APSCo’s annual awards showcase the work of brilliant recruitment companies throughout the UK, and are recognised across the professional recruitment sector as a badge of high quality and outstanding service.
We know that the past year has been challenging for many sectors, however, growth isn’t the only indicator of success and this should not stop you submitting an entry, even if your business hasn’t performed as you’d hoped in the last 12 months. Our judges will be evaluating each entry, focusing on exceptional business management, and leadership, and excellence in recruitment delivery, not on financial performance alone.
To make the process as smooth as possible the APSCo team has compiled 12 handy hints and tips to put you on the path to success. You can also read more about the Awards criteria and categories here.
1. Read and properly understand the award criteria – judges will use these to assess your entry.
2. We use an online portal, so you can’t go over your word count – however do make sure you know the maximum words allowed and plan your responses accordingly.
3. Avoid flowery language – it uses up your word count and doesn’t usually provide the evidence the judges need to see.
4. Make sure you back up any statements with data or other evidence. For example, rather than saying “staff retention is great”, say “the staff retention rate is 96% in the last 12 months”.
5. Try not to copy from your website or other marketing collateral – that’s written for a different purpose and will more than likely not be straight to the point or provide the evidence or data the judges require.
6. Bullets can work really well for award entries, because they lend themselves to getting across information, and could stop you from using too much prose.
7. Always include the supporting documentation asked for – and feel free to include other content that validates the points you’ve made. Signpost additional content in your entry wherever appropriate.
8. Make sure you answer the question asked. Focus on the message and information you want to get across.
9. Remember, if you are shortlisted you will have to answer questions from the judges on your entry, so don’t be tempted to exaggerate.
10. If you didn’t write the entry but are attending the face to face judging make sure you’ve read it thoroughly.
11. Consider carefully who should attend the face to face judging session – we would always recommend including a member of your senior team.
12. Finally, re-read your entry more than once, and don’t be afraid to make changes and make sure you get more than one person to do a final read-through – preferably include someone that hasn’t read it before.