There was a time in my career when I felt like I had to show I could do everything.

User research? I’ve done it.

UI polish? Yup, here’s the Figma.

Prototyping, wireframing, copy tweaks, a bit of front-end even? Check, check, check.

I genuinely believed that the more skills I showcased, the more valuable I’d seem.

But then came the feedback that changed everything:

“You’re clearly capable. But we went with someone who was a better fit for what we needed right now.”

That one hit hard.

Because what I heard behind those words was:

“You’re good… but not the one for us.”

And that’s when it clicked.

I’d been trying so hard to be “the best”—to tick every box, cover every skill, show I could do it all—

that I’d completely missed the mark.

I wasn’t showing them where I was best.

I wasn’t making it easy to say, “Yes, this is the person who can solve our pain.”

Truth is, most companies don’t need a jack-of-all-trades.

They need a sniper.

Someone who solves their problem.

It might be a designer who can lead research in ambiguous spaces.

Or someone who turns stakeholder chaos into clarity.

Or the person who knows how to move metrics—not just make things look better.

And when you show up as that?

Game over.

You’re no longer “one of many.”

You become the obvious, low-risk, high-impact hire.

So I stopped trying to be “the best.”

Instead, I asked:

What am I best at?

What’s the one problem I can solve better than most?

And that became my story.

My positioning.

My offer.

The more I leaned into it, the more interviews turned into offers.

Not because I did more—

But because I made it unmistakably clear what I do best.

So if you’re feeling stuck, scattered, or overlooked…

Maybe it’s not your portfolio. Or your skills. Or your years of experience.

Maybe it’s this:

You’ve been trying to be impressive… instead of being useful.

You don’t need to be the best.

You need to be best at solving the one thing they care about most.

What’s that for you?