You love planning, you’re meticulous with every last detail, and you can juggle multiple different vendors effortlessly under tight deadlines.
Event coordination can be a demanding profession, and not everyone has what it takes to succeed. You must have a mix of creative talent, great decision-making skills, and fantastic networking chops. You know how to work with a variety of different clients and service providers -- balancing budgets, scheduling deliveries, and making sure everything’s getting executed smoothly and on time.
As the world begins to open back up following the Covid-19 quarantine shutdown, experts predict a boom in event -- and accompanying that boom, skyrocketing hiring demand for savvy event coordinators who can ensure the health and safety of attendees while throwing a successful event.
Sound interesting? Keep reading to see how to utilize your event coordinator resume effectively to show clients you’ve got what it takes.
We’ve done the research and found what works in 2023. Below we’ve compiled two event coordinator resumes that you can use to craft a resume that’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
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As an event coordinator, your role revolves around the organization and execution of various types of events, from corporate meetings to weddings. In this fast-paced industry, trends are constantly evolving, and companies are looking for individuals who can adapt to change while ensuring the success of each event. Your resume is crucial in showcasing your capabilities to prospective employers, as it's the first impression they'll have of your organizational and people skills.
Resumes for event coordinators should demonstrate your experience and expertise in planning, coordinating, and executing events. Highlight specific examples of your accomplishments in previous roles, and emphasize your ability to multitask while staying organized under pressure. Companies want event coordinators who can manage timelines, budgets, and client expectations with ease.
In your resume, highlight your proficiency with event management software such as Cvent, Eventbrite, or Bizzabo. These tools are commonly used in the industry, and showcasing your ability to utilize them will demonstrate your commitment to staying current with industry technology trends.
To stand out from other candidates, include specific achievements from past events you've coordinated. Mention the type and size of the event, as well as any specific challenges you overcame or innovative ideas you implemented. This will give potential employers an idea of your problem-solving abilities and creativity.
Whether you excel at handling tricky clients, multitasking, or at finding great venues, make sure to clearly communicate your event coordination strengths. It should be easy to understand -- after just a quick skim of your event coordinator resume -- what your top skills are and how you have used them in the past to plan successful, great events.
This resume makes great use of a short and informational elevator pitch that is easy to read and packed with details. Clients often don’t have time to read through every detail of an event coordinator resume, so an elevator pitch is an easy way for them to skim through a few sentences and quickly understand the services you specialize in -- then decide if they want to keep reading. If you choose to include an elevator pitch at the top of your resume, aim to use strong action verbs to sell yourself and your skills.
Event coordinators use a diverse stack of tools to manage different workflows as they schedule, facilitate, launch, and design for an event. Some companies or clients may have specific software that they utilize to execute events and track projects throughout the lifecycle of an event. Read through the event description or job listing and make sure that you tailor your skills accordingly. For example, if a corporation emphasizes their use of CRM software, make sure you include your experience and familiarity with CRM tools.
If you’ve been in this industry for several years, make sure to emphasize your past event experience in your event coordinator resume. As you brainstorm what to add to your work and skills sections, aim to choose examples that demonstrate your planning strengths and that display your problem-solving abilities. One other thing to note is that, unlike other roles that can be carried out online, event planning can be geographically restricted. Include the area that you are based in so your clients know that you have experience in that location.
When writing your resume, try to put yourself into the shoes of a client looking to hire an event coordinator. There are thousands of different coordinators out there -- how do you find the one who can best execute your event? To make your resume stand out from the crowd, include tangible metrics from previous events that demonstrate your strengths and that clearly communicate your expertise. For example, if you excel at throwing events below budget and saving money for your clients, detail that extensively in your work experience section.
As mentioned above, not just anyone can be an event coordinator. Experience with throwing events is invaluable in the event space, and clients want to ensure that you have relevant expertise, whether it’s dealing with unexpected hiccups in scheduling, or hiring high-quality caterers and/or bartenders. Carefully craft your work experience to showcase instances where you displayed professionalism and sharp organization to overcome challenges.
We spoke with hiring managers and recruiters at top event planning companies like Live Nation Entertainment, Freeman, and Eventbrite to gather their best tips for writing a compelling event coordinator resume. Here's what they told us:
Employers want to see that you have hands-on experience planning and executing events. Use your resume to showcase the types of events you've worked on, such as:
Be specific about your role and responsibilities for each event, using action verbs like 'coordinated,' 'managed,' and 'executed.' Quantify your achievements whenever possible, such as the number of attendees, budget size, or revenue generated.
A summary, also known as a professional summary or career summary, is an optional section at the top of your resume that gives hiring managers and recruiters a quick overview of your relevant skills and experience. While a summary is not required, it can be a useful way to provide context for your experience, especially if you are changing careers or have a lot of experience to summarize. However, you should never use an objective statement, which is outdated and focuses on what you want rather than what you can offer the employer.
When writing a summary for an Event Coordinator position, focus on your most relevant skills and experiences, and use metrics to quantify your achievements whenever possible. Keep it concise and objective, avoiding generic buzzwords and soft skills. Here are some tips to help you craft an effective summary:
The work experience section is the most crucial part of your event coordinator resume. It's where you highlight your relevant professional experience, key accomplishments, and the value you've brought to previous roles.
Let's break down the essential steps to write an effective work experience section that will impress hiring managers and help you stand out from other applicants.
Event coordinators are highly organized, calm under pressure, and passionate about throwing a great event. You know how to earn the trust of your clients and you can quickly find creative solutions to unforeseen challenges. You’re a great leader, but you also know how to listen to what your clients need -- sometimes without them even asking!
It’s important to not only possess these skills, but effectively communicate them through your resume. As you write your event coordinator resume, use powerful action verbs such as “supervised” and “managed” to emphasize your leadership skills.
Use strong and powerful verbs that can create a clear visual in someone’s mind of a well-organized, effective event coordinator. Try your best not to use generic verbs -- they can actually hurt rather than help your resume.
For more related action verbs, visit Teamwork Action Verbs.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
When choosing what to include in your event coordinator resume, follow these tips to make sure you’re picking the relevant skills that will help your application stand out.
First, make sure to carefully read through the posting to understand what the client’s needs are. Do they want a really impressive venue, or is the most important thing for them to stay under budget? Are they struggling to coordinate requests from multiple stakeholders, or do they simply want the event to run smoothly? Even if the posting doesn’t specifically call out a skill, try to read between the lines to understand what their main priority is, and tailor your skills accordingly.
It’s also important to consider what kind of event you’re applying for. From weddings to fundraising galas to corporate events, different events require different skills. Take the time to call out specific skills you have -- or even detail them in your experience section.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Event Coordinator job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your Event Coordinator resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:
Planned and co-ordinated 40+ training sessions for 300+ employees across 5 major offices; defined agenda and prepared minutes for C-suite executives
Launched event websites and marketing plans, maximizing event attendance to full or wait listed status for 90% of events.
Managed and coordinated 180+ events annually, achieving on-time and under budget execution with 98% client satisfaction.
For more sample bullet points and details on how to write effective bullet points, see our articles on resume bullet points, how to quantify your resume and resume accomplishments.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
