Dawn Rasmussen, a certified résumé writer, is the president of Portland, Ore.-based Pathfinder Writing and Career Services and author of “Forget Job Security: Build Your Marketability”—the first-ever book that provides a complete roadmap on how manage your career.
Rasmussen is also a veteran coach who helps meeting professionals realign their goals and/or work to achieve their own personal ambitions at MPI’s Career Collective at the World Education Congress (WEC)—with the next Career Collective taking place at MPI’s WEC23 June 13-15 in the Mexican Caribbean.
We spoke with Rasmussen about how career goals have changed, critical skills for today’s meeting pros and the evolution of work/life balance.
Are you seeing different career goals for meeting industry practitioners compared to maybe five or 10 years ago?
I am seeing a lot of people returning to the industry, but they are now a lot more cautious about their rebound and job security. Once burned, twice shy applies here. One thing that has been eye-opening for most industry professionals is that they have been able to see beyond our industry and recognize their transferrable skill sets. Additionally, to be more competitive in terms of their candidacy when applying for jobs, there has been a conscious effort to gain certifications in virtual meetings—before, it was an option; the pandemic made it a necessity.
What are meeting industry employers looking for when reviewing candidates in 2023?
A lot of employers are looking for employees who are staying on top of trends so they offer subject matter expertise to the company as well as fluency in technology. Tech also continues to shape how we interact with each other, and being clear on the application in the tasks of daily life is critical. I would urge all meeting industry professionals to make sure they attend tech sessions during WEC as well as their own regional/local annual education conferences to stay on top of what’s new and what’s potentially coming down the pipeline.
What skills do those just now entering the meeting industry need to focus on?
Adaptability is HUGE! Just because things were done a certain way years ago doesn’t mean that is relevant now. Additionally, adopting a continuous learning mindset (this applies to EVERYONE) helps demonstrate initiative and a desire to work smarter.
How has work/life balance changed as the meeting industry has recovered from the pandemic?
Oh, I love this question! Everyone got a taste of working from home/remote work due to the pandemic and discovered the joys of no commute! For most people, they were successful in being self-disciplined in getting their tasks done, while others struggled a bit in a less structured environment. But overall, I think most people during the pandemic (working or not) had a revelation that while work is important, their personal lives mattered more. Life happens while we are working, and the pandemic gave us that pause that helped us see more clearly and presently how much our personal time has been ebbing away, and people have reclaimed that as part of their purpose. This is always difficult since for so much of our lives, our identity and motivations were very much shaped by our work. The pandemic provided a dramatic demonstration of how much we have been missing out on the personal side of things, and I think most people are using those insights and observations to inform themselves on how they want to better balance the two.
