Resumes: It’s All in the Details!

No matter how concise you are, there are times when two pages will not be enough room to capture all that you want to say about your career.

This is especially true if you have had a lengthy career or have managed programs that included some unique elements to them—possibly because of the way you designed them or the location of the event, such an unusual property or facility or destination.

In addition to the old concept about hoping that once they “get a foot in the door” they can explain their experience and qualifications, many meeting planners are still operating under the misconception that they are limited to one page for their resume. The standard length for a resume these days is anywhere from 1.5 to two pages, maximum. Having said that, two pages may still not provide enough room to sufficiently highlight your meeting planning achievements.

An alternative approach is to create an addendum sheet that provides more detailed information about the meetings and events you have managed.

While the resume includes particulars about the size and type of meetings, the addendum is a supplemental page that allows you to go into greater detail about specific meetings and events.

Here is an example:

Meeting and Special Event Specifics:

Approximately four face-to-face meetings for the National Executive Board.

• Any given meeting was usually two to three days in length.
• Meetings were for approximately 40-50 people.
• Meetings took place anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, and three-months notice was typically given about desired meeting destinations.
• Created and oversaw the budget for all meetings.
• Was responsible for the booking of all travel and hotel accommodations for all meeting attendees.
• Worked with the selected hotel on BEOs and all necessary meeting arrangements (i.e., requests for special guests or senior staff, menus, evening cocktail parties, audiovisual).

• Meeting would rotate between Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
• Average attendance ran between 250-700 people.
• Created and oversaw the budget.
• Was responsible for the booking of all travel and hotel accommodations for all of the executive board, staff and special guests.
• Worked with the chosen hotel on BEOs and all necessary meeting arrangements. (i.e., Requests for special guests or senior staff, menus, evening cocktail parties, audiovisual.)
• Worked with a committee of the host city on a cocktail party for all members in the area. Approximately 150-200 guests.

Realtors frequently look for comparables when they are trying to determine the price to list a home for a seller. Comparables are homes in the neighborhood with a similar amount of square footage, number of rooms and amenities.

With jobs, hiring managers are seeking candidates who have comparable experience that matches with the size and types of programs their company or organization offers. The key for candidates is to provide as many details as possible so the hiring manager clearly sees that they have the comparable skills needed for the job.

Review your resume to make certain that you are including the following information:

1. Size of programs: 25-2,500 participants, up to 2,500 participants, or an average program size of 500 attendees.
   
   
2. Frequency of programs: Identify the number of programs you manage on a monthly and/or annual basis. (i.e., In charge of approximately five meetings per month ranging in size from 25-500 participants, or approximately 35 meetings and events per year with the largest being the annual meeting with up to 3,000 attendees.)
   
   
3. Types of programs: This is where you would specify the different types of meetings and events you have been responsible for managing.
   
   
4. Location of meetings: Read through the job description to determine where the company or organization holds its meetings or visit its website. If it holds meetings in both domestic and international destinations, then be sure to include a list of the countries where you have managed programs. If it is an association that does citywide conventions, then be sure to indicate the major metropolitan cities where you have managed programs.