Client and event overview
Whether you’re applying for your first festival job, looking for more regular event work, or hoping to take the next step into an Event Supervisor or Event Manager role, your CV is often where it starts. And you don’t need years of festival experience to build a good one. At Ethical Staffing, our recruitment team reviews applications from people with hugely different backgrounds. Some have spent years working as Event Staff at festivals and live events. Others come to us with experience in hospitality, retail, customer service or completely different industries. So, what actually makes an events CV stand out? We asked our Recruitment Manager, Andy McAuliffe, for his advice.
1. Tailor Your CV to Event Work
One CV doesn't necessarily work for every job.
If your main career sits outside the events industry, your most relevant experience can easily become buried. Before applying, take a look at the role and bring the experience that matters most to the forefront.
Worked festivals alongside your full-time job? Include them.
Managed a busy bar? Tell us. Worked in customer service? That experience could translate brilliantly into Welcome, Front of House or Box Office roles. Supervised a team? Definitely tell us.
Recruiters shouldn't have to hunt for the reasons you'd be great at the job.
2. Keep It Clear
You don't need an elaborate design to make your CV stand out.
A clear structure, readable formatting and obvious employment history make it much easier for a recruiter to understand your experience quickly.
Include your roles, employers, dates and key responsibilities, and make any progression clear. If you've moved from Event Steward to Event Supervisor, for example, that's something worth highlighting.
Most importantly, make it easy to read.
The Outcome
3. Don't Underestimate Transferable Skills Never worked at a festival before? That doesn't necessarily mean you're starting from scratch. Some of the skills we value most in great Event Staff are developed elsewhere. Hospitality experience can translate brilliantly into Hospitality and Front of House roles. Retail can prepare you for Retail & Merchandise, Ticket Scanning or Brand Ambassador work. Experience in logistics, operations or team leadership could be valuable when applying for roles such as Gate Manager, Event Supervisor or Campsite Management. Even if the job titles don't match, the skills often do. Think about what you've actually learned from previous jobs rather than focusing solely on the title you held. 4. Show Us the Person Behind the CV Events are a people-focused industry, so personality matters. A short section about your interests can give recruiters a better idea of who you are and sometimes provides a great conversation starter at interview. You don't need to write an autobiography. A little personality goes a long way. And if your interests genuinely relate to the work you're applying for — whether that's live music, sport, sustainability or working with people — there's nothing wrong with letting that come through. 5. Don't Undersell Yourself This is a big one. Your CV isn't the place to be overly modest. If you've taken on additional responsibility, solved a difficult problem, managed a team or received brilliant feedback, say so. There's a difference between exaggerating your experience and being confident about what you've achieved. Be accurate, but give yourself credit. Ready to Start Working in Events? There isn't one perfect route into the events industry. Our workforce includes people at different stages of their careers, with different backgrounds, experiences and ambitions. You might start with Ticket Scanning or Event Stewarding, discover you're brilliant at Box Office, or eventually progress into Event Supervisor, Gate Manager or Event Manager roles. That's one of the things we love about this industry. At Ethical Staffing, we're passionate about creating flexible event work, paying at or above the Real Living Wage, and giving great people opportunities to build their experience across the industry. Explore our Event Roles to see where your skills could take you, or head to our Jobs Board to discover our latest event and festival opportunities. You might have more relevant experience than you think.
Services Used
Related Ethical Staffing services: Brand Ambassadors, Customer Service Staff, Gate Managers.
Customer Service Staff
A person to ask when a system, ticket or transaction needs explaining.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this article cover?
Whether you’re applying for your first festival job, looking for more regular event work, or hoping to take the next step into an Event Supervisor or Event Manager role, your CV is often where it starts. And you don’t need years of festival experience to build a good one. At Ethical Staffing, our recruitment team reviews applications from people with hugely different backgrounds. Some have spent years working as Event Staff at festivals and live events. Others come to us with experience in hospitality, retail, customer service or completely different industries. So, what actually makes an events CV stand out? We asked our Recruitment Manager, Andy McAuliffe, for his advice.
1. Tailor Your CV to Event Work
One CV doesn't necessarily work for every job.
If your main career sits outside the events industry, your most relevant experience can easily become buried. Before applying, take a look at the role and bring the experience that matters most to the forefront.
Worked festivals alongside your full-time job? Include them.
Managed a busy bar? Tell us. Worked in customer service? That experience could translate brilliantly into Welcome, Front of House or Box Office roles. Supervised a team? Definitely tell us.
Recruiters shouldn't have to hunt for the reasons you'd be great at the job.
2. Keep It Clear
You don't need an elaborate design to make your CV stand out.
A clear structure, readable formatting and obvious employment history make it much easier for a recruiter to understand your experience quickly.
Include your roles, employers, dates and key responsibilities, and make any progression clear. If you've moved from Event Steward to Event Supervisor, for example, that's something worth highlighting.
Most importantly, make it easy to read.
3. Don't Underestimate Transferable Skills
Never worked at a festival before? That doesn't necessarily mean you're starting from scratch.
Some of the skills we value most in great Event Staff are developed elsewhere.
Hospitality experience can translate brilliantly into Hospitality and Front of House roles. Retail can prepare you for Retail & Merchandise, Ticket Scanning or Brand Ambassador work.
Experience in logistics, operations or team leadership could be valuable when applying for roles such as Gate Manager, Event Supervisor or Campsite Management.
Even if the job titles don't match, the skills often do.
Think about what you've actually learned from previous jobs rather than focusing solely on the title you held.
4. Show Us the Person Behind the CV
Events are a people-focused industry, so personality matters.
A short section about your interests can give recruiters a better idea of who you are and sometimes provides a great conversation starter at interview.
You don't need to write an autobiography. A little personality goes a long way.
And if your interests genuinely relate to the work you're applying for — whether that's live music, sport, sustainability or working with people — there's nothing wrong with letting that come through.
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Looking for event work, or hiring the people who do it? Let's talk.
A good events CV shows the shifts, the responsibility and the person behind it. If you are building a team and want to talk about who we look for, start with the role you have in mind.