Jack of all trades, master of none
Q: I am looking for a job and I can work in several different fields. My experience over the years – and also my hobbies – allow me choose among many different opportunities. The problem is that I send my resume to all the places that have openings that interest me, but none of the companies respond other then with a nicely worded rejection letter. Do you have any suggestions for me, as I have been looking for quite awhile?
A: This is a good news, bad news situation. The good news is that you can do so many things. The bad news is that companies want specific skills for their particular job opening. This is especially true today, when hiring a new employee and adding the cost of the salary and benefits to their payroll is such a major decision. Employers do not necessarily need someone who has dabbled in a subject, but rather want someone who can demonstrate that they can do the specific job for which they are recruiting.
One of the mistakes many job seekers make is to have a resume that covers several areas of interest and ability, instead of focusing the resume on the one or perhaps two areas of greatest experience and interest.
We incorrectly believe that the wider the net we spread, the more fish we will catch. That is not the case with an unfocused job search. It is preferable to have two or three resumes that are pinpointed to a certain type of job, rather than to have just one resume that covers all the bases. Having multiple versions of your resume can also make your job search more efficient and directed. When you do succeed in getting an interview scheduled, be sure to prepare for it by studying the parameters of the job, and how the company’s needs apply to your skills.
Another benefit of a more focused search is that it makes it easier for people who really want to help you to direct their efforts on your behalf. A message of “I can do almost anything” or “I am good at these ten various things” will make it harder for your contacts to produce the relevant introductions that you need. The more focused your networking efforts are, the more effective the results will be.
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Patricia Hunt Sinacole is president of First Beacon Group LLC, a human resources consulting firm in Hopkinton. Sheworks with clients across many industries including technology, biotech and medical devices, financial services, and healthcare, and has over 20 years of human resources experience.
Elaine Varelas is managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston and serves on the board of Career Partners International.
Cindy Atoji Keene is a freelance journalist with more than 25 years experience. E-mail her directly here.
Peter Post is the author of "The Etiquette Advantage in Business." Email questions about business etiquette to him directly here.
Several years ago, the key words in job search were "transferrable skills." Now hiring folks seem to be looking for exact skills only. This answer does not address how to show you could do the job because you have analagous skills.
In my field, biotech, employers seem to want junior level folks who have exact skills. Sometimes they seem to want exact skills because they do not really know how to do the job themselves. They certainly don't want to do any training, even though what they do may be very niche-ish.
I would like to see more in-depth answers that really help job-seekers deal with this.
So.. What is the advice/answer then? I can’t really see where you are getting at. Hiding some skills an exaggerating on few? In my opinion, having many skills and, more importantly broad interests, shows excellent mental health, inquiring mind and a creative spirit. Times have changed, and now the only thing employers are looking for is overly-focused technical knowledge. I can’t really blame them, technology and culture could not have reached the state we are today so fast. But it is a pity for employers not to appreciate such person.
I had the same issue and as I was seeking advice when I got directed here. Fortunately I am still a university student and I have a long way to go in career world. Despite studying ECE at school, my interests spread on several other totally unrelated fields. I have many hobbies that are shifting from time to time: Gardening, astronomy, cooking and several crafts to name some. I’ll probably get a job with computers and such (It’s the thing I like the most), but I’ll certainly need my space to develop other interests. On the other hand, it is true that many of my classmates are better from me on what we do.
So, after giving some thought on the subject, I believe that there are a few right careers that appreciate these attributes. The first thing that came to my mind is a job as a police detective (or investigator). I know that it is not a secure or safe job, and it also requires some technical skills, but it surely needs sharp and creative mind above all. The good thing is that the more fields you have knowledge at, the better.
Career advising is also good, but only if you have actually tried several jobs.
A Politician could also benefit from broad knowledge and skills, and rarely requires any specific (:P) but in order to be accomplished you need contacts, friends and social talent above all.
Teacher is good idea too. Although you’ll probably be focused on one field, it is not a very demanding job, and you can develop your hobbies with more ease. Also, having an audience serves as a fertile soil you can share your creativity and talk over your ideas (you know, inspire them a bit. (When I was going to school, we had many teachers who were like gurus on their field, but they were extremely dull, as the only think they did was to come to class, teach the next chapter, answer “geeky” questions, and solve ultra-hard exercise)).
Generally, jobs that require you to contact people with different needs and/or deal with a very broad spectrum of situations should be ideal. One should consider his job as a source of new knowledge not a source of income alone. I once heard that the most useful thing about your career you get from your current job is the contacts you make. So, getting a job, or advancing in your career is not always about skill and knowledge, but also about talent and friends.
Thanks for reading!
Though I am not en expert, I hope it helps
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