Staying on the ball

Oct 11, 2010

The other day Roy Halladay, the pitcher for the Phillies, threw only the second no hitter in post season history.  At this point if you’re doing something for only the second time ever in the history of major league baseball it must be something special.  You can’t be successful in baseball if you only throw one type of pitch.  Halladay throws about every pitch there is and throws them incredibly well but that didn’t happen by chance.  He worked very hard to diversify his skill set.  This theme has come up on a consistent basis when speaking with both clients and candidates.

It’s essentially a think of the past when someone graduates college, takes a job, and makes that their career until they retire.  In fact a person between the 18-38 changes jobs an average of 10 times.  Unless you’re able to find the same exact job but at a different company you’re going to need to expand your skill set.  Many candidates have expressed that in the top three on their list of priorities in a new career being challenged or growing their skill set is extremely important.  I’ve encountered very few people that have done one thing and only want to look into opportunities involving that one thing.  Exceptions are made for extreme niche careers because you’re needed and will be for the unforeseeable future.  If you aren’t in one of these careers I recommend hedging your bets and challenging yourself on a daily basis to take on new responsibilities.

Someone with a broad skill set will really appeal to a company.  As I’m sure many of you know, companies are trying to do more with less.  They don’t want a “jack of all trades, master of none” so don’t confuse what I’m saying.  It’s really more of a mindset they are looking for.  An individual who not only welcomes challenges they had no previous experience with, but succeeds when challenged.  Never rest only on what you’ve done well in the past.  Had Roy Halladay stopped after developing only an impressive fastball he never would’ve made it to where he is today.

Adam

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