As a former consultant and entrepreneur at heart, I really appreciate this article. I had to answer this question myself a few years ago as I weathered the peaks and valleys of self-employment.

I was a truly a generalist having worked for many small companies and nonprofits while donning many hats BUT as a consultant, I tended to market myself as a specialist. And I was, having kept ahead of certain trends and skills sharp in areas such as social media management and website content creation and management. AND, I thought generalist had a negative connotation… To throw in another twist, I had small clients to whom the generalist title resonated. What to do? How to self-market?

Alas, as they say hindsight is blah, blah, blah… I kind of knotted myself into a pretzel which compounded by an economy that was still limping and clients who paid when (and if) they wanted, I made the switch to a “traditional” career path. But be clear, I have not abandoned my heart’s desire- just put in on the shelf. 🙂

So as you dust off that resume in this new year, ask yourself (and answer) this question: am I a generalist or a specialist?