Subject matter expertise is a desirable, and sometimes mandatory, competency to secure a job in companies and organisations. Bringing a deep understanding and personal experience of a specific topic into a new role can enable a new recruit to quickly make a positive impact within an organisation. Desirable for the employer. Rewarding for the new employee.
The desire to accumulate knowledge in a chosen topic is an intrinsic motivation for the individual.
What is a special interest?
Special interests can also be defined as ‘focused and dedicated interests’.1 These interests are hobbies that individuals enjoy spending time involved with. Depending what the topic is, the involvement can look like researching, accumulating knowledge, collecting, cataloguing and organising items, attending events and discussing the interest with others. A special interest is effectively something that someone might spend more time involved with than an average person spends involved with their hobbies (but there seems to be no consensus of how much time is ‘average’ is…).
Examples of expertise that can be useful in workplaces can include:
- deep knowledge of related products and services
- understanding of all brands and companies in the industry
- vast hands-on experience using software, tools or platforms
- knowledge of regulations and legislation in the sector
- prior experience as a customer buying and using the products and services
- …and any other knowledge that can be used to good effect in the company and your job.
A need to regularly spend time involved with a special interest is often associated with being autistic. And the term ‘special interest’ can be perceived as a negative. Some individuals may choose not to discuss their dedicated interest with others for fear of negative consequence. But, re-framing this accumulated knowledge and expertise as subject matter expertise gives value to how important this information can be in a corporate workplace.
Not everyone with a passion for an interest is autistic. And not everyone who is autistic will have a special interest.
The role of special interests
A passion for a specific interest can be a safe and enjoyable hobby. Time engaged with a special interest can help to calm the mind following a period of overstimulation or overwhelm following an intense experience or at the end of a busy day. For example, sensory sensitivities can increase anxiety. Engagement with hobbies can be a form of self-regulation, a grounding activity used to help an individual to calm the nervous system.
If you believe that you or someone you know is spending too much time or money on an interest to the extent where it is having a negative impact on their lives or on the lives of those around them, then please seek advice.
Using special interests in the workplace
Prior knowledge and experience can be a valuable trait to find in a candidate for an employer.
However, given that spending time with dedicated interests can be used to calm the mind, it is understandable that an individual may choose not to want to spend the working day involved with the same interest as this may detract from the enjoyment that the interest brings at home. It’s an individual decision.
There is an infinite number of topics and niches that can develop into dedicated interests. Examples could include fungi, tabletop games, knitting, trainers, car restoration and almost anything else.
References
- National Autistic Society https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/about-autism/focused-and-dedicated-interests