I work in a retail company as an architect and worked for a product. I got rejected by below
XXX is a large UK retail company and is not recognised as a product-led digital company. Any documentation provided for work at this organisation is therefore not relevant to any of the criteria.
Should I work in a product led company to be eligible?
Hi @Tom Trust you are good.
As a technical applicant you can work for a non technical company like the current company you work to be eligible. However, there are some criteria that require you work not only in a technology company but a product led company. For instance
A part in MC - You led the marketing or business development at a product-led digital technology…
In OC1 - How do I demonstrate that I have a proven track record of innovation in the digital technology sector as a founder or senior executive of a product-led…
In OC3 - How do I demonstrate that I have made a significant technical, commercial or entrepreneurial contributions to the field as a founder, senior executive, board member or employee of a product-led…
So, whilst an applicant can be eligible, if they don’t work in a product-led company. The part of MC, OC1 and OC2 is not suitable for them.
But the good news is that there are other criteria hat has nothing to do with product led but the tech sector. That’s OC2 and OC4.
So, your best bet is to use MC, OC2 and OC4.
Any documentation provided for work at this organisation is therefore not relevant to any of the criteria.
Also, it’s important to note that, their response to you quoted above is most likely as relative to the criteria you submitted. Can you please confirm you used OC1 and OC3?
So sorry about the feedback. I hope this help?
All the best.
Yes I have used OC1 and OC3
Yes! So, just as I said. Based on their guidance, you are eligible for the application, but not under the criteria you selected. This is a narrative issue, which is why I always suggest that applicants review their application narrative alongside their career history.
Another approach that has worked for some successful applicants I’ve supported is to use evidence of your past roles, which are product-led, from the last five years, or reapply with OC2 and OC4.
All the best.
Thanks for the help. When I checked OC4 it’s about academic. Is it ok to get a reference letter from my professor which I completed data science in 2022. And also I don’t have any awards.
@Tom If you’re referring to a reference letter that validates or supports your research work, then yes, but it shouldn’t be based on research you completed as a student.
If you actually mean a recommendation letter, your lecturer being a professor isn’t enough on its own. They must be an established expert who has known you and your work for at least 12 months, and can speak about your impact, contributions, and achievements.
If you choose to reapply, which I believe is the better path. It’s important to get expert guidance from someone who is experienced and can support you to plan strategically. I also suggest giving yourself around six months to build stronger evidence under the new criteria so you can significantly increase your chances.
OC4 is a difficult fit here. The Guide requires research endorsed by an expert, either through peer review in a recognised publication or endorsement from a senior academic who supervised you directly, and it explicitly excludes research done as part of an undergraduate or MSc thesis. A course you finished in 2022 will not clear that bar, and a reference letter on its own is never enough to carry a criterion.
The more realistic route open to you is OC2, and it has nothing to do with whether your employer is product-led. The Guide accepts voluntary work beyond your day job that advances the sector: contributions to an open source project, structured mentorship, main-stage speaking at a sector event with 100+ attendees, or leading on policy. If any of your technical work outside the retail role fits there, it is a far stronger path than academic research.
Your refusal came down to which criteria you chose against a non-product employer, so the fix is selecting criteria that do not depend on one. MC plus OC2 is the combination worth building toward.
So I think it’s not worth appealing
@Tom You should still consider submitting an appeal, it’s free, and there’s nothing to lose by trying. It’s also important to understand that the rejection wasn’t due to an error or oversight in your evidence, but rather that the evidence didn’t fully meet the eligibility standards required.
For a reapplication, you need two Optional Criteria and one Mandatory Criterion. As I mentioned earlier, your strongest path is OC2 and OC4, along with the Mandatory Criterion or you use evidence from product led companies you have worked with that is still within the time frame five.
years.
6 months+, I believe can be okay to work on research, you can also co-author with other researchers. Most call for papers from conferences comes with conference speaking too and a research endorsement letter from a professor can also support. However, just publishing a research paper will not show sector impact. Speaking at conference, citations, downloads, views and what have we, should be evidenced and clearly shown.