On Experience Diversity

Have you ever had a choice between two specialists: one with a very narrow specialization and limited knowledge in other areas, and another one with more broadly distributed knowledge? I have multiple times, and the following article describes my experience and conclusion on such a choice.

Right Experience For The Job

As you can probably guess, there is no simple way to make this choice. It depends on the environment, related conditions, and overall requirements for the job. Let’s quickly go through the list of these dependencies.

First, it depends on the company size. The bigger the company, the easier it is to employ employees with a narrow specialization for a very specific task. Smaller companies usually prefer to have more generic specialists as they have quite a lot of tasks to handle and not that many people to do them.

Second, it is the existing employees’ qualifications. If you already have an employee who can handle, let’s say, 80% or 90% of the tasks in the specific area, then it makes sense to find a part-time contractor with a narrow specialization who can take care of the remaining 10% or 20% tasks. However, if you’re just starting work in some area and you have nobody to do it, then the person with wider experience will be a better fit.

Third, it is the employee specialization. There are areas where specialization plays a crucial role, like the medical or aerospace industries. At the same time, other areas have lower requirements for the experience and can train employees onsite to get the required experience.

Why Bother?

The answer to this question is different for each specific company. However, in general, there are three primary reasons.

The company’s most precious asset is its employees, and consequently, it must take care of them to be able to build a development strategy. The employees’ experience is a cornerstone of the company’s success, and it is impossible to grow the company without getting more experience or hiring new employees.

Another important aspect to consider is employee specialization. A company may train an employee to become a specialist in one or several areas, but it does not work in reverse. So, the management has to build a list of required specializations and then train employees when needed.

Finally, each person has personal traits and is typically interested in personal development. The company has to see how it can utilize these traits and adjust personal development with the company's goals to improve performance and achieve the best results.

These are my thoughts on choosing employees with the right experience and qualifications. Consider the current situation carefully, use the recommendations above, and you’ll find the most suitable person for the job.