By Naomi Uzor
A Senior lecturer and director of research at the Lagos Business School, Dr. Doyin Salami has lamented the high level of unemployment in Nigeria, saying that the economy continues to grow without creating jobs.

Delivering a lecture at the 2010 seminar/ luncheon organised by the members of the Professional Practice Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), tagged “ Rebranding the Professional in a Recovering Economy”, Salami said the Nigeria economy continues to grow without creating jobs, adding that over 20 per cent of Nigerians are unemployed.

According to him, a professional must have more knowledge of something which the next person does not have and must posses a high level of integrity.

“As a professional, you must have a body of knowledge and if you do not have integrity, then you are not a professional. As a professional, you want to make money, you must be able to convince people that you can actually deliver what they want you to deliver,” he stated.
The Managing Partner, Akinwunmi & Busari, legal practitioner, Seyi Akinwunmi, while delivering a paper tagged “Re-branding the professional in a recovering economy – the insolvency perspective”, said professionals have come to realise that they must continually rebrand themselves to suit any prevailing economic situation, be innovative and consistently update and refresh their practice.

According to Akinwunmi, there is need for every professional to rebrand. “Gone are the days of billing your client with no clear, measurable results. Our clients need to know that they will get their money’s worth when they come to us to help them solve their problems.

Our clients’ reports should be detailed and offer fresh ideas instead of merely emphasizing our professional charges or billable hours.”

He urged professionals to keep networking and collaborating, adding that the power of collaboration can not be over emphasized, it is important that they have continuous relationships with people who have skills that complement their professions.

“The general public doesn’t always know what we do unless they are informed. Effective marketing is a key tool of rebranding as it will remind people of what you do and what you are good at.

In this info_tech age where everyone is compelled to be info_tech savvy we must be able to employ the use of the internet to put social media networks to work. Funny how updating your Facebook page and linked in profile with your blog and/or company Web site url and professional bio can make a massive impact. You never know who might see your profile,” he said.