The Best Job Search Sites in the Meeting and Events Industry

Performing a job search can be stressful at best. However, performing a specialized job search can present a whole new set of challenges. If you are looking for a position in a particular field, you may need to expand your search beyond standard sites like hotjobs, monster.com and careerbuilder. Although undeniably a great resource for the job seeker, industry specific sites may offer postings not available on more generalized search engines.

For both experienced and aspiring meeting professionals, there are several tools available on the Internet to make your job search a littler easier. Professional organizations related to the meetings industry are an excellent resource for job listings, as are industry specific job boards. In addition, these organizations provide numerous additional benefits including information regarding certification and continuing education, the opportunity to purchase discounted industry publications and an abundance of networking events, seminars and workshops.

Meeting Professionals International would be a logical starting place to gage the temperature in your chosen market. MPI is a professional organization for meeting planners with chapters in the United States, Europe, Mexico and Canada. Although Meeting Professionals International is not a job search engine per se, it does offer an extensive sub-section on career opportunities available to both members and non-members. MPI provides a fairly extensive listing of opportunities on both the planner and supplier end, including tradeshow and exhibitions, convention management, conference development, sales and special events.

The International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), International Special Events Society (ISES) and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) are other industry related organizations which offer a job search feature. IACC, ISES and HSMAI all allow job seekers to post their resumes for prospective employers to search. HSMAI in particular extends some additional resources to job seekers including resume writing assistance, reference checking and the opportunity to coordinate your job search with the advice of an expert career coach.

When it comes to industry specific job boards, meetingjobs.com is undoubtedly a step above the rest. The site was the very first job board solely dedicated to the meeting and events industry. The listing on meetingjobs.com are updated almost daily with temporary and full-time opportunities. The real beauty of the site is that it offers a variety of openings from entry-level positions to executive posts. Whether you are just beginning your first job search or looking to transition to the next level in your career, meetingjobs.com is a valuable guide to available opportunities in the industry.

If you are looking to narrow your job search to an even greater degree, there are certain job boards which deal specifically with a certain segment of the field. Hoteljob.com and hoteljobsnetwork.com are two sites which immediately come to mind. Both job boards showcase positions specifically in the hotel business. Hcareers.com is another specialized site serving employers and job seekers in the travel, tourism, incentives and casino management.

Specialized job search sites can give you an insider's view into the industry. These listings can also give you an idea where the most opportunities are concentrated geographically and by category. Job search engines specifically geared toward meeting and events can also give you advice regarding career planning and professional advancement. While job search tools such as monster.com and hotjobs shouldn't be discounted, dedicated sites can help you to narrow your focus and find the opportunity best suited to your skill set.