When looking for a job, most of us struggle to categorize our capabilities. We often fear being a generalist is too vague, ambiguous or obtuse. However, classified as a specialist, our hyper-focus may narrow the opportunities for many jobs we’d actually love, enjoy and be the perfect fit.

GENERALISTS have a basic knowledge of many IT disciplines and often serve in a number of corporate departments like sales, marketing, manufacturing, accounting and the executive suite.

SPECIALISTS are experts in a singular technology segment. With in-depth training of their chosen specialty, these experts are in high-demand as consultants.

Recently, the demand has been shifting to GENERALISTS-with-FOCUS, These generalists are well-educated, well-rounded talent with training and knowledge of a particular function in the information technology space. Often hired for a specific project or department by large companies, their willingness to be flexible and to serve the company in a multitude of disciplines make them ideal candidates for management positions with their depth of knowledge and the knowledge of what specialties are required for today’s complex IT departments.

Whether your company or your next project needs a GENERALIST, a SPECIALIST, or a GENERALIST-with-FOCUS, make certain the staffing firm you engage is prepared to bring the very best talent to the table.