[analogwzrd]

Pay really close attention to #2. Especially with large companies, if they post a job opening it's because they've identified a specific job that needs to be done. I've had trouble job hunting in the past because I've been working for 6 straight years, but never doing one thing for more than about 6 months. If the job posting says "5 years of experience doing X", I have 5 years of experience and I've done X, but I haven't done X for 5 years.

Start-ups, on the other hand, seem to be a place where they like people who know how to wear multiple hats. It seems like you've got your foot in the door. If the start-up you're at seems like a dead end, start meeting people at other start-ups in the area and grow your network.

[sAuronas]

Wearing multiple hats is for the partners/owners. Startups don't hire generalist to do anything. I worked at Zomato's NEXTABLE (reservation software on the iPad) as the iOS dev along with two interns. I used to do some Nodejs and messed around in Java in addition to having done marketing and financial modeling as a real estate developer. Still - I was hired to work on the app, not server-side, not marketing nor making phone calls.

Pick something you like and get awesome at it and iterate from there.

[dsp1234]

Startups don't hire generalist to do anything.

More anecdata. I've worked as a generalist my entire career, always in companies with < 200 people. Mobile, web, desktop, api, windows, linux, embedded, javascript, sysadmin, netadmin, whatever. It's all the same to me. Point me at your weakest spot, and I'll make sure it's not your weakest spot, until the pain is gone, or you find a specialist. Rinse and repeat.

[pcmaffey]

You may be hired for a singular problem / job to start. But if the startup grows, that problem is going to change or go away. The opportunity to grow with a company and take on new challenges often is the best reason to join a startup.

[wuschel]

Having had a bit of startup mileage, I second this. I don't know why the above post downvoted.

[tedmiston]

Because it's generally not the case for early stage employees. The first couple hires, especially on engineering, definitely need to wear a variety of hats. In my first startup engineering gig, I did everything from front-end design and development to backend API work to helping people tech support their Macs and upgrading hardware in team computers, talking with potential investors, etc. Without a doubt, wearing multiple hats is the norm when joining a startup that's pre-seed up to Series A or so.

[kakarot]

I'm working at my third startup now (horrible management and lack of understanding of work-related injuries caused me to leave my first two gigs)

I joined each of these startups in their infancy, and at that stage, even if wearing multiple hats doesn't get you hired, it quickly fast-tracks you to a position where you can have more impact in the decision-making process.

These startups were not just in tech either, so I think this is just generally true of startup culture. One was agricultural, one was food service / retail and only my current one actually has me coding, but I still found myself going all over the place with client/customer relations, marketing, spreadsheets, tech support / IT, etc.

What I like about taking these kinds of open-ended gigs is that it can really help provide you the experience and comprehensive knowledge that will land you better administrative / project lead roles elsewhere, as well as prepare you for striking out on your own without becoming overwhelmed.

[Kronopath]

I've found the exact opposite, in my experience. I have a lot of experience in several broader areas in software development, and I've had far more success in bigger companies than I have in startups.

I've found that that startups (especially the ones that are far along enough that they can actually afford to pay you) are not willing to put up with the (perceived) time it takes to get a generalist software developer up to speed with their particular software stack, because of the speed at which they need to move. If they need someone to develop in AngularJS, they damn well need someone who knows AngularJS deeply and can hit the ground running, because they can't afford to spend time and manpower training you.

This is compounded by the fact that many startups overestimate the time and effort it takes for a good self-driven learner to get up to speed with a particular technological system.

In contrast, bigger tech companies tend to look for people with good smarts and algorithmic chops, because they can afford to take several weeks to train you in whatever they happen to use. They can absorb that time because you're not needed as urgently, so they don't hire as narrowly.