The guidance states that each letter should “come with the author’s CV (or other proof of their credentials that the endorsing body will accept).”
I’d like to clarify what is accepted. For some of my recommenders, such as a university professor or a senior manager, it may not be practical to ask them to prepare or provide a CV specifically for my application.
Would the following be acceptable as “other proof of their credentials”?
A screenshot of the company’s internal employee page or a university website showing their name and role
AND a screenshot of their LinkedIn profile
AND URLs to their LinkedIn profile and/or university profile
Could I put those evidence together on one page and attach it immediately after the recommendation letter (for example, a 2-page recommendation letter followed by a separate 1-page credential document)?
Has anyone successfully used this approach instead of providing the recommender’s CV?
That’s a great question. You can actually export a LinkedIn profile as a PDF, which works well as a CV substitute. It includes the person’s career history, education, and credentials in an official format. Just make sure each recommender’s LinkedIn profile is up to date before exporting, that way, it accurately reflects their current role and achievements.
Yes, this can be a reasonable approach to provide “other proof of credentials” where obtaining a full CV is impractical.
A one-page credential document placed immediately after the recommendation letter can include the recommender’s official university/company profile, role, LinkedIn profile and relevant URLs. Ideally, use official institutional sources as the primary proof, with LinkedIn as supplementary evidence.
Just make sure the credentials clearly demonstrate why the person is a recognised expert or established leader in the relevant field. The recommendation letter and credential evidence can therefore be submitted together as one combined document.
In my experience, I realised my recommender’s LinkedIn is not the most up to date, so in the recommendation letter itself, one paragraph was dedicated to highlight recommenders’ major achievements, and i found it a good way to bring it to the assessor’s attention earlier and in summary. A link to recommenders Linkedin account was also added in the final paragraph, next to their email and mobile number.