Whether you're looking for your first job or considering a career change, there are several important steps to follow as you launch your career as a meetings industry professional.

Is this what you really want to do?

Some introductory college courses and textbooks give a very brief and simple description of what a meetings and convention planner does. But they often don't provide any extra insight about the kind of work, hours, or salary you can expect as a meetings & convention professional. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great place to find a detailed description about all kinds of jobs, including meetings and convention planners. Convene® also publishes annual salary surveys with information segmented by job title, age, gender, years of experience, and level of education.

Another great way to learn about the meetings and convention industry is to ask people currently involved. Find professionals using networking Web sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook. If you're a PCMA member, you have access to the member directory and can contact professionals listed in it. Asking general questions, setting up informational interviews or requesting to job shadow are great things to consider to make sure this is the right career for you.

Preparation, preparation, preparation

Just like the enormous amount of preparation that goes into planning an event, an enormous amount of preparation should go into planning your job search. Fine tuning your résumé, developing a eye-catching (professional) cover letter, and practicing for interviews are all things that should be done. Have professionals, both inside and outside of the industry look over your résumé. Keep in mind that preferences differ by person, so every suggestion may not make sense to implement. Your résumé should be up to date, consistent with industry expectations, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and honest.

Cover letters are a great way to make an "introduction" before an interview. They provide an opportunity to reveal more insight into your educational background and to highlight specific experiences. A cover letter, like the résumé, should be consistent with industry expectations and free of spelling and grammatical errors. A cover letter should also be addressed to a specific person, which may require extensive internet searching or phone calls in some cases.

In addition to consulting professionals about your résumé and cover letter, consult them about interviewing. They may be willing to share general tips, industry specific tips or even to do a mock interview. When interviewing, make sure your appearance reflects professionalism, think of answers ahead of time and practice them, prepare lots of questions, and again, be honest.

Many college and university Web sites have career resources available to the public that include résumé, cover letter and interviewing guidelines. Many job search Web sites such as CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com provide similar career advice.

O, job where art thou?

Once you've committed to look for a job, it's important to look in the right places. Online job banks are a great resource. You can post your résumé, work samples and even personal profiles. For both members and non-members, PCMA provides a career center for posting résumés and searching for industry-related positions. Posting résumés is free to members and $25 for non-members. When posting resumes on Web sites, don't limit yourself to just one. Post in several different places. Posting in a variety of places is a great way to gain exposure. Just be careful how much information you make available to the public. Make sure you read and understand the privacy policies on the Web sites before deciding to make information like your address or phone number public.

In addition to posting your résumé, networking is a great way to find industry positions. If you're living in the area in which you wish to work, attend industry-related luncheons or events. If these are membership-based organizations, they're often times available for non-members at a slightly higher cost. Volunteering at events is another great way to network with industry professionals and get some experience at the same time. If you're searching for jobs in an area you currently do not live in, utilize Internet-based networking sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook to seek out professionals in your chosen industy.