How to find the Right Job or the Right People
A widely popular topic these days is “best practices” for resumes, interviewing and ultimately, getting hired. We can thank our recent economy for the high rates of unemployment and plenty of strong candidates all vying for the same jobs. Gone are the days of not being able to find qualified employees and too small of a “pool” to draw from. Not only are hiring managers inundated with more resumes than any one person could possibly want, but it has gotten increasingly more challenging for us in the conference management industry to find the right people to join our teams! And as my new favorite author Jim Collins says in his well-known book, Good to Great, “The key to a successful company is finding the right people” (Collins, 2002). So how do you find these people? Here are a few of my favorite tips for both people looking for jobs and those looking for their newest Conference Professional! Read more 
Sales 101 – A Buyer’s Perspective
Recently, I lead a research project where I was investigating software company partners. What I ended up learning was my own definition of truly good and not so good sales people! I was amazed at how many professionals in sales positions don’t appeal to my personality type. Don’t get me wrong, I actually LOVE sales people (I married one, afterall!) and I have a lot of respect for the challenges they face. I also understand sales people deal with many people every day who drain their scarce time and resources only to walk away from them leaving no return for their investment. However, as a legitimate “buyer” I have a top 10 list of tips for how to appeal to me: Read more
Welcoming Kelsey Knutson, MRA Services Newest Inspired Professional!
One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is to bring new people into MRA Services to join our team. After filtering through MANY resumes, I had my top two candidate choices ready to meet the team, when out of nowhere Kelsey’s information came to my inbox. From the start, I had a feeling she was going to be the perfect fit for our Client Services team! Turns out gut feelings are usually correct….
Since our team has had the pleasure of getting to know Kelsey over the past few weeks, I wanted our readers to get to know her as well. Here is a brief interview I conducted so you may get acquainted with the real Kelsey Knutson, our newest Conference Experience Specialist, responsible for assuring our conference participants receive exceptional service and communication in planning for each event! Read more
Have No Fear, the MAT Is Here!
Ever feel like you live, breathe and sleep work and never get outside the “bubble?” We spend the majority of our day consumed with work activities and thoughts and just might need to do something else every once in awhile. Continuing education is a great way to expand your learning outside of your work environment and to gain knowledge and perspective from professionals in other industries. Whether it is a certification in your field, a specialized class, or even a graduate program, taking advantage of some of these options will help you feel like you are pursuing something new for yourself and not solely focused on your work.
Do you often think about going to grad school, but get overwhelmed by the admissions process? If you are like me, you have thought about applying to graduate school many times since completing your undergraduate program. “The earlier the better,” they always say, – before you are “out of practice” with the school regime of study, sleep when you can, more studying and the big dreaded – TESTS! The longer you procrastinate, the longer that dreaded word stands in your way of applying-the postgraduate admissions exam. Yuck. I even went as far as to spend $100 on GMAT prep books only to decide I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) fit in the time it would take to study, while working full time, not to mention the high costs of taking the actual test. Why didn’t I just take the test fresh after graduation when I was used to this testing nonsense? Read more
Great Expectations – The Value of Internship
We’re all facing a dilemma. With unemployment rates so high, young professionals are desperate to build their experience on a resume early, but are finding employment opportunities are scarce. In addition, organizations are faced with more work, but lacking the resources to hire additional staff – the old “doing more with less” adage that by now, we’re all too familiar with. Internship can be the answer to this dilemma and offer a surprising array of benefits both for the bright, young professional and the resource –strapped company.
For a small event management company like ours, interns bring energy, excitement, a new perspective and a willingness to learn. Successful intern candidates have a desire to try new things, motivation to take on more advanced tasks, and the ability to stay focused in a high paced, changing environment. Not only do they keep us up to date with the latest technology developments, college crazes and new lingo, but office politics are foreign to them, expectations for raises are gone and all you are left with is a willingness to please!
In my experience, a successful internship experience for a company requires a few simple ingredients. First, give them a space to call their own – make them feel welcome and part of the team. Utilize their talents, and don’t make the mistake of hiring a talented resource and then ask them to make coffee and clean the bathrooms. Train them on your company message and give them opportunites interact with companies like Dell or Barnes & Noble and they’ll think they’ve won the lottery in resume building. Take them onsite to an actual conference and they’ll show YOU what fun is.
For college students, short-term internships offer an opportunity to build resumes while finishing school and gain access to a company network from which they can build relationships and learn long after the internship is over. A college graduate looking for a full time job that has completed an internship, not only has the advantage over those without previous internships, but also has built a pool of professionals with whom to network, as well as potential full-time employment opportunity.
We all know that to pull off a successful event it takes a whole team of inspired professionals, so if you can accomplish that with bright talented interns and with all these benefits, what do you have to lose?
