What a year it has been, and it couldn’t finish any better. I have just received a nomination for the 2021 TORI Resume Writing Awards. This international competition recognises all the hard work we (resume writers) put in when writing your resume.
It’s the 22nd year of the Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) Awards. This is an international competition where we, resume writers, submit our best resume writing work in a specific category.
This year’s TORI ten categories are:
- Best Classic Executive Resume
- Best Classic High Tech Resume
- Best Difficult Transition Resume
- Best Healthcare/Medical Resume
- Best New Graduate Resume
- Best Classic Difficult Transition Resume
- Best Classic New Graduate Resume
- Best Sales Resume
- Best Executive Resume
- Best High Tech Resume
Each year a selection of contests from around the world submits their best work in a category. Then CDI (Careers Directors International) hosts this prestigious award and honour the winners. This is a chance to showcase the work we put in each resume that we write.
I have been nominated for the Best Difficult Transition Resume and Best Sales Resume. In the Difficult Transition category, I worked with a client that has been in the industry for a long time and then suddenly needed a major professional change.
The Best Difficult Transition Resume category covers any level of professional change that a client may be facing. This can include:
- Re-entering a profession that they haven’t worked in some time (10-20years)
- Overcoming significant gaps in their career transition
- Taking positions in a different field
- Simply targeting a quality-of-life change in the workplace, including lower-level positions than previously held.
The Best Sales Resume category covers top sales producers – after all they are worth their weight in gold. This can include any level of sales, business development, account management, customer service roles, or producting sales management to the executive level.
This year’s Best Difficult Transition Resume Nominees are:
Pam Foster – Career Stylr
Elle Holmes – Career Services by Elle
Marie Plett – Aspirations Career Services, Inc.
Amy Watt – www.CareerMarketingCentre.com & www.PoliceTestTutor.com
Tiffany Cruz – Power Writers USA
This year’s Best Sales Resume Nominees are:
Pam Foster – Career Stylr
Marie Plett – Aspirations Career Services, Inc.
Jheneal McDuffie – The Resume Chic & Co
Julio Mesa – Higher You LLC
Carolyn Whitfield – Total Resume
In 2021, 42% of TORI nominations are professional resume writers who have never been nominated before, including me. Two separate judges or panels select the nominees and winners. Those judging will review entries with no writer identifications, making it a fair field to everyone that has entered the competition.
Tips to have a resume that stands out:
- Avoid word repetition
- Maintain the same verb tense and voice throughout your resume
- Use personal branding if you have/possible
- Emphasise results and achievements
- Make sure it’s visually engaging
Writing the best resume for a client is always the goal, whether you are looking for a significant career change or not. These tips will get you started. However, investing in a resume writer to do an exceptional resume so you can stand out from everyone else applying for the job is a must.
Being nominated for an international award that has recognised the job I love to do is an incredible feeling of achievement. As much as I love what I do, my top priority is having the best result for my clients.
If you are ready to take your career to the next step, stop telling yourself you are not prepared, not good enough or worse, too busy. Take the chance so you don’t lose out on a fantastic opportunity to challenge yourself and grow. Surprise yourself and take the next step to land your dream career.
I’m so excited and delighted to be nominated for this year’s international TORI Awards. A big congratulations to all nominated this year, and good luck. The winners for each category will be announced in December. Stayed tuned for the big announcement here.
