Viewpoint: Is It Too Early in Your Career to Become a Subject Matter Expert?

​Subject matter experts (SMEs) have specialized knowledge in a specific field (e.g., talent management, employee benefits or talent acquisition). In comparison, a generalist is an individual with a broad set of knowledge and experiences (e.g., HR business partner). I worked as an SME in talent assessment for several years, and the work was rewarding and challenging. Through this experience, I discovered multiple benefits of being an SME:

People seek you out. Once you develop your internal employee brand with a specific area of knowledge, people will seek you out for advice. Further, you'll be invited to lead projects, and you'll become the "source of truth" when a decision in your respective area has to be made.

You get time with senior leaders. If you are an expert in an area, you will likely get exposure to senior leaders. You'll have the opportunity to build relationships with and present to senior leaders. And they will often seek you out for insight. They are more likely to add you to special-project teams focused on the organization's most pertinent strategic initiatives.

You'll create your brand. Once you are an SME, it is easy to establish your employee brand within the organization. You may get asked the question, "What exactly do you do?" This lends itself to conversations about your work. Having this exchange is helpful when you want to build relationships; people will know they can come to you when they need insight related to your area of expertise.

Your work is engaging. You get to work in an area you are passionate about, which always makes work more enjoyable.

Although there are many advantages of specializing when you begin your career, becoming an SME too early can create difficulties and result in unintended consequences. For example, I found transitioning from an experienced specialist to a generalist role challenging because those with a generalist background were more likely to move forward in the interview process.

Another challenge I faced was that my interests changed. However, the organization still needed my expertise. Getting out of that specialization was a tough sell. I caution early-career employees not to specialize too early in their career unless they are certain about their long-term career plans. Here's why:

You may be a "one-person band." Sometimes when you are a capable SME, the organization may not hire other people who can do similar work. Therefore, you may not have an opportunity to build out a team. You may get stuck in individual-contributor roles, even if you are promoted within the organization.

Your projects may have limited scope. One way to build cross-functional relationships and learn a lot in a short amount of time is to participate in several projects. However, if you are an SME, there is a chance that you will participate only in projects that are aligned directly to your area. You may have fewer opportunities to develop new skills or to work with various co-workers. You'll tend to have a narrow focus on your area of specialization.

There are plenty of reasons that being an SME has its advantages. However, the trade-offs are high. Therefore, I encourage you to spend the first five years of your career as a generalist. It will give you a chance to explore other interests and demonstrate your strengths in several areas.

The best way to jump-start your career as a generalist is to seek out rotational opportunities, which typically last two to three years. These programs give early-career employees a variety of experiences within a specific functional area, including HR. For additional resources related to specialist and generalist opportunities within the HR field, visit SHRM's Careers in Human Resource Management overview. 

Kyra Sutton, Ph.D., is a faculty member at Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations in New Brunswick, N.J., where she teaches courses in training and development, as well as in staffing and managing the 21st century workforce. She also has served in lead HR roles at Pitney Bowes and Assurant.

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