TORI FAQs
Q. Why should I enter the TORI competition?
A. Winning a TORI Award, or “Toast of the Resume Industry Award” is the highest honor that a resume writer can receive. Not only will winners as well as nominees have the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise, they will also gain a powerful publicity and marketing tool.
Since winning a TORI is newsworthy and demonstrates credibility to consumers, the opportunities for benefiting from winning a TORI award are immense. Winners gain respect from your peers, trust from your clients and a truly gorgeous award for your office.
Q. What is the deadline for entering the contest?
A. The registration deadline to receive entry instructions is by Thursday, July 20, 2023. Once registered, you have extra time to submit your entries. The entry submission deadline for those already registered is Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 5 PM Eastern / 2 PM Pacific.
Q. How many categories can I enter?
A. You can enter as many categories as you wish, but make sure to only enter a single resume in one category, not multiple. There are ten (10) possible categories in 2021.
Q. Why are some categories listed twice, like Best Classic Executive Resume and Best Executive Resume?
New for 2021, we are seeking to embrace both styles of winning resume styles:
Best Executive Resume: Graphically-enhanced, visually dynamic networking resume.
Best Classic Executive Resume: Light design resume that is still visually distinctive but lacks the over-the-top design of what the TORIs have evolved to become. Return to the TORI page for do's and don'ts as well as example resumes.
Q. Can I enter both a classic and regular category?
To make this an easy transition, we created classic categories to run right beside their graphic TORI counterpart categories. So for instance, if you have a more classic executive resume, you can enter it into the Best Classic Executive Resume category. Then, if you have been upping your skills to play in the regular high-graphics TORIs, you can enter that different, graphically-enhanced resume in the Best Executive Resume category.
So, you can enter both the classic and regular, but each must be with a unique resume. You cannot, and would not want to, enter the same resume in both the classic and regular categories.
Q. How are the submissions scored to determine nomination, winner, or disqualification?
A. The judging panels are made up of certified resume writers, members of CDI’s resume certification committee, TORI winners, and CDI Board members. Because of the volume of entries not all judges evaluate all categories, but they are split.
Judges perform anonymous reviews (they do not know your identity) to select the nominees and then to select the winners from those nominees.
The criteria is excellence, consistency in formatting throughout the document, benchmark of past TORI winners in the category, and an emphasis on including key words; unique selling propositions and brands; challenges, actions, and results statements; visual distinction; and dynamic and engaging wording as appropriate for the candidate and his/her industry.
CDI will not call a resume with errors in it a winner. Therefore, typos, run-on sentences, and errors/inconsistencies in grammar and punctuation can cause a resume to be disqualified.
Q. What exactly is the Candidate Summary?
A. This is a short or long synopsis / explanation of why the submission (resume, cover letter, web portfolio, web resume) was created the way it was. It should tell the judges why you performed any out-of-the-ordinary processes, if you used different spelling for a different country, etc.
The writer should not assume that the judges will intuitively grasp certain factors, but should spell them out clearly. The summary is really in the best interest of the writer since it allows him or her to convey and explain stylist choices.
For Example:
This quality assurance engineer presented a real challenge in that he had not worked since 1989 after a serious stroke. He is now seeking part-time and contract work in the field, and needed to be able to show what he can offer without emphasizing the big gap or the reason for the gap. Since he had some very notable positions and employers, I chose to list each one in a chronological list at the top of the professional experience section, but instead of dates, I listed years employed. I did this to gather interest and show credibility.
I then provided categorized highlights of his experience in a functional style since there was considerable repetition. Next came education without dates (since most of it was in the 1950’s and would date him).
Finally I listed a brief, four-line work history. The same as what I listed first under the employment section, but this time I did two things differently. First, I added a new first line for employment hiatus, which covered the time he was recovering. I felt that if we got them this far into the document, they are probably at least convinced enough about him to give him an interview and ask him what he was doing for those years. The other thing I did was to remove total years at each job and replace that with dates. I typically would not have gone back as far as 1974, but I felt it would look funny if I only had dates on one job (1982 to 1989) besides the hiatus, so I took it back to the prior position starting in 1974. As you can see, I lumped the two prior positions together with the statement “details available” instead of including dates. This let me keep the early experience without having to go back to 1962.
Q. Can more than one person, such as a team of writers, enter together with a resume?
A. The TORI awards are for INDIVIDUALS, not groups or companies. You may represent that you worked for a given company to us, and CDI will list the company name on the citation on the website IF you are nominated for or win a TORI award. However, only one person will be cited as the winner of the award.
Q. What if I just want to get help from a third party on my design or proofreading?
A. TORI entries must be created solely through your own efforts and the input of your client. However, utilizing a third-person proofreader is acceptable.
Q. What if I already entered and now realize I did something wrong?
A. As long as it is by Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 5 PM Eastern / 2 PM Pacific time, you can re-submit your entries.
Q. When will winners be announced?
A. Nominees are typically announced by the end of October. Winners are then announced Nov-Dec.
Q. Why is there a fee for entering submissions?
A. Outside of volunteer judging, CDI staff expends extensive time in administering and managing the competition coupled with a high cost of packaging and shipping nomination certificates, winner certificates, and award medals worldwide. As a courtesy, we offer a volume discount on category purchases. Thousands of dollars less than any other marketing or advertising venture, winning or being nominated for a TORI is recognized as the least expensive way to grow your business!
Q. Why is it possible that every category may not have a winner?
A. In the 23 years the competition has run, no categories have been cancelled due to this situation, so this is highly doubtful to ever happen. When we say it has to be the best resumes or cover letters to win a first, second, and third place award, we mean it not only has to be the best in the category but also representative of the best of the best in the industry. Due to the fact that submissions will be processed and judged, a refund is not available for disqualified resumes or categories cancelled due to all submissions being disqualified.
Q. Are refunds ever available for entries?
A. In the 23 years the competition has run, the competition has never been cancelled and no category has ever had insufficient entries to be judged, so this is highly doubtful to ever happen. Refunds are only available if (1) the TORI program is cancelled for the year by CDI, or (2) insufficient entries are received in a category for selecting nominees and a winner. Refunds are NOT provided on categories that are cancelled due to entries not meeting quality standards for the TORIs.
Q. How do I submit my TORI entry fee?
A. You must pay for each of your TORI entries in order to receive complete entry instructions. The deadline for initial registration or at least one category is by Thursday, July 20, 2023. Please pay online on the TORI page.
If you have already registered and wish to purchase more categories, go to the same link and scroll down to the orange box at the bottom. You can purchase up to ten (10) categories by the entry submission deadline of Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 5 PM Eastern / 2 PM Pacific.
Q. What if I still have questions about the TORI Awards?
A. You can submit your questions to info@nullcareerdirectors.com.
Q. Can I see other winning resumes to get a sense of the quality?
A. Absolutely, go to the winner's page.
Q. If I win or am nominated, can I display the logos on my website or blog?
Yes you can use them in that way as well as in any print or online marketing. We do ask as a courtesy that winners and nominees consider linking their logos back to the CDI website (home page, winner's page, or contest page), but we no longer make this a requirement.
Logos are to be used as provided and dictated by CDI. Editing, tampering with, or using a logo without permission will result in revocation of the award. Depending on the scope of the infraction, further actions may be taken by CDI including legal action and/or revocation of membership.