Organisation: City of Stirling
Job Title: Events Officer
Word Limit: Roughly 3 pages
Location: City of Stirling
Possession of or progression towards a Tertiary qualification in Events, Recreation, Marketing or a
related field
As my resume indicates, I am currently studying a Bachelor of Events and Sports Management and
hold a Certificate IV in Small Business Management, among other qualifications and courses.
Ability to consistently demonstrate the behaviours as outlined in the City of Stirling Competency
Framework in accordance with Cluster descriptors relevant to the position
At the present time, I work for the City of Wanneroo as a Youth Worker and Activities Officer, in
addition to running my own dance studio with around 10 dance staff and many students. Within both
of these roles, I demonstrate many of the behaviours outlined in the City of Stirling Competency
Framework, including developing self and others through teaching dance, team working and
leadership, as well as interpersonal skills and communication within those classes and through working
with youths at the City of Wanneroo.
My planning and organising skills are demonstrated through the yearly planning cycle that I go through
in the running of my dance studio. This planning not only takes into consideration weekly classes, but
also performances, work opportunities for performers, and opportunities for grants and funding with
deadlines and a range of other commitments. For example, I am currently organising an event which is
part of Mental Health Week in October for which the planning started weeks ago. I have organised the
event itself, engaged a graphic designer to design advertising collateral and have gained funding and
sponsorship from numerous sources to ensure the event is a success. As well as ensuring the success
of the event, it demonstrates my planning and organising skills, decision making skills, self-
management ability, strategic thinking and the ability to achieve results.
Ability to handle multiple projects with successful outcomes
The fact that I work and run my own business successfully is a demonstration of my ability to handle
multiple projects successfully at the same time. Additionally, I am flexible and adaptable to be able to
take advantage of opportunities should they arise at the last minute.
A few months ago, I sadly lost one of my dance students due to a drug overdose. Although it was a
very busy period for us, I made the decision to run an event dedicated to this student, called ‘Dance for
Elly’. The event was to raise money for Elly’s Mother who was struggling making ends meet financially.
While I had a full schedule of other events, I managed to successfully organise and implement this
special event in addition to raising money to assist Elly’s family along the way.
Demonstrated ability to work under pressure
I have been in a position many times where I have been required to work under pressure in my role as
Youth Worker for the City of Wanneroo. At one of the community centres that we operate, we can
have up to 120 youth coming in at any one time. This extraordinarily busy centre relies on some
volunteer assistance during these busy periods, and it is imperative that we all remain alert with many
youth around. The centre attracts a number of troubled youth who will sometimes try to distract you
whilst others steal, hence why we are under pressure to remain vigilant, whilst still providing an equal
service to all.
In addition to these issues, sometimes aggressive behaviour and fighting break out within a community
centre, resulting in a situation where we have to deal with the youth, in addition to remaining mindful
of other centre users. I have learnt to deal with these pressures throughout my time in the role and
overall enjoy providing a service for youths in the area.
Intermediate competency in Microsoft Office packages including Word, Outlook and Excel
I possess intermediate competency in Microsoft Office packages, including Word, Excel and Outlook.
My Word skills enable me to write and send out newsletters and correspondence, as well as event
updates for my business. Utilising Excel, I maintain and update databases and spreadsheets and I keep
all of my enrolment details on an Excel spreadsheet for the dance studio. In addition, I have excellent
skills in Outlook and webmail and I am able to use these programs effectively for diary and task
management, in addition to sending emails.
Ability to work flexible hours in accordance with the demands of the position
Within my current role for the City of Wanneroo, the youth programs that I am involved with run after
school hours, from 3.30pm through to 6.30pm or 8.30pm. I have demonstrated flexibility in both
accommodating these times, in addition to being available at different community centres, depending
on need. These centres operate in a variety of locations throughout Perth and I have proven my
reliability and dependability in attending when and where needed.
Comprehensive negotiation/problem solving skills
My negotiation and problem solving skills are best demonstrated in my work within the community
centres, when dealing with youths who are fighting or require assistance with their problems. On one
occasion recently, I had a young person talk to me about the fact that their boyfriend had broken up
with her. Although as an adult, these issues seem minor, to a youth, these issues are their lives torn
apart and their behaviour can be an overreaction. I talked to this girl, acknowledged her feelings and
provided her with advice, ensuring her that she would not feel like this forever. Giving them a sense of
hope is something small, but a very important gift that I can contribute in such situations. During my
tenure within this role, I have worked through problems for a broad range of youth, including
providing them with some perspective and skills to use their own problem solving abilities along the
way.
Experience in the preparation and monitoring of budgets
With the running of my dance business, I have a range of budgets which need to be regularly
monitored and reconciled. One such budget exists for marketing and advertising. I take it upon myself
to monitor this budget, in addition to thinking of innovative ways that I can deliver the same quality
services, whilst utilising effective marketing strategies and keeping within or below budget.
For every event that I organise, there is a working budget put in place to determine how much staff are
going to cost, in addition to equipment, venue hire, insurances and transport costs. For certain events,
this will determine the entry price for the audience, and often I can attain funding and sponsorship to
contribute to the overall costs of events.
Events management experience
Through both of my formal learning in events management and my role at the City of Wanneroo, I
have furthered my knowledge and skills within events management. In addition to the events I manage
as part of my dance studio, I am intrinsically involved in holiday program events in my current role at
the City of Wanneroo. These holiday activities include day trips with groups of children to theme parks,
bowling, pizza nights and trampolining, among others. When organising these events, I must consider a
broad range of logistical and insurance details, as well as arrange permission forms, bookings, money,
transportation, allergy issues and medical forms before the event can even go ahead. This experience
has provided me with excellent knowledge and abilities in the organisation and planning of events and
activities which I am confident will be of benefit to this role.
DESIRABLE
Events marketing experience
As mentioned, I have successfully coordinated a range of marketing and advertising experiences for my
dance studio events. These have included social media advertising, public space advertising, local
media and publications, as well as internet and email. As a result of my skills and experience in event
marketing, I have had great success in the promotion of the events that I organise.
Previous experience in Local Government
In addition to working at the Australian Taxation Office, I currently work in collaboration with the Local
Government for the City of Wanneroo. This experience has provided me with an excellent
understanding of Local Government and its processes and procedures which need to be adhered to, as
well as public expectations of public service roles.
Experience in applying for grants and attracting sponsorship
Within my dance studio business, I have applied for and have been successful in attaining numerous
grants to assist with not-for-profit and community events. One current example is a grant that I
tendered for and won in relation to the organised activities as part of Mental Health Week. I gained
funding through the Mental Health Foundation, whilst additionally gaining sponsorship from the City
of Perth, Act Belong Commit, Propel Youth Arts WA and Oz Dance. Some of these organisations offered
funding and some offered to promote the event through their networks, which is also a valuable
contribution.
I am confident in writing proposals and approaching organisations for sponsorship and my abilities
have seen many successes in the past.
Experience in working with and managing casual employees and volunteers
I work with and manage a range of volunteers within my Youth Services role at the City of Wanneroo.
When we are anticipating a large turn-out to our community centres, or when a staff member is sick
and cannot attend, I often successfully coordinate and work with a range of volunteer staff. I treat
volunteers similarly to paid employees and appreciate that they volunteer for that sense of doing
something to assist others. Within my dance business, I manage 10 dance teachers, as well as contract
staff, which involves arranging rostering and the provision of performance feedback.
National Police Clearance
I hold a current National Police Clearance
‘C’ Class Driver Licence
I hold a current ‘C’ Class Driver’s License
