If you’re undertaking an events degree, you’ll be keen to get stuck in to a role as soon as you graduate. But, getting into the events industry requires more than just a degree – you need experience! We get phone calls from hundreds of graduates every week wanting to be put forward for roles within the marketing and events industries. Unfortunately, we can’t see everyone and we can only put forward the very best people. To give you a helping hand, we’ve pulled together our top tips on ‘how to get into the events industry’.
Experience is key!
If you think getting your first job in the events industry will be the start of your experience, think again! Most of the positions that come up are for people who already have some sort of experience. That’s because event companies are looking for candidates who have gone the extra mile to find out as much as they can about their chosen career, before they’ve even finished their degree.
Any exposure to events will be incredibly beneficial. Whether it’s part time, full time, paid or voluntary. Whether you’re planning your graduation ball, a charity event, or getting involved in community projects. It will all help you build a fantastic portfolio of experience. But working on corporate events, such as conferences and pre-event planning, will really help broaden your skill set and open more doors for you.
Start researching local companies, charities, community events and get involved!
Make sure your events experience is highlighted on your CV
Use an events addendum, if necessary, as a separate document to outline the variety, sizes and budgets of the events you have worked on. Don’t forget to include any experience of running events at university, school or outside of education. It all counts!
Ensure you have a strong social media presence
Make sure you have an updated profile and image on LinkedIn and don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from anyone you have worked with. Be it a direct line manager, your tutor or even colleagues, who have worked alongside you on projects.
Make your Twitter bio stand out and allow for searches. Do your research, and make sure you’re speaking the industry lingo!
Keep LinkedIn professional, Facebook between friends and Twitter interesting and informative. Think about how you use each platform and don’t cross the barrier. Do you really want your future boss reading about your relationship or your road rage encounter? If you’re unsure, don’t post it.
Join and follow groups and key companies in the industry on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. You can also keep track of your favourite industry blogs by using something like BlogLovin’. This will enable you to keep up to date with all the latest news in the industry and also demonstrates your interest in the market to anyone that is following or viewing your profile.
Network
Keep in touch with colleagues, classmates and tutors and take any opportunity to meet with people in the industry. Attending events such as Confex and IMEX will give you a great opportunity to really get your teeth into the industry, as well as positioning yourself in front of the key industry leaders.
It might sound daunting, but if this is the industry you want to be in you’ve got to work hard for it – your hard work will pay off.
We’ll look forward to hearing from you soon!
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