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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Be a Subject Matter Expert (SME)...

Depending on your field, you'll want to pick a hot niche and establish yourself as a Subject Matter Expert, herein referred to as "SME". How does one become an SME? In my opinion, it is a 4-step process: 1) identify a hot niche in your field, 2) begin acquiring knowledge from various sources (books, Internet, conferences, etc.), 3) develop mastery in the subject after X hours of personal study, and 4) publish your thoughts on the subject in the form of a FREE blog (such as Blogger) for the world to read. Public speaking engagements, editorial contributions and publishing deals to follow (someday)!

So, what is a "hot niche"? Well, if you're in the field of IT, perhaps you'll choose UML, PHP, or OpenSource. If you're in Marketing, perhaps you'll choose Social Networking or Viral Campaigns. Sustainability ("greening your business") appears to be a hot niche almost anywhere these days. Catch my drift? The point is, if you establish yourself as an SME in your field, you're more likely to stand out from the pack. In some cases, you might even find that it was the deciding factor in you receiving a job offer over another candidate.

Have you established yourself as an SME in your field?

2 comments:

  1. Hot Niche and SME....!!!Its a good ideas thank you. I will try hard for that.

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  2. Thanks for the comment! Best of luck in your quest to become a Subject Matter Expert.

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