I need clarification on what information to provide for the reference letter I am using to support a specific criteria. The guide says:
“…they should meet the same format and specification as required for the 3 mandatory letters of reference: they will be expected to be from well-established individuals acknowledged as experts in the digital technology field, with detailed knowledge of your work over a period of 12 months or more”
My question is - do the reference letters also need to include their CV
Also do the reference letters need to state:
Knows the applicant’s achievements in the relevant field; and
How the author considers the applicant shows exceptional talent or promise; and
The contribution the applicant would make to the UK digital economy; and
Explain what plans you have for work in the future
I recently had legal counsel on my application, and they advised me to have the LinkedIn CVs attached to the signed letters, so a total bundle for one letter would look like:
Letter of recommendation, no more than 3 pages with header and signature, which should include a link to their LinkedIn
Certificate of completion (if using Docusign) or document that shows the unique address from sender and signer
CV (and in the absence of their CV, you can use a download of their LinkedIn, just ensure it’s up to date)
The above will be more than 3 pages, but as long as the letter itself is within the 3 pages, that is fine.
To your four bullets, yes that is my understanding but will let someone else who’s familiar with multiple applications confirm and add on.
Please boss I know the criteria in Tech nation does state to upload 3 A4 pages for each evidence
And we need a CV or one-page bio review for each person that has given me LOR
Asides from the Three MC LOR which I have their one-bio page review that exceeded 3 A4pages
For the other evidences with supporting letter of recommendation, how can one attach their CVs because it will be more than one page? I would appreciate your kind response to guide me further
@Efezino_Omorobe are you planning to have supporting letters of recommendation be standalone documents (e.g., not one page of a three page document of other evidence)? If so, then the same applies - as long as the letter is 3 A4 pages, the CV should be attached at the end (and the CV length is not counted as part of the total document length).
Thank you for your question. Supporting reference letters should come from an established expert who has known your work for at least 12 months and clearly explain how they know you, your achievements, and why your work supports the specific criterion. A CV is not a mandatory requirement for supporting reference letters. However, it’s good practice for the referee to include their designation, organisation, and a brief summary of their expertise so the assessor can understand their credibility. It’s also beneficial if the letter briefly explains why you demonstrate Exceptional Talent/Promise and, where relevant, how you could contribute to the UK digital technology sector.
@Meghan_E Yes to all! Including a cv is good practice , you can download their LinkedIn CVs easily. Cover a lot more of validating your contributions, how they know you, how will you contribute to the UK tech economy.
@lm101 Although Tech Nation says that reference letters should follow the same format and basic requirements as the three mandatory recommendation letters, this mainly refers to things like explaining your relationship with the author and similar formal details.
However, reference letters are not the same in terms of context or content. From your question, '…need clarification on what information to provide for the reference letter" it’s important to note that a reference letter should focus specifically on the evidence it is supporting, not on giving a broad endorsement like a full Letter of Recommendation.
Tech Nation is very clear about this, a reference letter should speak directly to the piece of evidence it references, and should not be written in the same style or purpose as a LOR.
