How to Win an Admin Award
Whether you’re nominating an Administrative Professional for the first time or are nominating a previous year’s finalist hoping they take the stage this year, check out these five tips on how to craft a winning Admin Awards nomination and increase your Nominee’s chance of advancing in the competition. The key is to be very specific and thorough as the only information the judges have to go off of is your written nomination.
To view a sampling of winning nominations click HERE.
First, start with an extraordinary Administrative Professional.
That is the first critical step towards creating a winning nomination. By identifying Admin that exemplify excellence, are invaluable to your organization and that you can’t imagine your life without, you’ll be more likely to craft a winning nomination. Sincere enthusiasm and appreciation come through loud and clear to judges during the evaluation process. Two-liners such as “Jane is great! We enjoy working with her.” Eh, not so much.
Direct supervisors really need to participate.
It’s not uncommon for companies to submit several nominations in support of their Nominee, but it’s critical that the Admin’s direct Supervisor(s) also provides a written nomination if the candidate is likely to advance. Judges put more weight on nominations provided by people with direct involvement with the Administrative Professional versus non-supervisors, especially if it’s the sole nomination.
Be specific, be specific, be specific.
Nominations that include specific anecdotes, examples of awesome-ness, and statements that can quantify the impact an Admin has had on the business are more impressive than vague generalities. Details are key. Remember, all the judges have to go on when evaluating your nominee are the written nominations. Be thorough and detailed. Nominations that go on to become Finalist and Winners have on average, 700-900 word count nominations.
You can do this, or you can do that.
People often ask us if it’s better for a company to compile nominations and submit one big one, or if it’s better that individuals nominate on their own. Either way is perfectly fine. If you compile, be sure to include names and titles of folks next to their contribution in the big nomination so judges can see who’s saying what. The key is to encourage ALL nominators to take the time to provide a thorough, heartfelt nomination. Quality over quantity, always. One amazingly detailed powerful nomination by one direct supervisor can absolutely out-perform several lightweight nominations by the supervisor and non-supervisors nominating the Admin.
Rally support internally and externally.
Don’t hesitate to encourage clients and vendors to also contribute to your Admin’s nomination. Admins are known to have an incredible impact not only internally, but also externally. Feel free to invite folks outside of the organization to also contribute to the Admin’s nomination but again, remind them that a heartfelt, thorough nomination is key to advancing in the competition. Anyone that’s been positively impacted by the work of a deserving Administrative Professional is eligible to nominate!
