Event Planners: Plan for Events to Rev Back Up in 2021 by Updating Your Resume
The North American event planning industry received a 1-2 punch when COVID-19 hit our continent’s shores back in March 2020. With vaccine distribution, the industry hopes that in-person events will rev back up sometime in 2021. However, even before COVID-19, the event industry was saturated. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there had been 138,000 event planning jobs in the United States and the number was expected to grow by 8% before 2029—much greater than average. The industry had been thriving in Canada as well. Will that trajectory stay on track? Time will tell. Nonetheless, if event planners are hoping to get rehired or perhaps make a job change in 2021, they need to be ready amidst the tough competition. How do you set yourself apart from the other creative, organized and talented people vying for planner jobs? Your resume is key to standing out.
Take a look at these two resumes below by clicking Resume #1 and Resume #2. They are “identical.” I’ve taken the same experience of a made-up event planner named Sally and have written two different resumes. Which one provides more detail and color to Sally’s work history? Is there one you’d call in for an interview?
Considerations To Make Yourself Stand Out:
• If you choose to write a brief summary of yourself at the top, set yourself apart by including adjectives that help describe who you uniquely are as a person.
• Emphasize your titles not organizations; minimize dates.
• Consider providing an introductory sentence about the organization or circumstance of each particular job. This can help define your level of responsibility and work ethic.
• Describe the specific duties you completed as part of the events you plan. Use active verbs that impress employers—initiated, researched, selected, led, presented, etc.
• Use numbers that reflect large attendance or budgets and percentage increases or decreases.
• Only list jobs that support your career path or reinforce your work ethic
• Don’t list skills that everyone should have (Email, Excel, etc.)
• Make sure your LinkedIn profile matches your resume and any social media content reflects your passions and personality (volunteer work, love of reading, traveling, etc.)
*If you chose resume #2 as better, you are correct! That version of Sally gives an employer a much better idea of what unique and valuable skills Sally can offer the company.
Written By: Amy Leyden
Director of Marketing & Sales
McNamara Alumni Center
University of Minnesota
www.mac-events.org
[email protected]