Ten Recognitions Children's Authors Dream of Receiving
Book prizes and awards look good on your living room wall and help you sell your book. The following list fills you in on some of the best annual book prizes.
Newbery Medal
Sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Newbery Medal is awarded each year to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year by the Library Service to Children to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Coretta Scott King Book Award
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented each year to honor the authors and illustrators of outstanding books about the African-American experience written for children.
Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature is given each year to the best book written for teenage readers.
Belpré Medal
The Belpré Medal is awarded each year to the Latino or Latina author and illustrator whose work of children’s literature “best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience.”
Geisel Award
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is awarded each year by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of “the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.”
Stonewall Book Award
The Stonewall Book Award-Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award is awarded by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Round Table of the American Library Association. This award is presented each year to the author(s) of a book of “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.”
Sibert Medal
Each year, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is given to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of “the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year.”
ALA Quick Pick
The purpose of this honor is to highlight fiction and nonfiction books “aimed at encouraging reading among teens who dislike to read for whatever reason.”
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Being nominated for a state book award — especially the Texas Bluebonnet Award — can help an author sell tens of thousands of books. And you don’t even have to win; you just have to get on the master list.

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academic curriculum vitae resume
A resume format that includes a comprehensive biographical statement of three to ten pages. This resume format emphasizes professional qualifications and activities.

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accomplishment resume
A variation of the hybrid resume that includes qualifications and accomplishments.

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Americans with Disabilities Act; ADA
A document signed into law that makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against (or refuse to hire) a person simply because that person has one or more disabilities.

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applicant tracking system
A software application that helps a company recruit employees more efficiently. Includes features to post job openings online, screen resumes, acknowledge the receipt of resumes, and generate interview requests.

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behavior-based interview
A type of job interview in which candidates are asked what kinds of behaviors they have used in the past to handle certain situations and solve problems.

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blog
A Web-based journal that is written and updated by one or more blog writers, or bloggers. Today's more sophisticated versions read like media stories and columns.

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branding statement
A marketing tool for job seekers consisting of a brief statement that communicates who you are in the workplace; typically used in resumes and job interviews. Also sometimes called a branding brief.

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broadcast letters
Self-marketing letters that a job seeker sends to a large but carefully targeted list of potential employers. These letters are designed to uncover an opportunity in the hidden (unadvertised) job market.

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career management documents
A family of job letters that are self-marketing tools for people who want to be hired for the best jobs. Includes job ad reply letters, broadcast and prospecting letters, resume letters, follow-up letters, and e-mail cover notes.

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competency-based approach
A resume style that focuses on the skills and talents needed to be able to perform a particular task to a certain standard. Connects your behaviors with your accomplishments.

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core resume
A starting resume that you use as a base or template to spin off targeted versions of your resume (for specific positions) when you must move quickly.

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cover letter
A self-marketing document designed to sell yourself and get an interview for a specific job; typically accompanies a resume.

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credit histories; consumer reports
Reports that contain your payment history to creditors. These reports may also include names of previous employers, residential stability data, divorce information, and estimated prior earnings.

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directive interview
A type of job interview in which the interviewer maintains complete control and walks you through the discussion to uncover what he or she wants to know.

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EEOC
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is a U.S. federal agency that investigates discrimination complaints.

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e-mail cover note
An e-mail message that introduces a resume that you distribute online. Typically, a shortened and more informal version of a cover letter.

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e-resumes
Electronic resumes. Resumes that you distribute online.

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font
A complete character set comprised of a single size and typeface, such as 12-point Helvetica.

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font size
The height of the characters in a font set, measured in points, such as 10-point or 14-point. One point is equal to 1/72 of an inch.

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foundation skills
A skills language used in cover letters to communicate your expertise in fundamental job skills — includes basic skills, people skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities.

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functional resume
A resume format that focuses on portable skills or functional areas and ignores chronological order. This resume format works well for career changers, new graduates, ex-military personnel, work-history gaps, or special-issue problems.

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hybrid resume
A resume format that is a combination of the reverse chronological resume format and the functional resume format.

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instant messaging; IM
A real-time form of communication between two or more people online, who type messages back and forth in a window. Job seekers can attach resumes to messages.

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integrity test
A test administered by a potential employer during the interviewing process that rates honesty, responsibility, and reliability for the job.

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intellectual property
Work samples that you submit to a potential employer during the job interview process, such as portfolios, project materials, and proposals.

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international curriculum vitae resume
An excruciatingly detailed resume format used to apply for international jobs. This resume style is typically six to eight pages long and often uses the reverse chronological format.

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job ad reply letter
A letter that is written in reaction to a published job opening in print or online.

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job board
A Web site that posts general or specialized job listings, such as CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com.

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keyword resume
A resume format that places a profile of keywords at the top of a document. This resume format is not in common use today because current resume search databases can pick up keywords anywhere in a resume, not just at the beginning of a document.

