We often talk about ‘passion’ and the importance of loving what you do every day in order to have a stimulating and rewarding career. Because you read our blog, I am guessing that for many of you, your passion is weddings and/or events. That is great because our industry needs creative and passionate people to bring events to life for all of those people out there who have events to host.
A career in our industry is perfect for anyone who has a creative soul (and creative thinkers are just as admired as creative stylists). It is also a career which attracts people who love to plan and ‘organise’ – anything. Our industry are employers but welcomes entrepreneurs who are looking for a business with flexible hours, great potential for growth and one that they can operate from home if they choose. With so many different opportunities across the wedding and event industry, there is huge scope for carving out a successful career in this industry and doing it on your own terms.
If you are still deciding if this is the career you should pursue there are two things you can do to be sure.
Research
Scoping out our courses and following our blog is a great place to start your research. Social media also makes it easy to research the role and industry. When it comes to social media, I recommend that you search for businesses offering the types of services you think you may like to provide within your own business, or to an employer and then follow their social media accounts and read their blog. Most wedding and event businesses post regularly and take you behind the scenes of what they do and this is an excellent way for you to learn more about the role and who is who in the industry.
Volunteer
One of the best ways to find out if a new career is right for you, or to apply the skills you are learning in a course, is to undertake some form of work experience.
The first thing to consider is the time you have available to undertake work experience. You can try approaching event and wedding consultancies and many of these do offer paid work experience during peak times. Another way of approaching work is experience is to look to your own professional networks. If you work within an organisation that holds events, manages events or hosts events (for example a venue), approach your employer or supervisor and outline your future goals to them. If you have performed well so far they may consider you for a transfer or promotion to the department that looks after events. Take this opportunity to also discuss the potential for you to volunteer your time at events, or shadow someone working on them in the case of there being no transfers available at that time. You must be prepared to do this for no additional pay and on top of the normal hours you work in your current role. This is a great way to demonstrate that you do have drive, ambition and initiative and that you are prepared to work hard to achieve your goals. It is also an excellent way to gain experience in the areas you are looking to move into, without leaving your current work environment.
If you are not currently working in an events or wedding environment, but want to gain experience, look to your personal network. Events, of all shapes and sizes, are happening every day around us; friends and family are getting engaged, married, having babies and retiring, they are turning 1, 18, 21 and 50 and your local sporting club, schools, Churches, Show Societies, etc. all hold events that could benefit from volunteers and especially from volunteers who have some knowledge of how to manage an event, the right way. All of these events present opportunities for you to put into practice the skills and knowledge you are gaining from the course and develop more networks as you are able to show off your skills to large audiences of people attending the events you are working on. Not-for-profit and Community organisations are other avenues for finding work experience. These types of organisations survive on the support of volunteers to work on and promote their events. When approaching an organisation like this, you should be prepared to get involved and do ‘work’ that may not always seem related to what want to learn. But also let them know that you want to gain some events experience. Generally, if you prove your worth to the people running events for these types of organisations, you will be rewarded and given more responsibilities each time you return.
Finally, before applying for any type of work experience, make sure your Resume is up to date and that your cover letter reflects what you are contacting the potential employer for.
If you are a student of the Academy, contact your Tutor to ask about upcoming work experience opportunities.
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