It's that time of year again! We're searching again for the best of the best electricians in the country, and as in year's past, we will be rewarding them with some pretty amazing prizes!
Over the years, we've received some stand-out nominations for our annual Electrician of the Year search. People like our 1st winner, Billy Teaford and last year's winner, Joey Hall.
We also receive quite a few nominations that were good...but left us wanting more.
I want you to be able to submit a nomination that really blows us away, so I've written up some tips, if you will, for writing a stand-out nomination.
- Be Specific: We receive hundreds of nominations for Electrician of the Year and the ones that stand out respond to each of the three criteria with specifics. This is your opportunity to brag on yourself a little, so go for it!
- For Professional Achievement: Tell us about awards you have won and also why you won them. Tell us about solutions you've provided on the job to get a project done faster, more efficiently, or for less money. Did you have someone complement or praise your work? What did they say?
- For Safety Excellence: Are you known as the main safety person on your jobsite? Taken a lot of safety training courses? Headed off a major safety issue that was discovered on the job? Let us know!
- For Community Dedication: This is a perfect place for some specifics. Did you raise a huge amount of money for your favorite charity? Tell us how! Did you use your electrical skills to help in the wake of a natural disaster, or help those in need in your community? Tell us specifically what you did or still do to help! Did you coach a little league team to the championship? Do you help teach young kids or teenagers about the trade? We want to know about all of it!
- Tell us about YOU: While we want you to be specific about your career accomplishments, we also want to know specifics about you, the person. We want to know how you became an electrician, what makes you love the job so much, why is safety important to you, what is it that drives you to be involved in the community, and what you do for fun? What drives you, motivates you, and brings you joy?
- Include Pictures: You know that saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words?" That is definitely true in this case. Do you have work that an OSHA inspector would be amazed by? Show us! Did you help construct a community center, host a car show fundraiser for your church, or coach a talented little league team. Etc.? We'd love to see it!
- Have Someone Else Nominate You: We can be our own worst critics, so while it's totally fine to nominate yourself, you might want to consider asking someone else to write a nomination for you. In fact, our two Electricians of the Year were nominated by their children. And many of our regional finalists were also nominated by siblings, spouses, and co-workers. It may be awkward to ask, but they may be the best person to sing your praises. Think of it like asking a colleague for a letter of recommendation.
- Get Your Nomination in on Time (the earlier the better!): This may seem like a really obvious one, but in past years we've seen a mad dash of nomination submissions the last day of the nomination period. While we certainly want you to spend some time writing these up, we also don't want you to rush at the last minute to get something in. Nominations are open now and will close August 7th at 11:59pm CST.
To submit a nomination or to learn more about the 2016 Electrician of the Year search, go to www.kleintools.com/eoy.