Background about me: 6 years in Software Development (4 years in Product led company). I have some evidences I have gotten so far and I am here for advice, suggestion and feedbacks. My documents excludes the mandatory LORs , SOP and CV. I intend to apply by next year (to allow my evidences mature a bit)
I have the following evidence in my evidence pack for MC:
Evidence 1: Interview at TVC discussing “Breaking into Tech: Building Career In Software Engineering, Cybersecurity And Others (April 2025, with 9.2k views)”. And I have the following as part of my evidence pack:
Youtube Link to to the interview
Screenshot of positive comments from Youtube
Flyer to the event
LinkedIn comments about when I posted about the interview
Direct Messages and praises received from people and people asking me to support them to mentor them as well as seeking advice
Screenshot of me talking with the TV Logo and Presenters in a single frame
post email from the editorial team thanking me for the session and highlighting that the session was very interactive and gained traction
Evidence 2: Interview on Channels TV discussing “Staying Safe Online - Fighting against Cybercrime(July 2025, with 850 views)”. And I have the following as part of my evidence pack
Youtube Link to the interview
Flyer to the event
Screenshot of me talking with the TV Logo in a single frame
pre invitation email from the editorial team confirming the session (Time and Date included in email sent from an official email with Sender details as Head of Editorial)
Screenshot of positive comments from Youtube
Since the view on Youtube is low and the session was televised live, I intend to add contextual framing that the Youtube is only an archive of the session, so the impact is much more since people must have watched it live.
Evidence 3: 2 publications bundled together publication 1:Daily Times Nigeria where I wrote on "Beyond Technical Skills, Why Soft Skills is Important in the Tech Industry (March 2025, with 2260 reads so far). I have the following as part of my evidence pack
Screenshot of the article with my byline, date and logo of the publisher showing
Metrics from SimilarWeb showing the monthly visitor numbers for Daily Times
publication 2:TechPression Nigeria(a Niche Tech Blog) where I wrote on "Striking the Balance: Managing innovation and security in enterprise software development (June 2025, with 900 shares, 290 thumbs up so far as website dont show article views). I have the following as part of my evidence pack
Screenshot of the article with my byline, date and logo of the publisher showing
Metrics from SimilarWeb showing the monthly visitor numbers for TechPression
For my OC2, I am currently building my evidences around speaking at a Tech Event with significant viewership (submtted my topics for review and will be contacted if successful) and then some contribution to open source projects.
I have my OC3 sealed.
Kindly do assist to review on If these are sufficient or how I can further support what I currently have.
Evidence 3: 2 publications bundled together publication 1:Daily Times Nigeria where I wrote on "Beyond Technical Skills, Why Soft Skills is Important in the Tech Industry (March 2025, with 2260 reads so far) . I have the following as part of my evidence pack
question How did you obtain this data? Since it concerns national news, there is a concern that it may have been self-authored. Please provide official proof of how you acquired this data.
I think what @tunde1234 is asking is, how did you get access to the data if you claim that it national media organisation and does that not show that it is self-authored
@Faith_Sodipe In all honesty publications on tech blogs and even most media outlets don’t hold water anymore with recent rejections, some are being shared here. You may want to case study few.
Interviews too, maybe if the video’s content is convincing, that one is an authority. But then again other evidence will have to compliments that assertion.
Thank you for this. What do you mean if the video content is convincing? Could you please provide more information on this? And does this mean that TV interviews are void ?
So, no one can truly say an evidence is void or not, as review I believe is done wholly and all evidence and every document compliments each other.However, from rejection trends one can say an evidence may no longer hold water.
Speaking or media engagements are as relative to individual application context, so it’s difficult to give a specific definition of “convincing”
Your current evidence portfolio shows promise but needs strategic strengthening before applying. Looking at recent rejection patterns, I’ve seen many applications with similar evidence get rejected due to specific weaknesses that are easily fixable.
Your TV interviews are the strongest foundation you have. However, low YouTube view counts will hurt you - I’ve seen rejections specifically mentioning “modest view counts” as evidence of insufficient impact. Focus on documenting the live television audience reach instead. Get official viewership numbers from the TV stations and emphasize that YouTube is just an archive, not the primary distribution channel.
The publications need major improvements. Daily Times Nigeria and TechPression may not qualify as “notable digital technology industry recognition” - I’ve reviewed rejections where major outlets like The Guardian were dismissed for not being tech-specific enough. You need publications in specialized technology outlets or peer-reviewed venues. Those 2,260 reads won’t impress assessors who expect much higher engagement from exceptional talent.
Your speaking opportunity for OC2 could work if it meets strict criteria. Make sure it’s not a student event, has over 100 attendees, and involves significant sector-advancing content. Recent rejections show assessors questioning university speaking engagements for lacking “sector-advancing content.” You’ll need strong evidence of how your talk influenced the field, not just educated attendees.
Wait until you have at least one piece of evidence from a recognized tech publication or journal before applying. Also strengthen your TV interview evidence with official audience metrics. I’ve seen similar profiles succeed after making these specific improvements, but rushing with current evidence risks rejection that could have been avoided.
Thank you for all you do @Akash_Joshi. I do have a follow up question.
For publication in OC2, Is it wise to maybe move my article on TechPression to support my OC2 evidences? How do one navigate recognized tech publications without measurable metrics like views, shares or even comments? @Raphael@pahuja
@Faith_Sodipe Articles published at TechPression may be considered self authored because its self published or publication does not follow formal strict review process.
LinkedIn, Medium or other self-published articles are not considered sufficient as evidence.