Why does choosing a specialty feel so risky?
One of the biggest sticking points I encounter when working with people on their career narrative is the fear of becoming too focused.
They worry that if they describe themselves as a specialist, other companies will stop considering them. A narrower story might close doors to jobs they know they could do.
That is a fair concern… sorta. Being specific about what you offer can make some opportunities less likely if you also forget to share your broad skillset. The real question, however, comes down more to whether you can afford to be selective and whether the opportunities you want actually exist.
My advice always starts with the context of your life. A strategy that makes sense for someone with a secure job and time to explore may be entirely wrong for someone who needs a paycheck ASAP.
Can specializing make it easier to find a job or earn more?
My general view is that developing a clear specialty can make it easier for a hiring manager to recognize you as the person they need. When that expertise is valuable to the company and difficult to find, it may also strengthen your position in a salary conversation. It also helps you stand out from the 300 other generalist applicants and their resumes sitting right next to yours.
That is one reason I often encourage people to develop a more focused career narrative. You want a hiring manager to be able to look at your experience and think, “This is exactly the problem we need someone to solve.”
But there is a limit, for sure… Narrowing your focus does not create demand for it.
If there are no available jobs that need your particular specialty, being very good at it will not make those openings appear. And specialization alone does not determine pay: skill demand, industry, employer, responsibilities, and location can all influence wages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics explains these sources of pay differences.
There are no guarantees in a job search (as much as I wish there was a magic button we could press). My recommendation is about making the connection between your expertise and an employer’s needs clearer.
So yes, while a broader narrative can make you relevant to a wider range of roles, the tradeoff is that a description like “I can do everything” can leave a hiring manager unsure what makes your particular experience different from everyone else’s.
I encourage people to look beyond the long list of responsibilities in a job description. Even a role that sounds broad may have a specific problem at its center. What does this company most need the person to accomplish? Which parts of the description point to that priority?
Understanding that can help you decide which part of your experience deserves the most emphasis.
How should your personal circumstances change the advice?
If you have a stable income, some financial breathing room, and the mental capacity to take your time, you may be able to focus your search on companies that specifically need your expertise.
You can spend time developing that expertise, making your perspective visible, and looking for a closer match.
In that situation, I actually think being excluded from some jobs can be a good thing. You don’t have to be considered for every role. You can concentrate on the opportunities that need what you most want to offer.
But that advice depends on having the time and resources to follow it.
If you need income quickly, have people depending on you, or cannot sustain a prolonged search, you may need a broader approach. That could mean adjusting your resume or LinkedIn profile to show more of your capabilities, considering adjacent roles, and giving yourself more opportunities to be considered.
And that’s okay, you’re just emphasizing a wider part of your actual experience.
Knowing your preferred direction does not require you to insist on it in every job you take. Sometimes the immediate priority is getting money coming in, and your career strategy needs to account for that.
I think a career coach does you a disservice if they recommend narrowing your options without understanding what that could cost you.
How do you choose the center of your practice?
In my work with people, I usually recommend looking for the overlap between work they do well and work they enjoy.
What are the parts of your profession where you have developed real skill? Which of those also make you interested, energized, and motivated to go further?
That overlap is a great place to start looking for the center of your craft.
Enjoyment can also give you clues about alignment. In my coaching, I often find that the work people are most drawn to connects with their values, interests, or the way they naturally approach problems. It is worth asking why those particular activities appeal to you.
This builds on the idea of turning your career into a craft: finding the parts of your profession that connect with who you are and deliberately developing that combination.
Then go deeper. What is your perspective on that work? How do you approach it? What have you learned that influences your decisions? How would you explain your approach to someone else?
Having a specialty gives you a direction. Developing your own perspective and practice gives that direction real substance.
Does going deep mean neglecting everything else?
No. You will often still need the broader parts of your profession.
Some responsibilities may remain part of your job even when they are not your focus. Other activities may belong to colleagues, but you still need to understand how their work operates and how it connects with yours.
You also need to be able to explain the wider range of things you can contribute. It is reasonable to say, “This is my area of expertise and the direction I want to develop,” while showing that you can handle the surrounding work too.
Your experience and enjoyment may vary across those areas. Being honest about that is more useful than pretending everything is an equal strength.
Think about how the generalist supports the specialist in you.
I picture this as a bullseye, with concentric rings:
- At the center are the areas where your expertise and interest come together most strongly.
- Around that center are the related skills, knowledge, and experiences that support your work, with varying levels of depth.
- Outside the board are things you may dislike, struggle with, or prefer not to build your career around.
Some of those outside-the-board tasks may still be obligations in your current role. The picture helps you understand where you want to invest your development and what you want to lead with.
You can keep expanding your knowledge while giving your practice a clear center. The breadth helps you collaborate, understand the surrounding work, and bring more informed thinking to your specialty.
What if you still want to be a generalist?
That is a valid direction too.
Even if you choose to remain broad, I think you still need a differentiated point of view. Being a generalist should tell someone more than that you have done a little of everything or can do a little of everything.
What connects your experience? What kinds of problems are you particularly good at navigating? What is your approach when you encounter them?
You can develop a playbook, a framework, or a mental model for broad work. You can explain how you make decisions, connect different parts of an organization, and use what you have learned across contexts.
In my experience, that story can be harder to articulate when your work covers many areas, but it is absolutely possible.
And even if you need to present a broader story to the market right now, it can still help to know where your strongest focus lies. You can continue developing it while meeting the practical needs of your life.
The answer depends on your circumstances and the work you want to do. If being a generalist is the direction you want, say it proudly and be able to explain what is distinctive about the way you do it.
