The online entry form is just the basic data. The real meat of the entry is your reason for the nomination—that tells the judges why the nominee should be picked as a 40 Under 40 superstar. So, get started gathering that information now!
Here are some tips that should help you prepare the best possible personal statement: First of all, make sure your DATE OF BIRTH, AGE AT TIME OF ENTRY, and your FIRM'S NAME are clearly stated at the top of the first page of your written statement. Make your statement readable, but feel free to include yellow highlight, bold face, CAPITALIZATION, or even arrows -------> to point judges to the important stuff in your entry. Keep it short and sweet—no more than 1,000 words in length.
1. Entries are judged on several key factors:
• Career development
• Education attainment
• Service to professional organizations
• Community service
• Other evidence of exemplary professional or personal development
2. CAREER DEVELOPMENT: You must show the growth of the nominees skills, responsibility, and success in their chosen profession: how fast they moved up the career ladder, how they took on increasing responsibility, how well they did in handling increasingly responsible roles. We're looking for a clear sense of growth and development in their professional work. BE SPECIFIC! If they were on the team that built the first net-zero building their firm was involved in, tell what their specific role and responsibilities were: Were they in charge? What title did they have on the job? How did their involvement make the difference?
3. EDUCATION: While formal education is not always a reliable indicator of career growth—everyone knows that Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard—the judges need to know how far the nominee has gone in their education and how it contributed to their overall career development. Did they earn an advanced degree at night while working a full-time job? Did they go back to get advanced training—like a CDT or EDAC or some other professional designation? Note: Nominees who are professional educators will need to emphasize their education credentials more fully than non-academic applicants.
4. SERVICE TO PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: How involved are they in thier professional organization(s)? Are they more than "a member of ..."? Did they chair a key committee? Run an education event for the society? Serve on the board? As before, BE SPECIFIC: How did their involvement produce results: how much money they helped raise for scholarships, how many course hours they taught for their association's continuing education program, how their efforts led to a new (and successful) program for the membership society. Wherever possible, supply quantifiable data to make your case.
5. COMMUNITY SERVICE: As with #4, BE SPECIFIC! Habitat for Humanity? How many days/year? How many houses did they help build, over what time period? What roles/titles did they assume in the community work? Were they President of the church board? Involved in ACE? What specifically did they do? Being a member of their firm's CANstruction team is one thing; devoting a year's volunteer work to chair an important committee for their college alma mater is another. Do they teach technical courses at a community college? How are they "giving back"?