Iknowho Know How; writing a finalist worthy award entry

Award entries are the bane of most companies life. The accolades (and let’s face it, the party) are fantastic but it’s a lot of work to get there, and that’s after all the hard work to even believe you are eligible!

Last year iknowho was the Founding Sponsor of the AdNews People & Culture Award at the Agency of the Year Awards. Our Director, Dene was a judge and has since been asked a number of times “what makes a great entry stand out”. There are a couple of components to the answer for this question;

Content is King! You need to have the goods
Structure & Quality Writing

We have also been active in the Recruitment Industry awards recently and have had to face the task ourselves. We have a small but successful strike rate over the last 12 months with 3 awards entered and 3 finalists positions announced!

I thought you might find these insights into how we go about writing an eye-catching entry interesting!

Here are our top 5 tips for writing a stellar award entry;

Focus on Content

We started by looking at the award categories over 12 months ago to see what the criteria were to be considered. For the award categories that felt right for us, that amplified our brand and offering rather than provided the opportunity of award win for the sake of it, we decided to focus our efforts on building best practice with initiatives we already had in place and introducing new ones. We created our content with a purpose.

Prepare

Knowing the criteria is essential, then assessing, and being honest with yourself. Do you have what it takes to win? Are you able to address the criteria and provide measurable results? Take a step back and look at your business critically. If you don’t feel like you are there just yet, wait until you have had more focus on the development. Better to delay entry by a year to get it right!

Be Smart

Writing a good award entry takes longer than you think so start working on it straight away! Put your plan together, brainstorm what to include and then start putting details together and compiling the evidence. Gather feedback from independent sources to ensure you are being objective.

Write, read, break, re-read then repeat the cycle! Until you are happy with the final product keep going through this cycle. It is also great to have another set of eyes over the submission as they can provide a fresh perspective and additional ideas, as well as spotting any mistakes. There is nothing worse for a judge than reading an entry with mistakes and sloppy attention to detail.

Be Mindful

Be careful with interpreting the questions; re-read before answering, it’s important that you are answering the question in the right way!

Ask yourself to justify your content? Does this answer the question? Why is this important? Why would the judges care? How am I proving this information? Does this bring the information to life? Does this truly represent our brand?

Word count - it is very important to watch your word count and adhered to the guidelines or rules, it would be awful after all your hard work to be disqualified on a technicality.

Be Positive

Remember to stand out you need to be passionate and believe in what you are submitting, if you believe it then that will come across. Bring your passion and personality to the forefront, make sure your business and brand shine. If the entry guidelines allow for additional material, such as video or testimonials work out how you can utilise these to bring the entry to life.

Who are you as a brand? What is your value? What have you done to stand out in the industry? What is your message? And most importantly why should you win?

Keep all of this in mind throughout your preparation and keep asking yourself these, and be honest and truthful.

Be Professional

Keep a strong sense of your companies personality whilst keeping it professional. Remove colloquial words and terms unless they add value and understanding, be diligent with your spell check - you can use an online tool https://www.grammarly.com/ which helps not only with spelling but also your grammar. Check, check and triple check.

Be Straightforward

You may have some awesome initiatives within the business but can you demonstrate how these have provided the results you were looking for? Do you have measurements from prior to the initiative commencing and post?

Now this is one of my favourite parts of writing an award submission - STATISTICS and evidence. It’s great that you can talk about what you have put in place, now prove it - testimonials, statistics from surveys or CRM database, ROI. For every point you are making there should be proof. This is why sometimes you need to wait a year, put your groundwork in and then demonstrate the results of the changes you have made.

We wish you all the best of luck for any awards you decide to enter, remember to have fun with it too! Celebrating your successes is important in every business – even if you don’t win, the process can highlight the great work you are doing.

iknowho was a finalist for the RCSA Awards for Excellence in Candidate Care and have recently been announced as finalists in the Seek Annual Recruitment Awards (SARA) in the categories of Small Agency of the Year & Excellent in Candidate Engagement

With the SARA’s being announced on 16th November, keep your fingers crossed for the iknowho team and watch this space for hopefully more award news from us!!

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Sunny days ahead!

By Kristina Gerdov • 11 Apr, 2024

When 72andSunny asked us to help them recruit a new Client Services Director to spearhead their next stage of growth, iknowho Lead Talent Partner Sheryn Small got to doing what she does best.

