Why Listen: Grabbing a hold of your own career narrative.
Chase Pattet, a product security professional, didn’t identify as a generalist until a recruiter labeled him as such, and not in a flattering way. This prompted a period of deep reflection on how he has navigated his career and the choices he’s made intuitively. Concerned about the implications of the term “generalist,” he decided to redefine his non-traditional career narrative to the positive light.
Conversation Highlights
- Generalist Identity: Chase and Julie discussed the challenges and perceptions around being labeled as a generalist, with Chase expressing concern over the term’s implications and striving to redefine it positively in his career narrative.
- Hiring Strategies: Chase shared insights on his approach to evaluating resumes, emphasizing the importance of understanding the candidate’s problem-solving process over specific experiences, contrasting with his observations of other hiring practices.
- Career Navigation: Chase reflected on his non-linear career path, moving between individual contributor and managerial roles, based on the problems he wanted to solve rather than traditional career progression.
- Strengths and Weaknesses: Chase articulated his biggest weakness as being drawn to under-supported, impactful work, which he also sees as a strength in terms of enjoying and finding meaning in such challenges.
Chase Pattet is a hands-on cyber security professional who embraces healthy cultures of collaboration, automation, and tactical optimism in pursuit of fashioning safe and useful products. A tenured remote collaborator, open-source enthusiast, and builder at heart with experience managing and mentoring teams.
LinkedIn: Chase Pattet