Planner Exit Interview
Exit Interview With Ashley Morgan
Event Organizer Shares Feedback On Receiving Speaker Proposals Through The SpeakerMatch Job Board
About This Interview Series
Many of the speakers in our community
have expressed interest in learning more about the speaker selection process. These
exit interviews will share feedback and insights from meeting planners
utilizing The SpeakerMatch Job Board. Enjoy!
Q1: Overall, how was your experience utilizing the SpeakerMatch Job Board to find a speaker?
A: My experience using SpeakerMatch was great, and I am so happy I found the website. My organization was in need of a regular speaker for our student population and the traditional job search engines were not producing the experienced applicants we were looking for. SpeakerMatch was able to connect us with a wealth of speakers, which actually gave us a choice of professional and well-qualified candidates.
Q2: How was the quality of the applicants who applied to your listing? Overall, did you feel the applicants met the criteria you outlined in your listing?
A: The quality of the applicants from SpeakerMatch was very good. There are always some applicants who do not read the job description and do not exactly fit what we are looking for. However, we are very happy with the quality and number of applicants we received.
Q3: Of the applications you received, what kinds of things in the teaser/headline of the application drove you to want to open the full letter of application? What kinds of things in the teaser/headline of the application made you skip over reading a full letter of application?
A: I read through all of the applications, but what I really appreciated was a personalized headline or message from the applicant. I could tell that sometimes the headline or message was generic or written by someone other than the applicant (perhaps a manager or family member). We were looking for someone who would connect with our students, and therefore, we wanted someone that is not afraid of the personal connection or that took the time to connect with us and learn about us.
Q4: Of the applications you received, what kinds of things in the letter of application stood out in a positive way? In a negative way?
A: Please see above (#3)
Q5: Would you use SpeakerMatch again to help you find a speaker?
A: Absolutely, I plan on looking at SpeakerMatch every time I need a speaker in the future. SpeakerMatch made it so easy to find a particular and special someone for our organization, a process that initially was very difficult. We had a very positive experience with the site and the SpeakerMatch staff. It was a very personalized experience.