How I Started: Rebranding Socials with Yasir Essar

Headshot of Yasir Essar

Some of the readers, may not know you. Please share a bit about your background, your academic background, your previous academic and work experience, any career highlights or awards, or anything else you want to share about yourself. 

Yasir is a former refugee from Afghanistan who holds an MSc in Global Health from McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Prior to moving to Canada, he lived as a refugee in Tajikistan after fleeing Afghanistan. During his time as a refugee, he wrote about his struggles of migration and echoed hope for a better future for himself and other displaced students. He also continued to share his lived experience of refugee life.

Currently, he works as a Research Assistant at Western University in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and as a Community Scholar at the University of Calgary.

Yasir also holds a visiting academic position with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton. His scholarly work has been published in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, and PLoS. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) and holds multiple certificates from Wayne State University, the University of Geneva, and McGill University.

During his tenure as a Research Assistant at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, he focused particularly on tuberculosis research, further enriching his expertise in infectious disease research.

Yasir is always eager to connect with like-minded professionals, share insights, and explore collaborative opportunities. He is open to guest lecture invitations on the topics of refugees and global health.

“A dear friend once advised me to do this exercise: go back five years in the past and ask yourself what it is you really want to learn, then take a moment and write about those things.”

I have seen, that you rebranded your socials. Could you share more about rebranding, and why you decided to focus on sharing courses, job opportunities, and articles?

A dear friend once advised me to do this exercise: go back five years in the past and ask yourself what it is you really want to learn, then take a moment and write about those things. For me, it was about finding sources of knowledge (courses, webinars, etc.) to educate myself about global public health. I believe that many young people are currently in the same position I was back then. I'm confident that the content I post will resonate deeply with those who aspire to pursue a career in global public health.

LinkedIn, in particular, has been instrumental in my career development. I feel a strong responsibility to share what I have learned with others, as sharing knowledge is a powerful way to support our professional community.

Do you have any advice for people who want to grow their social media following?

Again, I will stick to the golden advice I received from a friend: First, find your niche. It's okay to have multiple niches. Secondly, write about what people want to hear and learn, not what you want. It's not about you; it's about your followers.

How do you balance consistently posting on social media and your other commitments?

I believe I use LinkedIn with a purpose. So if I have a purpose, I pursue that consistently. For me, my purpose is to educate young people to the best of my ability. As for balance, I usually use LinkedIn for 2-3 hours per day. This is enough to stay up-to-date with all the trends.

"Another tip is to engage with your followers in the comment section. Make sure you tailor your responses to each comment. Don't just reply with the same words."

You are also a ‘Top Research Skills Voice’ on LinkedIn, can you share how you became a top voice?

You can find collaborative articles on LinkedIn. Go there, find your niche, and then write and share your perspective. Over time, you will become one of the experts and earn your badge.

What advice would you have for someone who wants to rebrand their social media content and be more visible online?

Find your niche. Analyze what your audience wants to hear from you, and then stick to that. For visibility, posting early in the morning works for me. Another tip is to engage with your followers in the comment section. Make sure you tailor your responses to each comment. Don't just reply with the same words.

Where can people stay connected with you and your work?

Only one platform: LinkedIn: Yasir Essar

Twitter also works, haha @essar_yasir