You have made it so far! Your portfolio is almost complete! Hopefully, you are feeling a little less stressed about the NOTY portfolio process. This is the big week for EDITING, EDITING, and more EDITING. I cannot tell you enough how important editing is to the application process. You have until now spent hours writing, rewriting,
and then editing these documents.
This is what you have so far:
Section 1 Questionnaire- complete!
Section 2 Cover Letter – in draft form
Section 3 Education – complete!
Section 4 References – 3 people are ready to receive a phone call in February, 2021.
Section 5 Essays – in draft form
Section 6 Work History – in draft form
Section 7 Certificates and Documents – no more than 15 scanned in PDF form
Section 8 Publications and Presentations – no more than 5 scanned in PDF form
Section 9 Media Appearance and Awards – no more than 5 scanned in PDF form
Section 10 Letters of Recommendation – no more than 5 on their way or in your possession in PDF form
Section 11 Images – gathered in JPG form with parents’ permission to use
Section 12 Attestations – this is the last thing you will do
Many words have been written, erased, edited and spell checked. These words have been “seen” by you numerous times. Your brain might be completing sentences without even reading them on the paper or screen. This happens a lot with all the writing one does for the application process. There are probably things that have been missed, as you have been working on this for the past several weeks. This is where you want someone else that you know is good at editing to look at your paperwork.
Having others edit and review your portfolio is important as it could make or break your portfolio. Ask them to have it back to you within a few days.
Once you have had one or two people review your work, it is time to copy and paste it from the document you have written them on into the 2021 NOTY™ Digital Portfolio you will have access to through your INA member portal. Take it slow because you don’t want to accidentally miss copying something.
You will also need to mark “yes” to all the questions on Section 12 – Attestation. This should be the last thing you do.
Once that is complete, SAVE IT and then put it away for a few days. That is right, DON’T hit submit right away (unless you are at the deadline). Once you hit submit, there is no way to go back and change your answers. Save everything, then come back to it a few days later.
This is the nerve-racking part – hitting “Submit.” Are they really done? Are they complete? Did I answer every question the best way I could? Am I ready for this? You will ask yourself all these questions and more. But now is when it is time to trust in your process. If you followed our guidelines, asked questions when you needed to and did your best, rest assured all will be well. Remember that the deadline is January 25, 2021.
AND…………………………………………………………. SUBMIT!
Give yourself a little party and a pat on the back for all your hard work. You deserve it.
Please also be sure to prepare a digital headshot of yourself (no children or anyone else in the photo and on a plain background if possible) that is professional and of high digital quality. We will be asking for this soon as it will be needed for our social media announcements.
For many of our previous NOTY™ Nominees, having a physical copy of their portfolio was important. Feel free to create one and have it printed. It might be a great keepsake to remember all the hard work you have done.
Once your portfolio is submitted, INA will be reaching out to you to schedule your NOTY™ Interview and starting the evaluation process. This Interview will be conducted via zoom and will be recorded. The Evaluation takes 2 phases. The first is worth 70% and is a blind evaluation. The 2nd phase consists of your NOTY™ Interview and other identifiable information given.
Good Luck!