Broad or specialist? Wrong question.

I hear this a lot:

“My skills are too broad. Companies want specialists.”

I get why it feels true. Job postings look like shopping lists.

“5 years Figma. 3 years AI. Deep expertise in design systems.”

So you think: if I’m not a perfect fit, I’m out.

But here’s what most jobseekers don’t realize:

Hiring managers don’t sit around thinking, “We need a perfect checklist match.”

They’re asking something else:

“Do I understand what this person is for? Can I trust them to solve this problem?”

I saw this firsthand when I hired agency designers into in-house roles.

The ones who struggled weren’t “too broad.”

They were unclear. Their stories wandered. I couldn’t tell what problem they wanted to own.

The ones who got offers?

They picked a lane and told it with clarity.

Not “I can do everything.”

Not “I’m only a wireframe machine.”

But: “Here’s the kind of problem I’m best at solving. Here’s proof.”

That’s what sticks.

Because clarity beats breadth.

And clarity beats depth.

So the better question is:

👉 When you talk about your work, do people walk away clear — or confused?

Takeaway: Positioning isn’t about being broad or narrow. It’s about being remembered.

If you want help sharpening that story, the Career Creators Library has tools that walk you through it step by step.

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