Become a subject matter expert: roles, responsibilities and credentials

Most companies have a go-to person who can answer your most obscure questions about a specific topic, system, or protocol. That person could be a coworker with expertise in a specific area, or they could be a designated subject matter expert (SME).

An SME — who can be an internal expert, consultant, or third-party contractor — has years of experience that can help you find solutions and knowledge. If you want to be an SME in your field or workplace, you can get extra credentials and dive deep into a specific topic so people recognize you as an authority.

It’s a rewarding and exciting choice if you enjoy learning, sharing your passion for your field, and helping others in the process. Learn how to become a subject matter expert, their roles and responsibilities, and where this career path could take you.

What is a subject matter expert?

An SME is a professional who has extensive knowledge of a specific area of expertise. Whether being an SME is someone’s full-time position or an aspect of their role, they’re an authority in their discipline, department, or technology. Often, they need to have some kind of credential to qualify as an expert, like a Ph.D. or industry-relevant license.

Organizations and businesses sometimes use SMEs as consultants — whether that SME is an existing employee or external contractor — for decision-making and knowledge-building.

They help organizations set goals, develop new processes and strategies, and explain complex topics to team members. Outside of the workplace, SMEs might also act as expert witnesses in court cases or help peer-review industry research.

You can find SMEs working in the following industries:

• Human resources (HR) management: Companies refer to HR SMEs to ensure the workplace complies with all employment regulations. These professionals can also manage existing recruitment, compensation, and performance initiatives or develop new training programs.

• Law: Lawyers often call on SMEs to provide specialized, expert witness testimony in court. Expert witnesses offer their professional opinions on the case to help juries and judges reach a decision.

• Public relations: Companies and individuals can seek out crisis management SMEs to manage messaging and minimize the impact of negative publicity.

• Information technology (IT): In IT, SMEs offer expertise in specific software and technical areas. They might step in at the beginning of a project to define procedures, performance objectives, and processes, or they’ll help teams troubleshoot IT problems.

What does a subject matter expert do?

Even though they work in widely differing industries, you’ll find some subject matter expert roles and responsibilities in common, regardless of field. Their duties can include but aren’t limited to:

• Providing recommendations for technology infrastructure, software, and equipment

• Documenting and reporting on specialized business processes 

• Identifying opportunities to increase productivity and conserve resources

• Developing business best practices 

• Translating jargon into more accessible language

• Giving feedback on the quality and usability of a product

• Creating on-the-job training materials for different teams

5 tips to becoming a subject matter expert

The average age of an SME is 44 years, which means they’ve spent a lot of time getting to know their job and industry. Becoming an SME takes experience and effort, but if you’ve found your passion for a topic and want to dive deep into a niche, it’s a worthwhile choice.

Here are five tips for your journey to becoming an SME.

1. Find your niche

What do you enjoy about your job? Is there an aspect you find interesting or gratifying? Use this as your starting point to research specific within your field. Choose your specialty based on your passions, then use your existing skills, interests, and experience to define your focus.

Knowing the market and demand for expertise in your chosen subject can help you decide how much education and experience you need. A subject matter expert in project management, for example, needs to specialize in a project’s topic, Agile project management, and communication to perform well.

2. Commit to continuous education

SMEs commit to lifelong, continuous improvement to become experts. They take formal study opportunities, practice self-directed training, and build professional experience to develop their knowledge bases. And regardless of where you work, you’ll need to continually upskill your competencies to keep pace with industry changes.

Healthcare professionals, for example, start with a bachelor’s degree and specialize in more niche topics as they continue their education. And once they start their careers, they attend conferences and consult with colleagues to stay up-to-date with the field. 

3. Innovate and test

As an SME, you could become too confident about your skills. Don’t forget that you should continue learning new things and testing the recommendations you’re giving.

Depending on your position, you could be helping organizations make big decisions, and you need to know if your recommendations will work. Document your successes and failures to aid the process and continue learning. 

4. Showcase your authority

If you want peers and organizations to recognize you as an SME, you need to show proof of your expertise. Creating a media presence is a great place to start. Try answering questions on Q&A websites, contributing to discussions on online forums, or participating in panel sessions. You’ll demonstrate your knowledge's depth and breadth while helping others learn.

If you work in human resources, you could write articles for LinkedIn or post short webinars addressing HR-related topics to share with your professional network. Comment on other peoples’ posts and offer your opinion on the subjects you’re an expert in, such as unlimited paid-time-off policies or strategies to deal with difficult coworkers.

5. Focus on the client

No matter your area of expertise, stay true to your values and present your authentic self. Sharing enthusiasm is part of the job, but remember that if you’re working with a client or company, their needs come first. Focus on how best to help them instead of getting distracted by exciting new products or innovations. 

If you discover a new AI app that’s groundbreaking for your field, for example, only recommend it to a client if you're certain it will meet their needs. You can channel that energy elsewhere and focus on the task at hand.

Examples of subject matter experts

You can find SMEs in nearly every business field. Here are a few industry-specific roles to give you an idea of where this career path can lead:

Marketing 

• Social media marketer: Social media experts use their niche knowledge to help a business reach more potential customers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

• Search engine optimization (SEO) expert: SEO techniques like keyword research and backlinking help a client’s website rank at the top of a search engine results page.

• Affiliate marketing expert: Affiliate marketers leverage social media influencers or high-traffic accounts to increase brand awareness.

Technology

• Software developer: Expert software developers help clients build software from start to finish. They’ll also help conduct software engineering tests on the final product to ensure it meets stakeholder expectations.

• User experience (UX) designer: These SMEs understand a product’s users and test it to ensure it’s meeting their needs. They identify pain points and make recommendations throughout product development and design.
• Network architect: Network architects make recommendations regarding network hardware and software. They help design a mainframe that meets their client's current needs and futureproof the system so that it grows with them.

Consultancy

• Productivity consultant: These SMEs analyze business processes to find efficiencies and make recommendations to a board of directors or individual leaders.

• Diversity consultant: They help an HR department launch a diversity and inclusion campaign by offering guidance on best practices and benchmarks.

• Management consultant: Management consultants work with businesses to improve their operations and management styles.

Use your passion to help others

Becoming a subject matter expert takes time and experience. You have to dedicate your career to intense research, specialized knowledge, and ongoing professional development. However, if you choose a field that captures your imagination and curiosity, you can commit and assert yourself as an expert among your peers. 

SMEs spend their careers helping individuals, organizations, and businesses meet their goals. They also contribute to groundbreaking research and innovation. It’s a rewarding choice filled with satisfaction knowing you had a hand in influencing change and aiding someone’s success.