To mount a successful event, your company will need the right set of people to make it happen. One of the biggest challenges that face event professionals is finding and keeping qualified staff who will be aligned with your goals to ensure your project’s success. That big idea will not come to fruition without the talent and manpower. This is why the hiring proces for your event management company’s team is crucial.
Here are some best practices employed by major event planners in choosing the right person for their team.
- Identify the traits you want out of your staff before crafting the job hire announcement
What does your company need and what will this person’s job description be? From this, you can pinpoint the types of skills and knowledge that you will look for during the selection process. Take note that it will help to put in the type of personal traits that you want our of your events team. For example, instead of saying “At least 2 years of experience in the events industry,” you can be more detailed with “At least 2 years of experience in a high-energy workplace that involves constant interaction with prospects, suppliers, and clients.”
- Tap your existing network for referrals
More than hiring strangers, a good place to start (and to shorten the hiring phase) is to tap into your local network for referrals. Talk to the businesses and professionals in your industry to help you handpick people who share your drive for the business. Don’t just send a generic email to everyone you know. Reach out to those who really know you and your family, and whom you know will take the time to assess and point out the right candidates for your team.
- Check with specialty trade schools
Give newbies a chance. If you’re looking for vibrant, driven candidates for an entry-level post, consulting local schools, particularly those involved in the hospitality or events programs will help you find that right candidate who will grow with you. Get in touch with the school’s career services unit so they can connect you with the right instructors for references.
- Ask the applicant for specific examples of their events skills
Most applicants just list their generic skills on their resume but have a hard time providing concrete examples during the face-to-face interview. You will want a team member who can cite real-life experiences related to the event planning industry. It doesn’t have to be a professional experience. It can be a school event that he or she led or a neighborhood fair that he or she was actively involved in. The key is to place that person in a real-life situation so you can have a better grasp of how he or she performs in actual.
- Find out what their motivations are and pay attention more to body language (less their looks)
What makes the applicant want to work in events management? How would he or she convince a client to see the value of an event planner? What is great customer service? What is the best way to deal with a client who is unhappy with the service? The answers to these questions are more important to the eventual success of your business, more than what the applicant looks like. While physical appearance is a positive factor when facing clients, it is the sincerity, drive, and skill that will take the lead all the time.
Of course, keeping these qualified staff is another thing. To ensure that the right people decide to stay with your company for a long time, you need to treat them right. One thing you can do is offer an incentives or rewards system to serve as additional compensation for top performers. You can also invest in their enrichment by sending them to seminars and trainings that will further enhance their knowledge.
It is needless to say that you should offer pay that’s commensurate to their skills and competitive with the rest of the industry. Remember that you hired these people of the specific value they can bring to your company. Let their talents shine, acknowledge their successes, and create a positive work environment where efficiency and creativity go hand-in-hand.
