The ‘Jacks of All Trades’ are Taking Over the World
It’s no longer enough to be an expert
It was about halfway through the interview. I’m sitting there answering questions when suddenly I felt the need to double-check the description of the job I was applying for. I was pretty sure I have applied for the position of Designer, being savvy with Photoshop and Illustrator. Why are they asking me all these questions about CSS and HTML? what the crap? I’m good with colours. Am I suddenly a Coder? Have I made a mistake and accidentally applied for a Developer’s position?
Wait, now they’re asking about SEO and keywords research. Again, I’m confused. Is this a marketing position? Next, they want to know if I’m fluent in using Slack, Trello, and the like. Finally, they mention some project management software I have never heard of. I’m starting to think that this is a group interview and I’ve forgotten to bring my friends along for the ride.
All fun aside, it dawned on me that the age of specialisation (in just one thing) is over. It turns out that you can be the world’s number one expert on discerning the red wire from the blue — it doesn’t mean you’ll be allowed to dismantle the bomb. Why? Well, you need a tank driver’s licence, winning a nappy-changing competition, and a degree in engineering to go with that.
I soon realised it wasn’t just me having these experiences in the job hunting scene. Chatter on the web showed me that it was now common for people to be asked by their employer to expand their skill scope. And that new applicants are being asked about a range of skills, some of them not even connected to the core job title.
Like it or not, this is what it takes to be a successful employee these days, and to continue to ensure your picking order when going job hunting. Wearing many hats used to be (and is) the domain of business owners. Now, it has become the status quo requirement for the general employee population.
But wait, isn’t the ability to wear just one hat the very reason why employees like being employees? The ability to just focus on their job? To do well what they know well? Well, it’s time to say our farewell to the good old days. The quicker we can make peace with the new world order, the better off we’ll be.
What type of skills? It’s always easier to start small and closely connected to your core activities. From there, you can expand the range of difficulty and relation to your current job description. The level of your interest in the desired skill will help with how easily you’ll be able to absorb it.
In all of this, it’s easy to forget about the highly undervalued soft skills we all think we possess; until we find out otherwise. I’ll be the first to admit this. When I was younger, I thought that I was such a friendly and adorable creature that everyone will like and find easy to deal with. I was wrong…
At the end of the day, a can-do attitude matched with a motherload of skills (both hard and soft) will eventually help us to climb to a new earning record. If not that, they will at least make our life a lot easier — eventually, I hope?
