供应商自评有点像求职者的简历，国内不流行推荐信，但是猎头的推荐其实也是另外形式的推荐信。推荐信有点像供应商请第三方审核认证过后颁发的各种认证证书，比如ISO9001，ISO14001，等等。推荐信可以被看做是一种背书（ENDORSEMENT）,推荐人的资历深浅，领袖水平很大程度影响着求职者在招聘者心中的印象，从而也决定他/她的报价（期望薪酬）和潜在价值。供应商所提供的ISO9001等各类证书同样起到类似的作用，尽管都是所认可的认证机构颁发的证书，但是不同的认证机构的影响力显然是不一样的，他们当初认证时的费用也是不一样的，这个决定了他们颁发的证书的可信性（CREDIBILITY）的差异。
Supplier self-assessment is a little bit similar to job hunter’s resumes. Recommendation letter is not prevalent in China, but the recommendations from headhunters are also recommendation letters in another form. Recommendation letters is somewhat similar to various certificates which are awarded after the audit and certification of the third party requested by the suppliers, such as ISO9001, ISO14001, etc. Recommendation letter can be seen as a kind of endorsement, as qualifications, status in the field will affect the impression of job hunters in recruiters to a large degree, which will determines his or her “quotation”(expected salary) and potential value. Various certificates like ISO9001 provided by suppliers play similar roles. Although the certificates are all awarded by accepted certification authority, different certification authorities exert different influence obviously, and the fees for certifying vary accordingly, which determines differences in credibility of certificates awarded.