Job Seeker Spotlight: Emily Mathews, meeting & event planning

People are so much more than the skills or work history listed on their résumés. With Job Seeker Spotlight, we give individuals the opportunity to highlight their creativity, personality and passion for employers who are looking to hire today.

Today’s featured job seeker is Emily Mathews from Round Rock, Texas.

Continue reading for more about Mathews:

• What is your desired position/title? Meeting & event planner
• What industry are you looking for work in? Health care
  
• What makes you a unique and better candidate against others who may have similar skills? I say this humbly, because it’s based on feedback from other people, not on my own delusions: My winning personality! Customers and vendors are always making my day by telling me, “Emily, you’re a delight to work with” and “Emily, you’re so funny.” Not to mention, “Emily, you look like Liza Minelli,” but that’s another story! I guess I’m a bit…irreverent, and people seem to enjoy it. It’s not something I aim to be, but there you have it. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not doing a comedy act all day, by any means. But if all skills really are equal to other candidates, that tends to stand out.
• How do you demonstrate passion for your work or your profession? By what I do outside the office. The Certified Meeting Professional Designation takes a lot of time and money to pursue. You can’t even apply to sit for the exam without a number of years of experience. So for me, getting it screamed, “This field is my passion and I’m serious about it!” I also get involved with my local MPI (Meeting Professionals International) chapter, and have been honored with two awards. It might sound cliched, but volunteer work for the chapter is all about giving back.
• How do you stay informed about changes or advances in your chosen profession/industry? The meeting planning industry is blessed with many wonderful magazines and web sites. I find time to read them, and to follow industry stars on Twitter. I attend industry events, too, of course. There’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction.
• What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? From my last boss: “Stay in the moment.” If I’m dealing with, say, an issue in the trade show hall, I can’t be thinking about what’s going on upstairs in the educational sessions. I’ll get there, but I need to focus on what’s at hand.

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Connect with Emily via LinkedIn.

(Are you an employer and want to contact Emily? You can find her today in CareerBuilder’s Resume Database.)