A lot of designers tell me:
“My skills are too broad. Companies want specialists.”
I get it.
It feels like a catch-22.
If you stay broad, you fear being “not deep enough.”
If you niche down, you fear shutting doors.
But here’s the thing: if “broad” were a deal breaker, why do generalist design leads exist at the best firms?
Why do heads of design, staff designers, and product design leads get hired every day?
The truth: companies don’t reject people for being too broad.
They reject because they don’t see a clear signal of value.
Hiring managers hate fog.
They hate leaving an interview wondering, “So… what exactly would this person do for us?”
It’s not breadth that kills offers.
It’s lack of clarity.
I once interviewed someone with experience across UX, research, and visual design.
On paper? Scattered.
But in the interview, she framed it around one theme:
“I specialize in helping early teams turn messy ideas into clear, testable experiences.”
Suddenly, the breadth became a strength.
Every example supported that one through-line.
So here’s the real question for you:
👉 When you talk about your work, do people walk away clear — or confused?
Takeaway: Your positioning isn’t about broad vs specialist.
It’s about whether people can instantly connect the dots and see the value you bring.
The Career Creators Library has a positioning framework that helps you sharpen this into one simple through-line.
You can start today for $25/week → https://community.careercreators.com/invitation?code=2AJ276
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