Do You Hire the Generalist or Specialist?

Is it better to be a specialist or a generalist in today’s workforce? That depends on who you ask. Opinions differ, as there are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Generalists are people who usually have a wide range of skills and experience in their field, while a specialist has a deep knowledge in some particular area of his or her field of expertise.

An example of this would be a manager who has a general knowledge in finance, accounting, marketing, sales and the like, as opposed to a manager who knows little of the financial side of things but has a deep knowledge of marketing.

Conventional wisdom has been to tell people to try and specialize in a certain area because it is more difficult to train for in-depth knowledge. Having a specialized skill has traditionally been more important.

But the emphasis has begun to shift somewhat as companies downsize and ask their workers to take on more responsibilities. Employees report cutbacks in the workforce, and people have been asked to do more, so employees are taking on tasks that have not traditionally been a part of their job.
Companies are bringing in people with specialized skills on a temporary basis only.

If you are just beginning your career, being a generalist can help because it gives you a chance to try out different areas to find out which may suit you best, according to career experts. For those at a more senior level, being a generalist has an advantage as well in that it may give you the background you need for a management position. In a leadership position, you need a variety of managerial skills to be successful.

The higher up you go in an organization, the more skills you need in a general capacity. And so, if you are able to demonstrate those kinds of skills at work, it may give you an advantage as far as moving up to a managerial level.

What some experts advise is developing a general set of skills and supplementing it with more specialized knowledge.

Others offer a different view, however. In the past, people were interviewed by only one or two people, and so having a general knowledge in your field played to your advantage. However, these days, people are interviewed by more people. The job candidate has to sell himself or herself as the perfect person for the job. To do that, it is necessary to emphasize the specialization that the candidate has in a certain area, rather than just a general knowledge.

Whether you are a specialist or generalist, if you are looking for a job in the Inland Empire, Arrow Staffing can help you. We are one of the leading staffing agencies in the area. Give Arrow a call today.

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