Comment by Shawna Armstrong on July 16, 2009 at 9:54am

Hi Steve. Sorry to hear about your situation. I can assure you that recruiters understand that candidates can have varied skill sets, but also know that they must more importantly understand the specific requirements for the positions they're trying to fill for their clients. It is not their role to tailor the position to your background or to find you a position that matches your skills and interests (although there are a few who do that and charge fees to the job seeker). The recruiter needs to bring in the person who is the best match to the specific position. There are times when it is appropriate for a recruiter to sell back to the client or hiring manager a slightly off-profile candidate who could be a good fit and add value, but it can be a tough sell and a compelling case must be made. The decision point for you here is to decide if having a varied role is a deal breaker for you. If it is, you probably shouldn't be applying for narrow skill set positions (unless you're able to determine early on that the role has the potential to expand). If you do decide to consider taking a more straightforward position, you need to market yourself for that specific role based on that piece of your experience and related accomplishments, and indicate a desire to focus your career in that individual area. Hope this helps and good luck with your search.

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