2012 Competition Nominees and Winners

Each year, CDI hosts the resume writing industry's most prestigious Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) resume writing competition.

As with 2011, the competition continues to really heat up with some of the most extraordinarily crafted resumes our judges have had the pleasure of reviewing. The entries again demonstrated outstanding quality, creativity, and writing skills.

In two categories there were virtually unbreakable ties for fifth place. So, to be fair to those entries, we have six nominees in the Cover Letter and Sales & Marketing categories. 

To be nominated or to win amongst the high quality demonstrated by your peers is truly a great honor and achievement.

* Please keep in mind that our nominees and winners span the globe and may not always reflect a US format, wording, or content selection. Winning resumes and letters may have been formatted in international A4 size, so they may appear differently when you view them.

*About TORI resumes and ATS systems.

2012 TORI Nominees and Winners:

Best International Resume

Victoria McLean, City CV Ltd.

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers

Kimberley Bethke, Surcorp Group/Resume Solutions

Amanda Andrews, Professional Resume Services

Gayle Howard, Top Margin Career Marketing

Winners:

- 1st Place - Kimberley Bethke

- 2nd Place - Barbara Safani

- 3rd Place - Gayle Howard

Best New Graduate Resume

Adrienne Tom, Career Impressions
Brenda Bernstein, The Essay Expert LLC

Kornelia Telesz, Surcorp Group/Resume Solutions

Victoria McLean, City CV Ltd.
Jennifer Rushton, Keraijen

Winners:

- 1st Place - Kornelia Telesz

- 2nd Place - Adrienne Tom

- 3rd Place - Brenda Bernstein

Best Creative Resume

Tina Nicolai, Resume Writers' Ink, LLC®

Cheryl Simpson, Executive Resume Rescue

Kristin Johnson, Profession Direction
Patricia Duckers, Prism Writing Services, LLC/CareerPro Global, Inc.

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers

Winners:

- 1st Place - Cheryl Simpson

- 2nd Place - Kristin Johnson

- 3rd Place - Barbara Safani

Best Re-entry Resume

Brenda Bernstein, The Essay Expert LLC

Kimberley Bethke, Surcorp Group/Resume Solutions

Wayne Pagani, W.P. Consulting & Associates

Surranna Sandy, Surcorp Group/Resume Solutions

Amanda Andrews, Professional Resume Services

Winners:

- 1st Place - Kimberley Bethke

- 2nd Place - Amanda Andrews

- 3rd Place - Wayne Pagani

Best Technical Resume

Roland Coombes, Itouch Professional Resume Writing

Sandra Ingemansen, Emprove Performance Group, LLC

Alexander Kofman, Resume Pros 4 Less

Surranna Sandy, Surcorp Group/Resume Solutions

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers

Winners:

- 1st Place - Sandra Ingemansen

- 2nd Place - Surranna Sandy

- 3rd Place - Barbara Safani

Best Executive Resume

Surranna Sandy, Surcorp Group/Resume Solutions

Amy L. Adler, Five Strengths Career Transition Experts

Sandra Ingemansen, Emprove Performance Group, LLC

Jennifer Rushton, Keraijen

Donald Burns, Donald Burns’ Career Defense

Winners:

- 1st Place - Amy L. Adler

- 2nd Place - Surranna Sandy

- 3rd Place - Donald Burns

Best Sales and Marketing Resume

Laurie Berenson, Sterling Career Concepts, LLC
Kimberly Mohiuddin, Movin' On Up Resumes

Jennifer Rushton, Keraijen
Sharon Williams, JobRockit

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers

Donald Burns, Donald Burns’ Career Defense

Winners:

- 1st Place - Donald Burns

- 2nd Place - Sharon Williams

- 3rd Place - Barbara Safani

Best Military Conversion Resume

Amanda Andrews, Professional Resume Services

Alexander Kofman, Resume Pros 4 Less

Fran Sheridan, CareerPro Global/21st Century Resumes
Sandra Ingemansen, Resume Strategies

Diana Dryden Smith, Federal Resume Resources

Winners:

- 1st Place - Sandra Ingemansen

- 2nd Place - Fran Sheridan

- 3rd Place - Amanda Andrews

Best Cover Letter

Kimberly Mohiuddin, Movin' On Up Resumes

Wayne Pagani, W.P. Consulting & Associates

Gayle Howard, Top Margin Career Marketing

Kevin R. Morris, CareerMobile

Donald Burns, Donald Burns’ Career Defense

Sandra Ingemansen, Emprove Performance Group, LLC

Winners:

- 1st Place - Donald Burns

- 2nd Place - Kevin R. Morris

- 3rd Place - Sandra Ingemansen

Learn more about the TORIs. Members can also login for details on entry.

Special thanks to our judges, Awards committee members, and Director of Awards for their efforts. 

Director of the TORI Awards:

Robin Schlinger, Robin's Resumes

Judges:

Barb Poole, Hire Imaging, LLC

Darlene Dassy, Dynamic Résumé Solutions

Laura Labovich, Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group

Annemarie Cross, Advanced Employment Concepts

Jill Kelly, Career Edge

Susan Guarneri, AssessmentGoddess.com

Michael Kranes, Resume Slayer

Audrey Prenzel, Resume Resources

Judges will be recognized with special logos and certificates.

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TORI Resumes and ATS Systems

TORI Resumes are networking resumes, which are used for job seekers in networking their way into jobs. Networking is the method in which over 60% of all job opportunities are found.

A scannable resume or an ATS resume, meant for automated tracking systems, is needed when a job applicant is applying online or when that type of resume is requested. Professional resume writers will advise their clients to first have a visual resume -- one that combines visual impact, spacial segmentation of content for readability, and strategic branding to tease out the job seeker's unique value. To complement this resume, a scannable version is always needed. Depending on the method of job search this may be an ATS resume which is customized for each position or it might simply be an ASCII resume. Both of these require dumbing down the format by stripping out the elements that make it friendly for a human while ensuring the key words are needed to match the job ad.

When opportunities emerge for a job seeker where there is limited certainty on what version to use, it is a good idea to send both. A simple line in the cover letter stating, "For your convenience I have also included an ATS-friendly resume" will suffice.