BACK TO THE BASICS

Being generic in a career path may seem to be too mundane and being overly-specialized may come off as excessive. The perfect candidate will find a balance between the two. Many articles that I read online seemed to favor being generic rather than overly-specialized. This can be kind of a surprise because one would think that the more expertise you have in a specific career, then the better off you are. This is not always the case. On the other hand, being too generic is often criticized because of the lack of deep interest and extensive knowledge. In my career path, the line between being generic and overly-specialized is an ideal place to be. If I continue on my career path in Public Relations, I need to obviously know the depths of what the field is and what my job entails. I know I’m personally going to want to have extensive knowledge and specialization in my field, but I’m going to have to remind myself that I have to keep my mind open to learning and exploring new skills. Being generic is important when it comes to transitioning between careers. If I’m too specialized in a particular aspect of public relations and I try to get a job in a different workplace, then I know I’m going to find myself struggling. Another important aspect that is important in finding the balance between the two is funneling my complex life history into something more simple and professional.

Over the years, I have gathered a lot of tips on how to stand out from other applicants. In the text, Gershon emphasizes the importance of simplifying our complex life history into something more professional and pleasant. This is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted according to Gershon. In order for me to stand out from other applicants, I must be relevant and useful to whichever employer I am seeking to work with. Everyone likes to assume that the main way to stand out is to be “unique,” but what does that mean now-a-days?

For me to stand out, my ideas and my creativeness needs to be outstanding. I should be able to problem solve and have successful results. I also think that my persistent determination and my desire to work through challenges separates me from other candidates. Gershon also states, “you want to be able to show that you understand the genres and can produce something that can be compared to all other instances of its genre. At the same time, you want to be distinctive and also indicate that you are unlike all others. That is not only a difficult line to walk, but it is also unpredictable how someone will evaluate your efforts when you try” (85).

There are approximately 7.442 billion people on Earth and therefore, I’m bound to blend in with other applicants in way or another. When I work, I’m striving for the same level of success that many other people are seeking. According to Gershon, “Once the candidate can demonstrate a relative competence with the required genres and prove that he or she has the necessary background to do a job, then the candidate has as good a chance as anyone else simliarly qualitifed” (80). Some traits that will make my qualifications equal to that of other applicants include the skills I have acquired, the degree of education I have obtained, the experience of work I have related to the specific career, etc. I will accentuate my strengths by continuing to work and develop on them. I believe there is no limit on how strong my strengths can be. There are numerous traits and skills that I still lack and that is because of my to seek mentoring and more experience. I will improve my weaknesses by challenging myself to go above and beyond what I have been taught and what I have learned thus far. I think actually working in my desired career field will give me an abundance of oppurtunities to improve on my weaknesses. I also believe that knowledge is power. If I was more knowledgeable or had more access to my career field, then I would have the power to develop my skills into something more useful.

Below are a few links that I found to be interesting reads:

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