Top Tips for Successful Onboarding

By Kahli Fenn • 27 Mar, 2024

Did you know that approximately 80% of people that start in a role will make the decision of whether they will leave in the first few months?Yikes! Talk about pressure to get it right. It’s like they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So let us help you stand out and set your employee up for success! Onboarding starts before the start date Let’s not make the mistake of thinking that once the contract is signed that the hardest part is over. What comes next is your chance to shine! 1 week before the start date - get in touch with your new recruit to say you’re looking forward to having them join the team. Include where, when, and who to ask for when they arrive. If you don’t have this detail yet, let them know that someone will get in touch a few days before to set them at ease that it’s all organised and under control. Develop a structured induction program and block time in diaries for those involved to ensure that all colleagues have this time allocated and can plan ahead. 1 day before the start date - send them a text message. A simple “Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!” can help new starters feel welcome and will calm any first day jitters. Ensure you have all tech ready to go, including computer passwords, logins, swipe cards etc. It’s a good idea to have IT on standby too as some sort of technical issue is bound to come up. 2. The first day Ever started a new role and looked around to realise it’s a ghost town? Not a great look. Plan to have them start on a day where the majority of people are working from the office rather than from home - we know that culture is key for marketers, so make sure they experience it at its best from day 1. Energy and vibe play a big part in this. Welcome pack. Include a “surprise and delight” when they first sit down at their desk. This could be a mixture of company branded items (like notebook and pens) to a handwritten card or note from them team welcoming them. You may also like to include some added details like the best places for lunch or coffee in the area. Think about your employer brand and tone of voice and what kind of welcome would best represent your style, after all, that’s what the candidate has bought into. I once started a new role and had 3 x coffee vouchers for the best café around the corner, it’s the little and thoughtful things that leave a lasting impression. Assign them a buddy - usually a colleague in a similar role that they can shadow and ask any questions about process, systems or where the bathrooms are! The line manager may not always be available so having this person helps them feel welcomed, supported and part of a community from the get-go. 3. Employee retention How you engage in the first few months is crucial to employee retention. Just as much as it’s time for the candidate to showcase why you hired them, it’s also time for you to deliver on what you discussed in the interview process too e.g. company culture, values, management style. It’s important to set your employee up for success by setting time-bound expectations and objectives, ensuring you’re both on the same page. Breaking these down by month and structuring regular catch-ups to discuss feedback are a great way to have open conversations around performance. E.g. Expectations from months 1-3 vs 3-6. In the first month, we recommend a daily more casual check-in for junior candidates and at least weekly for more senior candidates. Having these diarised, even if short meetings, are essential to allowing open discussion and ensuring everything in on track. We know finding the right person for the role takes time, money and effort, so ensuring you have a solid onboarding process in place is a crucial element to a successful hire. By investing in a well thought out and purposeful process that reflects your employer brand, you are not only investing in your new employees but also in the long-term success of the company. As your recruitment partner, we’re here to support onboarding new hires into your business to help you get the best outcome. Keen to chat on how we can do that for you? Reach out to one of our Talent Partners to discuss.

the word freelance is written in scrabble tiles next to a keyboard

Could a freelancer be the gift your team needs?

By Christine Gilbert • 29 Nov, 2023

At iknowho we understand how busy both agency and in-house marketing teams are in the lead up to Christmas. There are many benefits of using short term freelancers, so let’s explore how they can be a valuable addition to your team through the busy Christmas / New Year period. Short term freelancers offer your team: Flexibility Short term freelancers are available and can usually start within a week. Whether you need a specialist for a short-term campaign or additional support during busy periods, freelancers offer the flexibility and agility needed to meet rapidly changing workloads & high project timelines. They give you the flexibility to hire talent on-demand without the commitment of a long term employment contract (and using our payroll services can help you get around head count issues too!). The skills you need You know the exact projects a short term freelancer will work on, allowing you to hire someone with the specific experience / skills needed complete the tasks at hand. Diverse Experience & Energy Many agency suits and marketers build a career through freelancing. Their diverse experience working with different businesses results in freelancers having a fresh perspective & injecting fresh energy into the team. Competitive Rates iknowho freelancers are paid a day rate which includes a loading for leave entitlements. There are no upfront fees, you only pay for the days they work. And we can also offer payroll services if needed. Download our salary guide for day rate equivalents, or use our day rate calculator here . They hit the ground running With experience in similar positions, freelancers join your team with a fresh perspective and focus on delivering specific tasks. Their ability to hit the ground running and work independently also frees up your time! Although permanent hiring traditionally slows down this time of year, the use of short term freelancers usually picks up. Our clients commonly use short term freelancers to: Deliver high volume work in a short timeframe Cover staff holidays Get around head count freezes Manage ad hoc projects outside their teams’ usual scope of work or current capabilities So, whether you are looking for an AM with integrated experience, a SAM with CRM and social skills, an integrated campaign manager, digital marketer, or even a more senior suit to support team leadership and manage senior clients? We’ve got you covered! Reach out to one of our experienced Talent Partners to discuss your needs today.