Are You a Jack of All Trades, or Master of One - CareerEnlightenment.com

The conclusion: officers were TWICE as likely to attain the important promotion when they achieved just one standard deviation more specialization than their counterparts.It suggests that over time, and in aggregate, employees with more specialized experience were seen as more capable than other candidates with more generalized experience.  It’s an important and data-driven example of a global trend in the economics of seeking employment.Familiarity is common. Expertise is rare.The idea of specialization as a desirable â€" and hireable â€" trait is nothing new. Naturally, companies will want to hire the best possible candidate for a job. It stands to reason (with support from the statistical analysis of some smart folks out of Stanford) that being a beacon of  knowledge  in a given field helps you stand out to employersWhen applying and interviewing for a job, you find yourself face-to-face with the business end of an important economic principle: opportunity cost. Basically, it’ s the trade-off the company makes by hiring you instead of the next candidate in line. They’re forgoing the potential value of the other employee by hiring you, so you’re on a mission to make it obviously worth their while.Ultimately, over-generalizing your experience minimizes the difference between your skills and the other candidates’. It doesn’t strongly make the case that they can’t afford to pass you up.Unlocking your expertiseTailor your resume to emphasize how you’re exactly what they’re looking for. Join industry associations. Get accredited in your specialty. Show off awards you may have won for your work or services. Write a guest blog post; start your own blog. Tailor your resume (did we say that twice?). Do whatever you can possibly to do to prove your engagement with your area of expertise.You’re specialized. Unique. Worth paying well. Let them know you’re a candidate they can’t afford to pass by.Put this advice into action with Resunate, a free web tool that allows you to screen your resume and automatically focus it for any job. In a recent blind study, resumes focused with Resunate were shown to double a job seekers chances of getting called for an interview!