Endorsed on Second Attempt for Promise [Rejected, Appeal, Endorsed] — Sharing My Journey & Evidence (Frontend Engineer)

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First and foremost, I would like to thank God for this opportunity and the endorsement.

A very special shout-out to @Raphael, whose support was invaluable during my second application. From reviewing my evidence to helping me properly structure my appeal, his guidance truly made the difference in my final outcome.

I’d also like to appreciate everyone on this forum who, in one way or another, answered my questions or engaged with my posts. Special thanks to @pahuja, @Akash_Joshi, and @Francisca_Chiedu :pray:t4:.

I’m happy to share that I finally got endorsed on my second attempt. It wasn’t a smooth ride, but I’m grateful for the outcome. For context, here’s a link to my first application and how it went: :point_right: First Application – Mandatory Criteria Appeal

:spiral_calendar: Timeline (Second Application)

Application submitted: Oct 22
Forwarded to Tech Nation: Nov 2
TN Rejection: Nov 18

Appeal submitted: Dec 3
Appeal forwarded to TN: Dec 7
TN Endorsement: Dec 16

:page_facing_up: Evidence Submitted

:bookmark: Recommendation Letters

  • Co-founder/CEO of a fintech startup I currently work at
  • Co-founder/CEO of a market research startup I previously worked with
  • Co-founder/CEO of a fintech startup I did some work for

Mandatory Criteria

Evidence 1: Open source leadership (I used an Open source project I worked on)

  • 540 GitHub stars, and 12 contributors, with over 136 commits (72 authored by me), 6,000+ average weekly downloads on npm
  • Screenshot of GitHub repository, npm stats, Google search results showing the project ranking for relevant keywords, etc.

Evidence 2: Evidence of Speaking at high-profile digital technology events

  • 3 Events, Invitation emails and reasons for selection
  • Event flyers featuring me, Photos of me speaking on stage, Social media posts by event organizers

Evidence 3: Led Growth at a Product Led Company

  • Slack screenshots showing impact and leadership, Screenshot of recognition through an interview/public acknowledgment

Evidence 4: Reference letter for Leading Growth at a Product Led Company

  • Supporting my role in leading growth at a product-led company

Evidence 5: Evidence of High salary / renumeration

  • Screenshot of my Employment contract alongside side Country salary benchmark from Glassdoor.
  • Screenshot of Payslip, Screenshots of competing offers from founders of recognised startups in my country.

Optional Criteria 2

Evidence 1: Evidence of my Stackoverflow

  • 2480 rep score, global rank of 126,598 out of 28M, 260K people reached, 60 Answers and 10 Questions, 290 posts edited, Reviewed 6,558 first questions, 7 Gold, 20 Silver, and 41 Bronze Badges,

Evidence 2: Structured Mentorship

  • 16-week online mentorship program for US college students
  • Mentors, mentees, and non-profit clients paired to work on real-world projects
  • 3+ hours of weekly calls and bi-weekly check-ins

Optional Criteria 3

Evidence 1: Key engineer at a Product-led company

Evidence 2: Reference letter for the above from Head of Business

Evidence 3: Building a high-impact product at another product-led startup

  • Included a one-page reference letter from the co-founder

:pushpin: Outcomes

First application (May 2025)

  • :x: Mandatory Criteria — Rejected
  • :white_check_mark: OC2 — Accepted
  • :white_check_mark: OC3 — Accepted

Second application

  • :x: Mandatory Criteria — Rejected
  • :x: OC3 — Rejected
  • :white_check_mark: OC2 — Accepted

For my second application, I made significant changes to the evidence I presented for Mandatory Criteria, but I submitted the same evidence for OC3 as in my first application. I appealed the decision using a different strategy from my first application, and this time the appeal was successful, leading to my endorsement.

If anyone has questions or needs clarification on any part of my process or evidence, feel free to reach out, I’ll be happy to help.

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So so happy to read this! Congrats @hilory :yellow_heart:

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Thank you, @pahuja, for your contributions. :sparkles:

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@hilory Congratulations! I am happy for you.

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Thank you for your help, @Raphael

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@hilory Congratulations! Glad to see the persistence paid off. I’d like some guidance on how you were able to structure your appeal and rejected evidence on the second attempt, if you don’t mind. Let me know how I can reach you.

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Congratulations @hilory. I’m a contributor to one of your open source project.

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What did you do or say differently in your appeal ?

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Hi Olakunle,

Oh yeah, I see that.

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I highlighted evidence that was overlooked in the assessment, which directly addresses what they claimed was missing from my MC. I also referenced additional supporting evidence already included in my application that confirms this point.

For example, they initially stated that my speaking engagements were tied to my role and employer. I clarified that these engagements were independent of my employment, as none of the companies I worked for sponsored or organised the events. I further directed them to screenshots of the email invitations and confirmations showing that I was invited and accepted as a speaker for each event in my personal capacity.

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Why was rejected and then how it was approved in review?