For the Credential of Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW)

ELIGIBILITY
NRWA Membership: NCRW candidates must be members in good standing of the NRWA.

DON’T WAIT ANOTHER YEAR!
Seize this opportunity to enhance your career and promote your credibility as a Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW).

ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR THE NCRW DESIGNATION?
Professionals of all kinds in the industry are candidates.

To be considered for the NCRW Certification, you must meet these criteria:

1. You must be a member of NRWA to begin the certification process.
2. Professionals who are considering beginning the certification process are strongly encouraged to have a minimum of two years experience in resume writing
3. You must accumulate 10 continuing education units (CEUs) in the three years prior to submitting a sample résumé and cover letter. Click here to see a list of approved CEUs
   
   After approval of your 10 CEUs, you may submit a matching cover letter and resume for review by two graders ($50.00). They will use the same criteria used when grading NCRW tests. Comments will be inserted directly into your Word document.
   • The documents submitted must be in compliance with the Study Guide which is available to our members. It can be downloaded directly from the web site.
   • They must, also, be in compliance with The Gregg Reference Manual – 10th Edition.
   • Results of your samples will be delivered in 3-4 weeks.
   • If your samples are not up to NCRW standards you will be given recommendations that you should complete in order to submit another set of samples. They could be as simple as participating in the free Mentoring Program or taking a business writing course.
   • If your samples are up to NCRW standards you have three months after the sample review to begin the testing process.
4. Testing Process after Successful Submission of Samples

   If your samples comply with the Study Guide you may take the NCRW test ($140.00).

   The test is divided into two segments:

   Part One: Grammar Test

   The first part is a grammar test, which you will be given one hour to complete.

   You will be given a resume that looks terrific. You will, also, be given a second page asking for 25 specific grammar errors. Find a capitalization error. Find a hyphen error and so on.

   Part Two: Resume and Cover Letter Writing Test

   For the second part you will be given a candidate profile and asked to write a resume and cover letter based on the profile.

   The documents must be submitted to the Certification Chair as a Word.doc file, a PDF file, and an emailable ASCII file for both the resume and cover letter.

   You will have three days to complete the project. It is all handled via email.

   Your work will be confidentially reviewed by three graders. Their comments will be sent to you.

   It is a pass / fail test, but we send along comments either way.

   We try to complete the grading of Part 2 of the test in two to three weeks.

   Suggestions for successful test sample submissions

   • Read your resume and cover letter submission for each one of the checklist factors, correcting and making improvements as you go. Check each item on the checklist as you complete it.
   • QUESTION EVERYTHING. Mark each questionable item with a question mark and return with your manual and/or Study Guide to check them all at once.
   • After making corrections, leave it for another day and review again. Have someone else proofread your submission, too. Sometimes we just don't see the obvious.

   While this is a time-consuming process, it is likely to make you a winner! The checklist can be found with the Study Guide.

5. Failure of the NCRW Test
   
   • If you fail Part I of the test you must wait six months to retake it ($70.00). If you do not pass it we strongly recommend that you take a grammar course.
   • If you fail Part II of the test you must wait six months to retake it the first time ($70.00) and one year the second time if you do not pass it ($70.00).
   • The three graders will give you recommendations that you will need to complete to retake the exam.
   • If you wait a year to retake the exam, you will have to comply with the CEU requirements.
6. In order to maintain the certification: NCRWs have to take continuing education and submit 15 CEUs every three years and be dues paying members without any lapses in membership for the previous 3 years.