I got endorsed for promise- Applied for Promise

Stage 1
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Good Morning everyone. I got endorsed for promise a couple of weeks back and i just wanted to help someone else:
Evidences:

  1. Personal statement - Talked about my decision to go into tech and everything about me that has led to this point.

  2. My Cv - Made sure it was ellaborate and i didn’t remove any detail. Every job role, was explained, published papers and links were listed, blog and links, awards and scholarships etc.

  3. 4 letters of recommendation: my recommenders really know my work and they were detailed. 2 came from digital led company CEO’s , one came from a top digital led company CTO and one came from a top researcher and core software developer in a US goverment body. One person in the UK, one in Germany, one in the US and one in Nigeria. My recommenders all talked about my growth in the sector and my love for advancement and growth.

Mandatory Criteria:
4. A reference letter detailing(in great detail) how i led the growth of a product-led digital tech company by expanding and growing the product. The letter detailed what i did and how it caused exponential growth and what it meant for the clients and the organisation. The letter also detailed what i did before joining the organisation and why they decided to hire me.

  1. A reference letter detailing(in great detail) what i did and how i led the growth of a non-profit organisation with a specific focus on the digital technology sector. Please note that the letter above already detailed that i had worked here and why i was poached. This letter then talked about everything i did and how it was extremely beneficial to the non-profit organisation.

Optional Criteria 1

  1. I wrote a detailed cover letter, explaining all my evidences and explaining how they all come together and what represents what. I also added links to my dev profile proving i contribute to the sector out of my day to day activities. Here i also attached my profiles for the mentorship programmes i am involved in and also fliers from past events i have led. I gave every detail that could be miscontrued here and made sure i pointed out how each evidence criteria has been fulfilled.

  2. A letter from a structured and a well known program saying how i have been a mentor and my contributions. The letter also talked about what i have done to this point and how beneficial my mentorship has been.

  3. Another letter from a structured and a well known program saying how i have been a mentor and my contributions. The letter also talked about what i have done to this point and how beneficial my mentorship has been.

Optional Criteria 2

  1. A letter from my Phd supervisor detailing my contribution to the industry, All my progression results remarks from independent assessors and his assessment of me.

  2. A letter from my masters supervisor detailing my contribution to the industry, his assessment of me and the paper he wrote with me and my contribution.

  3. Masters certifcate and Transcripts( distinction).

  4. One of the papers i have written published with springer and my contributions. I contributed in every aspect apart from supervision and i was the sole software developer.

About me: I am a software developer, a machine learning engineer and my research is in computational neuroscience/ neuromorphic computing and AI.

I noticed that all my referees wrote a little bit about my personality, engagements and advancements.

Apart from the structured mentorship programmes I am involved in, I also do alot of unstructured mentorship programs. Some of my referees/recommenders mentioned that and it was detailed also in my cover letter.

@Francisca_Chiedu

2 Likes
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Congratulations :confetti_ball: how many edits u got?

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I did not know about this until later but noticed only 3 when i knew about it.

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Congratulations C91!
For 4. and 5., were these reference letters different from the 4LORS? Were these by direct managers?

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@mk_92 Direct managers are not allowed to write you references according to the guide. They should always be leading industry experts who know your work. Also, they were different from the LORS. I didn’t repeat my evidences.

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congratulations. Thanks for sharing.

1 Like
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I am not talking about LORs.
For Optional criteria, it says letter from employer is applicable. Isn’t direct manager an option then? *Letter from an employer wherever applicable. This is in addition to the required letters of endorsement and should be written by another individual;"

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From the guide, it says it’s not allowed for direct managers to do that. I think you should read the guide closely. However, I am also aware that the guide is just a ‘guide’ so you can make a case. However, it’s also better to just follow it.

To be safe, your direct manager is being managed by someone else who knows the impact of your job. I’d rather you get a letter from someone really at the top but also knows how impactful you have been.

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I have read that as well. “Evidence of recognition” is the mandatory criteria. I am under the impression a reference letter from a direct manager is acceptable from the “optional criteria” perspective.

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Oh i do not know about that. Perhaps ask someone who is more knowledgeable. I was talking about MC all the while because you asked about 4 and 5 and that was under my mandatory criteria.

Best of luck.