Want to be a wedding/event planner and designer?
I receive emails, cover letters and resumes every week from those of you who aspires to be an event planner or designer, and wants to join the Events by Evonne team. Although currently there are no open positions available, every Spring I do conduct interviews for new interns to join us for that year’s wedding season, and hopefully a few of them will become one of our associate planners someday.
So what am I looking for and how do you make yourself stand out from the crowd? Read on to find out more…
IMAGE SOURCE HERE
As you all know, first impression is very important. It doesn’t matter if you have tons of previous event planning experience or not, before I even get to your resume, your email and cover letter needs to convince me as to why I should even take time out of my busy schedule to read your resume.
Having worked in the corporate world for over a decade, I have seen my fair share of great cover letters/resumes and those that need a lot of work. First of all, you never address your email or cover letter with “Hi”, “Hi there”, “Hello”, “Aloha”, “Dear Sir or Madam”, “Dear Mr. & Mrs.” (what’s that? Never heard this one before… and what if I am still single?), “To Whom It May Concern”…etc.
You are not writing a letter to a friend, and therefore should not use any casual salutation such as “Hi there” or “Hello”! Just seeing that alone I already have no interest in reading the rest of your letter and resume. Same as with “Dear Sir/Madam”. If you don’t take the time to check out my website and address the email to me personally, then you are probably sending the same email to 20, 30 other event planners! Again, I have no interest in reading the rest of your letter or email.
Secondly, just because I am in Hawaii it doesn’t mean that I am based on Oahu. As a matter of fact, I am not… so you just can’t assume. If you are not familiar with all of the Hawaiian islands, please do your research before you email me. Speaking of research, you also need to have basic knowledge of the wedding/event industry as well as my company’s philosophy. Tell me some of the wedding/design blogs that you follow, and some of your favorite event designers out there (if your favorites happen to be my favorites too, then you score a few bonus points)!
Thirdly, highlight some of the event planning experiences that you have… even if it’s just a friend’s birthday party or your school’s fundraiser or your office holiday party. You’ve got to have planned some events in the past that now makes you want to possibly pursue this career full time. Tell me about them and tell me how you can be of value to my company.
Fourthly, if you really love wedding/event planning and design, what have you done so far to further your dream in this industry? Have you taken any classes or certificate programs (or at least planning to)? Have you helped any planners/designers in your local area before?
Lastly, tell me why you want to join Events by Evonne. What is it about my company that interests you and makes you want to send me a prospecting letter for employment? Wow me, this is your chance!
And don’t forget to check your spelling. There is nothing worse than having typos in your cover letter as well as your resume (if I make it that far to read it)! And if you don’t have more than 10 to 15 years of work experience, please keep your resume to one-page. I do not need to know all the clubs, volunteer organizations or sorority you have joined while you were in school unless they are event-related. I also don’t need to know all the sports or music awards you have won in the past… I am not drafting for the next NBA season or searching for the next American Idol. Let’s keep it simple and event focused!
Hopefully this will help you write a more structured cover letter and resume.
Tags: Event Designer, Event Planner, Events by Evonne, Wedding Designer, Wedding Planner
July 9th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Great post Evonne!
I also receive alot of e-mails that are “blind” copy e-mails with typographical errors which quite honestly are just deleted.
While I truly love teaching about our very special industry, I also have learned that many don’t have any clue about how much time is devoted to planning and are simply drawn to the finished product.
Event planning involves continued education to keep abreast of current trends, regulations, and networking with vendors to understand their product/services and personalities to best serve our clients and true passion.
All the best, Dianna
July 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I couldn’t have said it better! The best one I’ve received is “Dear Mr. Viola…” nice eh? :)