to help you learn. Everyone doesn't have these skills, let alone the willingness to use them, which is why true generalists are always in demand.
what makes a plane fly, but would you really want me documenting those
engine parts? Or would you want some other guy who has spent his entire
life learning and studying planes?
The generalist theory sounds good, but it doesn't deliver its promises.
Its really an issue of core competencies. If somebody tells you they are
good at everything, do you believe them? No, because nobody is good at
everything. That is impossible.
It's not a question of being good at everything. It's a question of being (to quote Doonesbury) "best qualified to wing it."
One of the main attractions of generalists to employers is that one person can do a number of things. Generalists may not be able to do any one thing as well as a specialist, but, if they can do everything well enough for the company's purposes, then that's better for the company. Instead of going through the hiring practice several times, it only needs to do so once. Instead of paying several people, it can hire one. Just as importantly, generalists mean that a company can have skills available that it might not be able to otherwise afford, either because of the expense or because the skills were only occasionally needed.
Granted, not every company is suitable for generalists. They're best suited to smaller or newer companies. At a larger or well-established company, generalists often don't fit very well because bureaucracy prefers that everyone have a definite place.
Thus what sells is valuable "core skills" that can be applied to a wideTaking these skills and applying them in a number of areas sounds to me like being a generalist.
variety of problems and a set of specialized skills that demonstrate
unique-ness. Hence, this is why all writers in the software industry
should have extensive skills with things like programming, operating
systems, and networking. These are core skills that can be applied to
numerous issues.
Think about it: you have two job applicants. One claims to be a good
writer and a generalist who "learns quickly." The other claims to be a
good writer and knows your industry extremely well (and can demonstrate
that knowledge). Who do you think gets hired?
True, from the company's position, a specialist is more attractive. But how often can one be found? In many industries, a writer who knows the industry simply can't be found. For example, one local company has been advertising for several months for a writer with eight years in the biopharmaceutical industry. Unsurprisingly, it can't find one - possibly because, eight years, the industry was hardly even known.
Also, think about it from the job applicant's position. To the specialist, this may be the only job for which he or she is suited. If another specialist comes along, the first specialist is out of luck. If the generalist doesn't get hired, so what? He or she usually has a chance at several other jobs. The specialist invests more in any single job than the generalist.
Beware the trumpets and promise of "generalization." If you have specialThat depends on the market. I'd say: If your specialties are in demand, then advertise them by all means. If they're not, figure out how they can be generalized to make you more employable.
skills, market them. A company (at least a smart one) is far more likely
to hire a writer that understands their industry than one that doesn't.
And I pity the firms that hire writers that don't know their industry.
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Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177
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