BUILD YOUR E-REPUTATION

Dr. Adidja AMANI MD, MPH

1st ACADEMIC WORKSHOP FOR FINAL YEAR STUDENTS

Somatel Hotel Biyeam-Assi, 23rd January 2016

05/01/23

Overview

1. What is your digital identity?2. SM globally and in Cameroon3. SM: What, Why and How?4. Best practices 5. Conclusion

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What is your "digital identity”?

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SM Growth globally

05/01/23

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one

most responsive to change." Charles Darwin

Source : "Soc-net-paten-growth-chart" by Nowa. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

SM situation in Cameroon…

1,400,000 Facebook subscribers (internetworldstats, 2015)

4 out of 10 Cameroonian have subscribed to Linkedin (friedrich-ebert-foundation-report, 2014)

Cameroon - top-ten African countries in terms of the tweeted volumes

Blogging is still at its infancy05/01/23 5

Use social medias …

As an opportunity to maintain a professional identity, and make yourself known

As an opportunity to showcase your talents/ accomplishments and stay on the radar of recruiters

To keep your reputation on track . Don’t leave it to chance

not for bragging or boasting. It’s just letting people know who you are and what you do.

Why social medias are good for your career? (1/2)

1. Having the right skills and experience is not always enough to secure a job

2. You know what you are doing, but nobody else knows

3. The more people know what you are capable of, the more opportunities you find

4. Employers increasingly "Google" candidates to learn more about them.

5. If you post content that create the demand or what others need, you create a market

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Why social medias are good for your career? (2/2)

Studies have shown that 92% of companies are using social media for hiring

¾ hiring managers will check out a candidate’s social profiles SM can hurt or help your career.

78% of recruiters have made a hire through social media Eg: MTN Cameroon , LinkedIn

You can’t count on people calling you out of the blue to hire you, if they don’t know about you. 05/01/23 8

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“In the 19th Century, people built railways to connect the world. The global railway network of today is the internet. This is where knowledge is to be found; this is where jobs will be created.” Donald Kaberuka, President AfDB group

Being tech and social media savvy has become an avenue to career success.

"À l'heure de la mondialisation l'important n'est plus de savoir faire, mais de faire valoir son savoir faire." Pr. Jacques Famé Ndongo

VISIBILITY

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SM allows you to…(1/2)

1. Promote your work at lower/No cost with a global reach

2. Build a competitive advantage3. Proactively manage each stage of your career.4. Make your job search much more effective.5. Keep track of your reputation . Don’t leave it

to chance05/01/23 11

SM allows you to…(2/2)

Scientific impact –a recent study found that researchers whose work was mentioned on Twitter tended to have a higher h-index

Crowdfunding :A study of 97 crowdfunding campaigns focused on cancer research found that they raised ~ $45,629 from donations

A strong online outreach can connect you with wealthy donors and angel investors

Network on steroids

Likewise, not being on social media, can hurt

your career…  Lack of an online presence can severely

limit your visibility Run the risk that undesirable search

results appear before desirable ones The more you procrastinate to join, the

more you will be disconnected from opportunities that could potentially advance your career.

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How to market yourself effectively?

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First, ask yourself:….

1. What do I want to be kown for ? Define yourself. Write a profile headline that is clear and memorable. Highlight your skills.

2. What qualities do I want people to associate with me?

3. What is the first thing I want to have pop in their heads when they hear my name?

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TOP Popular social media sites

1. Facebook: biggest social networking site 2. Twitter 255 million monthly active users in 2015 3. LinkedIn- world’s largest professional network

>332 million users and each second adds two new members

4. Blogs. ~300 million monthly active users 5. YouTube:~ 1 billion videos watched over mobile

phones per day.16

Linked In: The world’s largest professional network

Tons of job opportunities posted Be introduced to contacts of interest

through the people you already know show projects and skills gained from school Learn about relevant career paths and

organizations by browsing people/company Be active -write and request

recommendations the more active you are, the more

visible your profile will be17

Leverage TWITTER to your advantage

Open an account on twitter.com and fill in your bio with career goals, skills and a professional photo

Follow people and organizations relevant to your job search target

Share and re-tweet from people of interest Tweet appropriately: focus on professional topics

especially current events in your field The world at your fingertips ~ Eg: Dangote, Gates,

Obama,PRC etc.05/01/23 18

Blog about what you do. It is free

use to showcase your knowledge and interest in a field, and your writing skills in general.

news and opinions related to your field Update it routinely (daily, weekly, monthly) to gain a

devoted readership Leverage your blog to meet and interview prominent

professionals in your field of interest Attach writing samples of class assignments or

published work 05/01/23 19

Stay up to date with Google alerts

Keep up-to-date Developments and news in

your industry Ensure your knowledge is

always relevant keep abreast of the latest

trends emerging in your field and be at the cutting edge

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Other essential social medias

Slideshare – Upload your presentations and start building your followers around the content.

ResearchGate’s “ connect researchers and make it easy for them to share and access scientific output, knowledge, and expertise.

Pinterest Follow employers you wish to work for. Get an idea of their corporate culture and marketing techniques.

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Build your reputation/Market yourself

The only way to get people to know who you are and what you do is to tell them

Begin early. Start to market yourself even if you are still a student.

Your Passion is Your Weapon. Do it with passion, or not at all.

Earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable

Shape your image to the pursuit of your goal 05/01/23 22

Build your reputation/Market yourself

Create a professional profile that captures: skills, abilities, talents, expertise and titles that you want viewers to know about you.

Show pride in your work/achievements Showcase:communication skills,

knowledge,etc. Position yourself as an expert in

your industry23

Best practices every professional should

observe Think of yourself as a brand eg: Nike, Coca-Cola,

etc. Create a clear identity and use your real name Update your profiles regularly Use an updated image of yourself Keep your image professional and consistent Evaluate your overall presence online regularly.

It's Not narcissistic to Google yourself05/01/23 24

Best practices every professional should

observe Make it easy for potential employers to identify you. Communicate professionally. Keep public content

professional Make sure your profile is complete Use analytics:  Know what viewers are looking for, find out

which calls to action generate the most interest, etc. Don’t have photos you wouldn’t want an employer to see. No drunken escapes, no profanity, or slurs. Don’t bad mouth former employers, bosses, co-workers,

teachers 25

Before posting any item on social medias , ask yourself

CONCLUSION

SM is not a nicety; it is a necessity. Get it, learn it, use it.

Focus your SM postings on accomplishments and skills

Make frequent updates to your professional profiles

Manage your career as a business By all means make sure you are keeping up

with the technology changes. 27