what does the given below point means in OP2
An op-ed or news article that exemplifies thought leadership, evidence of mentorship.
What can be the acceptable evidence for the above mentioned point?
@Raphael It would be great if you could provide some insights on this.
There are two separate things in that one line:
An op-ed or news article that exemplifies thought leadership
This means you wrote or were featured in an article that demonstrates you are shaping thinking in your field. Not just describing what you do. Actually advancing how the sector thinks about something.
Evidence of mentorship
This is a separate signal entirely. It means you have gone beyond your job to develop other people in the sector in a structured way.
ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE FOR THE OP-ED / THOUGHT LEADERSHIP PART
For an op-ed or article to count for OC2 it must satisfy all of the following based on proforma analysis:
The article must be published on an independent platform, not your own blog, not Medium, not LinkedIn, not your company website. It must be a recognised tech publication or credible media outlet.
The article must be written by you or must center you as the expert being quoted. If the article is about your company and you are barely mentioned, it counts for MC not OC2.
The content must demonstrate field-advancing thinking. Assessors explicitly rejected articles that âpoint out obvious trendsâ or discuss âtypical AI uses and the long-standing obvious concern around bias.â Your article must offer original insight, a new framework, a counter-intuitive argument, or a perspective that moves the conversation forward.
The article must have engagement evidence. Page views specific to that article, shares, citations by others, comments from industry peers. Publication-wide traffic statistics are not sufficient.
The article must have a journalist byline or your named authorship clearly visible.
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@Farhan_Bajwa Trust you are okay.
An opâed simply means opinion editorial, a short authoritative piece where an expert expresses a clear, informed viewpoint on an issue. In OC2, Tech Nation lists opâeds and news articles as acceptable evidence of thought leadership.
The phrase âopâed or news article that exemplifies thought leadership, evidence of mentorshipâ means that TN is looking for sustained influence, not a oneâoff thing. This is similar to how well known tech contributors publish recurring opinion pieces on platforms like Forbes, MIT Technology Review, Wired. These repeated contributions show that the expertâs insights guide, shape, and influence others in the sector over time.
The mentorship element, I believe does not mean that the opâed itself is mentoring people. Instead, it means that your overall contribution through repeated expert commentary, guidance, or public insight demonstrates an ongoing role in helping others understand, learn, or navigate the digital technology space.
TN lists a separate bullet for âEvidence of mentorshipâŚâ immediately after the above. This means the word mentorship in the opâed or newsâarticle bullet is meant in the context of that specific point , referring to sustained, influential contributions that help guide others through your thought leadership.
Acceptable evidence includes could be
Multiple opâeds or expert articles published over time
Recurring contributions to reputable tech publications
Articles where you provide expert guidance or interpretation
Kindly note that all of this must stem from recognition. In other words, the contribution should come from being invited or approached by a reputable editorial platform because of your expertise, not self submission or paid placement.
Also note that an article that is mainly about the company and only barely mentions the applicant will not count for MC. This is because the first evidence element under the Mandatory Criterion is recognition, and the recognition must be of the applicant, for doing something in a company. The applicant should be explicitly mentioned, credited, or recognised for leading, contributing or achieving something for a company within the digital technology sector. This is why Tech Nation gives evidence examples such as
âYou led the growth of a productâled digital technology companyâ
âYou led the marketing or business development of a digital product or companyâ
It has to be YOU
All the best
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Now I understood, thank you for the detailed answer.