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keywords
Internet search words (generally nouns and short phrases) that identify your qualifications. Employers use keywords to search and retrieve e-resumes in databases for available job positions.

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linear resume
A resume format that flows one line at a time and relates achievements, winning moves, and star points in short, quick spurts; designed to attract the eyes of busy readers.

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marketing pitch
A personal commercial that you create to sell yourself during a job search. A marketing pitch should be about one to two minutes long.

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nondirective interview
A type of job interview where the interviewer's questions tend to be broad and general so that you can elaborate and tell stories about yourself and your qualifications.

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OFCCP
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The OFCCP is an agency that tracks the diversity hiring record of those applying for positions with federal contractors.

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online executive bio
A short profile (about 200 words or less) that is placed on social networking sites and job boards to advance employment or business objectives. Includes keywords and a link to a full resume.

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online profile
A lengthy multi-link document that appears on Internet networking and career sites such as LinkedIn.com and VisualCV.com.

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online referral service
An e-mail job distribution method paid for by employers. This service helps you identify which of your contacts may know people at companies where you would like to work.

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online screening program
A form of pre-employment screening that verifies that you are a good fit for the position and that you haven’t lied about your background. May include online tests, assessment instruments, and questionnaires.

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patterned interview
A type of job interview (also called a structured interview) in which the interviewer works from a written list of questions asked of all candidates and writes down your responses.

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personality test
A test administered by a potential employer during the interviewing process that measures choice, preference, values, behavior, decisions, attitudes, and job-related interests.

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podcast
A digital audio or video file that is available for downloading from a Web site. Usually available in a series that is often packaged like a daily newscast or commentary.

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podcasting
The process of creating and distributing audio and video feeds over the Internet. To make a podcast, you need a computer, microphone, Internet access, and recording software.

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portfolio
A collection of work samples often delivered as part of the job interview process for those in fields such as design, graphics, photography, architecture, advertising, public relations, marketing, education, and contracting.

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professional resume
A resume format that emphasizes professional qualifications and activities and is typically three to five pages long. This format is essentially a shortened version of the academic curriculum vitae resume format.

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prospecting letters
Self-marketing letters that a job seeker sends to a relatively small and select number of potential employers. These letters are designed to uncover an opportunity in the hidden (unadvertised) job market.

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recruiter; headhunter
An employers’ personal shopper, tasked with going into the marketplace and bringing back the best qualified candidates for the thriftiest prices.

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resume blasting services
A service that advertises their willingness to save you time and trouble by blasting your resume to thousands of recruiters and hiring managers all over the Internet — for a fee. These services are generally not recommended due to privacy and identity theft concerns.

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resume letter
A self-marketing document that combines a cover letter with a resume (the resume is not a separate document). This type of letter is typically two pages long, but can be one page.

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reverse chronological resume
A resume format that includes employment history from the most recent jobs working backwards, showing dates for employers and educational institutions. This resume format works well for those with a steady career progression.

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screener
An employee (typically an administrative assistant or HR specialist) who monitors phone calls for a company when you call their main telephone line.

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screening interview
A first-cut job interview that is used to weed out all applicants except those who are best qualified for the position.

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selection interview
A job interview in which you meet with a supervisor, department head, or another person who has the authority to hire you.

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SEO
An acronym for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is a method of using technical and strategic maneuvers to increase the traffic driven by search engines to a Web site.

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serial interview
A type of job interview in which you are typically passed from the initial screener to a line manager to a top manager — and perhaps a half-dozen people in between.

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social networking services
Web-based services — including discussion groups, message boards, e-mail, and blogs — that give users a way to find and interact with people who have similar interests. Some of this interactivity focuses on job search and recruiting.

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spiders
Automated programs (software) used by specialized search engines to scrape (crawl) the Web to find and haul in content, such as job postings. Also called robots or just 'bots.

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stress interview
A type of job interview in which the interviewer intentionally uses various intimidation tactics to attempt to put pressure on you.

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targeted resume
A resume that is customized for a specific employment goal or position in a job search.

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typeface
A specific family of fonts in a similar design style (including multiple sizes of that font), such as Arial or Times New Roman.

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vertical job search engines
Online search engines that search only for job listings, across multiple job sites at once. Examples include SimplyHired.com and Jobster.com. Also called verticals or aggregators.

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video resume
A canned video interview in which a candidate speaks about his or her qualifications, goals, and strengths; sometimes called a video podcast.

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watermark
A faint image ingrained in quality-stock paper. Resumes are commonly printed on paper stock that includes a watermark.

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Web 2.0
The second generation of Web design that uses sites in which people communicate and share information. Web 2.0 tools include blogs, instant messaging, podcasts, RSS feeds, and social networking services.

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Web resume
An electronic resume that you post on a personal Web site; also sometimes called an e-portfolio or HTML resume.