1. What exactly do you do?
- What field is your job in?
Events/Marketing - What is your job title?
Consultant/Event Planner - Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for (size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I'm self-employed as a special projects coordinator I help small businesses gain exposure thru various forms of marketing and hosting special events to get their name out there. I design a plan of action for clients based on their needs.
- How long have you been employed in this position?
12 years - How many hours do you work a week on average?
40+ hours - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
40+ hours - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
As a Special Projects Coordinator/Event Planner I help small businesses promote their businesses thru designing brochures, business cards, media kits, Press releases, and speical events. With the speical events I find the right location and venues for the client and then proceed to present them with all the components to throwing their special event.
- What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
32 - What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
35 - Please list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation, sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
health insurance - Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
no
2. Work environment!
- Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes my job entails working with individuals on a daily basis and this is something I enjoy doing.
- Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
- Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
- Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it
My work location is a small studio type office overlooking the town green and I enjoy working in this space very much.
- Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
- 2 Income
- 3 Work Environment - co-workers
- 5 Work Environment - supervisors
- 6 Benefits
- 7 Hours
- 4 Level of responsibility
- 1 The actual "work" you do at your job
- 8 Job Title
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
- If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend that they register for a course at their loca community college.
- What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social skills, organization skills, technical skills)
compassion, patience, be detailed oriented, love dealing with people and planning events.
- Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
you need to have some experience, I personally have a degree in business and an MBA - What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be patient for it is slow going when you first start your own business.
4. How did you get your J-O-B
- How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
I saw an article in a woman's magazine about start up businesses that you can do under $5,000 and even planner was listed and it intrigued me to find out more - What was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper application, electronic application, all, etc.)
there was no application process I had to come up with a business plan - Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
To get clients I had to interview with them to see if we could work together and also to assess their business needs - If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
What type of events can or do you plan, what is the cost? What kind of publicity would you suggest doing for the event. - Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes - If your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post college/personal plan)
I orginally had planned to become an accountant but I hated the courses in college and changed my major to communications and managment which I knew would serve me better for they would give me transferable skills to use any field.
5. Background: Are you qualified?
- Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I took a course in event planning, worked as a wedding consultant, was a volunteer for many nonprofits. - Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, because it was up to me to get the training that I needed - Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, especially my degree in communications for I am able to use all kinds of communications in my current position. - If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION)
- If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is "fun" about your job?
The interaction I have with the people I work with, the types of events I get to plan - What is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s) of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work, hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
Most fulfilling is that I work for myself, I get to set my own hours, set my own rates, choose the clients I want to work with. - Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes - What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
I would like to expand my business and be able to hire a staff to work under me. - Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
no
7. A Day in the Life Of...
- 7 am - 8 am
I start my day by getting up and taking a shower, taking my vitamin regimen and putting on the coffee. - 8 am - 9 am
Between 8-9 I prepare a healty breakfast to which I sit down to eat as I review my agenda for the day. As I review my agenda I make any adjustments that I see fit. - 9 am - 10 am
Meet with a potential client to discuss promoting their small business and what way would be best for their type of business. I will discuss with client what her needs are, what kind of budget she is working with. Once I establish her needs then I will outline some possible options. - 10 am - 11 am
Put in a call to a current client to discuss their upcoming event. As part of the call I will go over the timetable for the event. Answer any questions or concerns they may have. - 11 am - 12 am
This hour is spent updating this month's enewsletter to send out to current clients. Some of the articles I will be working on will be sharing tips on designing business cards. - 12 am - 1 pm
- 1 pm - 2 pm
Review press releases for a current client and what media sources the press releases should be sent to. Also dicuss the timeframe for sending them out. - 2 pm - 3 pm
Meet with potential client to discuss a special event they are considering doing for their business. Discussing what kind of budget they are working with. - 3 pm - 4 pm
Put in a call to a current client to discuss their upcoming event. As part of the call I will go over the timetable for the event. Answer any questions or concerns they may have. - 4 pm - 5 pm
Meet with current client to go over press releases. Discuss with client the media sources to send their press releases to. Also discussing a time table for sending them out. - 5 pm - 6 pm
Dinner with a client to finalize their marketing plan for their new business - 6 pm - 7 pm
- 7 pm - 8 pm
- 8 pm - 9 pm
- 9 pm - 10 pm
- 10 pm - 11 pm
- 11 pm - 12 pm