{"id":1451,"date":"2021-10-08T13:50:58","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T13:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/?p=1451"},"modified":"2025-05-14T17:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:53:10","slug":"forget-the-t-shaped-skillset-try-being-a-comb-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/forget-the-t-shaped-skillset-try-being-a-comb-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget the T-shaped skillset: Try being a comb instead!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator alignwide has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Read the revised, updated and better version of this article over <a href=\"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/your-shape-isnt-your-edge-your-position-is\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator alignwide has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Landing your first job might be tricky if you don&#8217;t have a specific skill set, but you know what? Getting hired with a plethora of skills is even more challenging contrary to what you might think. More means more chances of getting noticed by the hiring manager, right? No.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Mindset Shift That Got Me Hired After 2200 Rejections\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/c6eQr7kLv2w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t sweat it; I&#8217;ve been there, done that. I&#8217;ve field-tested and learnt what works the hard way, so you don&#8217;t have to. And that&#8217;s what we will explore in this article. How to pass the recruitment process like a silk scarf through an engagement ring when you are a comb? It&#8217;s the Indian rope trick equivalent, except you get hired at the end, and no one disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is what you will take away from this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What are the different types of skill sets, and which one is right for you?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to show up in front of potential recruiters \/ hiring managers?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What to put on your resume?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to get work? The dos and don&#8217;ts of being a comb.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we dive into the differences, let&#8217;s clearly define each of these concepts. There are three commonly known skill sets T-shape, Pi shape and Comb shape. But, for this article, I&#8217;m going to make a case for the comb because I want you to aim higher than lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The short version goes like this.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One area of expertise: You&#8217;re a T<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two areas of expertise: You&#8217;re a Pi<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple areas of expertise: You&#8217;re a champion (or a comb)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would argue that a polymath is the embodiment of a comb. Did I lose you there? It&#8217;ll make sense in a minute. Hang tight. First, here&#8217;s a good definition of T-shape by <a href=\"https:\/\/jchyip.medium.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jason Yip<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"924\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Tshape.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Tshape.png 924w, https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Tshape-300x119.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Image <a href=\"https:\/\/jchyip.medium.com\/why-t-shaped-people-e8706198e437\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">source<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;A T-shaped person is capable in many things and expert in, at least, one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As opposed to an expert in one thing (I-shaped) or a &#8220;jack of all trades, master of none&#8221; generalist, a &#8220;t-shaped person&#8221; is an expert in at least one thing but also somewhat capable in many other things. An alternate phrase for &#8220;t-shaped&#8221; is&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.agilemodeling.com\/essays\/generalizingSpecialists.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;generalizing specialist&#8221;<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/jchyip.medium.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jason Yip<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being a comb comes from combining several T&#8217;s, meaning you have expertise in multiple verticals and a multi-disciplinary approach. Full-stack, baby!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/carielcohen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cariel Cohen<\/a> captures it quite well in his article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/from-comb-shaped-cariel-cohen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"744\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/1529651442953-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/1529651442953-1.jpeg 744w, https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/1529651442953-1-300x161.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When you have a T-skillset, you become confined in a uni-dimensional box- a niche. You might know the whole ball of wax about it, but you are entirely clueless about other skills related to your career. And that&#8217;s where being a comb helps you bridge the gap. And that&#8217;s what we are doing here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some areas where T-shaped works better than anything else include specialized doctors, lawyers, athletes and professors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A T-shape skilled person is ideal for filling a role in a large company because all the skills are distributed, and you act as a cog in a piece of large machinery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, Combs prefer to take on more responsibility and are usually leading companies or teams because they have a knack for understanding and solving complex situations and problems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong>&nbsp;Agreed, this can sound a bit overwhelming to a few and being a comb can be challenging! It&#8217;s also not for everyone. There is no one right way. However, if there&#8217;s a spark, then I encourage you to read on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ve probably heard the most famous and familiar quote used in arguments for specialist vs generalist: Jack of all trades master of none. Yep, that one! It&#8217;s factually incorrect. The complete sentiment goes as:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide\"><blockquote><p><strong>A jack of all trades is a master of none but often better than a master of one.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To be a comb, you need to be hyper-curious, live in the nuance and the chaos. It would help if you got away from the mindset that you are only required to excel in one field and not know a dime about others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elon Musk is a comb. He has disrupted banking, rockets, the auto industry, ai, and so on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest challenge of getting hired is when you&#8217;re a comb, provided that is your predicament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is about time we address the disclaimer given earlier. While it gives you a competitive edge, the considerable skill knowledge can act against you too!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wonder how? Well, it&#8217;s from the hiring manager&#8217;s perspective. The wide range of skills leaves the potential employer baffled as to where to fit you. The only way out, according to them, is simply negating your application.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here is how you will play a different hand! Look, talk, behave like a T-shaped skill person when preparing your resumes and giving interviews. Acting like a T early in the conversation is to eliminate the decision-making fatigue for the recruiter. You&#8217;re thinking from the hiring manager&#8217;s perspective and making it easy for them to hire you. You&#8217;re giving them evidence to solve a problem they have.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, that doesn&#8217;t mean you will have to act like a T all the time. Once you have landed a job, start being a comb by taking an interest, being curious, and demonstrating your expertise in every facet of the role, team, and company you sit within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How will the employer or the organization take it? If you&#8217;ve played your cards right, slowly but steadily, you&#8217;ll sit at the heart of several functions and projects, making you indispensable and the ideal candidate for a promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There you have it! You&#8217;ve either come out wanting nothing to do with combs, or the torn voice inside your brain which desired more has finally discovered its path and place in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read the revised, updated and better version of this article over here. Landing your first job might be tricky if you don&#8217;t have a specific skill set, but you know what? Getting hired with a plethora of skills is even more challenging contrary to what you might think. More means more chances of getting noticed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-syng"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1451"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2737,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451\/revisions\/2737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}