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THE ONLY NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR PROFESSIONAL RÉSUMÉ WRITERS

Recognizing Outstanding Achievement in Résumés (ROAR) Annual Competition

Below are details on the 2023 ROAR Competition. 

 Click here to see the winners from 2023 and years prior. 

The 2023 ROAR Competition is now closed. 

NRWA ROAR Award - Recognizing Outstanding Achievement in Resumes

Registration closed at midnight, ET, August 1, 2023.

Click here to see past ROAR Award Winners and their winning submissions!

Sara Timm, ROAR Award Winner“I cannot stress how positive of an experience winning a ROAR Award has been for me. I was honored to win such a prestigious award from the world's only nonprofit, member-driven, resume writers' organization. I debated on entering for a couple of years and decided last year I would go for it, and I’m so glad I did. The response from the membership and my peers was inspiring. Winning this award boosted my confidence and credibility and afforded me many opportunities to advance my career goals. I recently launched another business in my new home state of Colorado. Most importantly to me, this award is a testament to the commitment to best resume writing practices and training programs offered through the NRWA.”

Sara Timm, Colorado Resume and DFW Resume
ROAR Winner, 2021

Earn recognition for your creativity, exceptional writing skills, and mastery of resume standards by entering the 9th Annual Recognizing Outstanding Achievement in Resumes (ROAR) competition now!

Submissions deadline is Tuesday, August 1.

Launched in 2015, the ROAR awards celebrate exceptional writing and creativity in resume writing. Each year, NRWA members submit their finest work for consideration across a variety of relevant categories, building upon ROAR's reputation as an industry standard for excellence.

In addition to the honor of being acknowledged as the "best of the best" in resume writing, this year's ROAR competition winners will receive:

  • One-year membership renewal in the NRWA for each winning entry (maximum of two years).
  • Formal recognition at the 2023 Conference in Colorado Springs!
  • Promotional exposure through the NRWA newsletter, website, national press release, and social media.
  • Exclusive ROAR Competition Badge to display on websites, in email signature blocks, LinkedIn profiles, advertisements, and other business marketing and  promotional materials.

How to Submit a Resume to the ROAR competition:

  • Entries must be submitted in PDF format and an original Word document.
  • Only one submission per category is allowed for each contestant.
  • Each entry must be one continuous document that includes the resume, followed by a page break, then a final page with a paragraph or two explaining your strategy for developing the resume. It is also helpful to include the original job description that the resume is targeting. (NOTE: If you do not have the original job description you used to target this resume, you may include an equivalent job listing - i.e. same job title, same industry).
  • Client names, contact information, company name, and optional description must be fictionalized.
  • If submitting multiple resume entries, be sure each has a different fictionalized name.
  • Entry file names must be in the following format:
  • “ROAR2023_CategoryCode_WriterLastName_WriterFirstName_ClientFirstName_ClientLastName.PDF”
  • “ROAR2023_CategoryCode_WriterLastName_WriterFirstName_ClientFirstName_ClientLastName.docx”

Example: ROAR2023_EXEC_Doe_Jane_Mickey_Mouse.pdf AND ROAR2023_EXEC_Doe_Jane_Mickey_Mouse.docx


By submitting entries to this contest, you agree to the following rules:

  • Contestants must be NRWA members in good standing.
  • Each contestant may enter one resume per category.
  • Resume submissions must represent the work of the contestant. A business owner may not submit a resume on behalf of an employee or subcontracted writer. The writer must submit the resume in their name. In addition, any resumes found to contain plagiarized content will be disqualified from the competition.
  • Winning resume submissions will be published at the discretion of the NRWA. They may appear on our website and social media accounts, and on display at the 2023 NRWA Annual Conference.
  • Decisions of the judging committee will be final.
  • Submissions received after midnight, ET, August 1, 2023 will not be accepted.

Submission Instructions

  • Submit entries, with payment, via the website registration form. Cost for each submission is $25.
  • If a technical issue should impede your registration, please contact adminmanager@thenrwa.org
  • Failure to comply with any of the submission instructions will automatically disqualify the submission.

Categories:

  • New Graduate/Entry-Level (Category Code: NEW)
  • Professional (Category Code: PROF)
  • Mid-Level Manager (Category Code: MM)
  • Executive (Category Code: EXEC)
  • Transition/Military/Return to Work (Category Code: TRA)

Judging Criteria

Each entry will be “blind-judged” (contestants' names and   identities are removed prior to judging) and assigned a point value based on the following criteria:

  • Positioning, strategy, and creativity (15 points) *
  • Layout, design/format, and readability by the human reader and the ATS reader (20 points)*
  • Keyword optimization for the target (15 points) *
  • Technical writing accuracy and grammar (30 points) *
  • Value focus with specific accomplishments (20 points) *

Resumes receiving a cumulative score of 85 or higher will be considered for an award.

Each entrant may submit a maximum of one (1) resume in each ROAR award category and may not win in more than one (1) category per year. In the event that a single entrant earns sufficient scores to be considered for an award in more than one category in the same year, the judging committee will ensure each entrant wins only once per year, using established tabulation procedures.


*Refer to The NCRW Study Guide for resume-writing concepts and best practices
and The Gregg Reference Manual for grammar/composition rules.

The National Résumé Writers' Association
North Grove Corporate Park, 8120 Lehigh Ave
Morton Grove, IL 60053

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