Companies Hire Experts and Keep Jack-of-all-trades

Every employer appreciates someone who is really agile and can wear a lot of hats, but they hire people who are uniquely qualified for a specific role. This can be a very frustrating reality for many professionals, who are broadly skilled and can thrive in dynamic environments but, when it comes time to finding another job, realize that they need to show that they specialize in something.

Here is an example. I recently wrapped up a project with a Customer Success Manager at a data visualization SaaS start-up whose title doesn’t even begin to communicate the breadth and complexity of her role. To combat this, she had created a tome of a resume that essentially covered every aspect of her multifaceted position. Her comprehensive approach was not working; she was essentially presenting time-strapped resume readers with an overwhelming amount of information and no easy way to quickly wrap their minds around how she fit into their organization.

One of the key changes we made was to introduce some powerful new branding elements that enabled her to target the resume toward specific opportunities and highlight certain aspects of your background. By doing so, she was more successful at making it through the resume screening process (which is evaluating the resume for a specific, unique fit based on keywords and key phrases). She was then able to provide some additional texture to tip readers off to the fact that she was broadly skilled and brought so much more to the table.

If you are in a similar position, get in touch. There is a way to position yourself for a specific role, but still honor that you are agile and multi-talented.