How to hire a party planner

How to hire a party planner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step party planner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a party planner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new party planner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the party planner you need to hire. Certain party planner roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A party planner's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, party planners from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of party planner salaries for various roles:

   Type of Party Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Party Planner	Meeting, convention, and event planners coordinate all aspects of events and professional meetings. They arrange meeting locations, transportation, and other details.	$13-23
   Event Coordinator	An event coordinator is responsible for planning and working out on special events based on the client's specifications. Event coordinators' duties include suggesting appropriate venues, providing cost estimates and financial reports, selecting best vendors for the event's needs, and working on the client's approval for any adjustments to be made... Show more	$14-26
   Site Coordinator	A site coordinator is responsible for organizing special events and programs based on a client's specifications or a business's needs. Site coordinators ensure that the plan will go well by monitoring their resources, coordinating with third-party services, researching the best settings, finalizing the list of attendees, and managing the budget goals... Show more	$12-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Event Planning
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • RAN
   • Wedding Receptions
   • Food Orders
   • Telephone Calls
   • Private Parties
   • Front Desk
   • Event Facilities
   • Credit Card
   • Corporate Events
   • Party Packages
   • Social Events

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Source RFP's, negotiate contracts, and manage logistics for meetings, events and individual travel.
   • Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
   • Oversee air and grind travel and hotel reservations for VIP's, speakers and international scholarship attendees.
   • Help coordinate dj's, photographers, bakeries and all the wedding party on the day of the wedding.
   • Perform standard quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures prior to delivery of GIS products to clients.
   • Provide telephone coordination of all seminar attendees including reservations and accommodations.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your party planner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A party planner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, party planners' average salary in arkansas is 52% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level party planners earn 41% less than senior-level party planners.
   • Certifications. A party planner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a party planner's salary.

   Average party planner salary

   $38,098yearly

   $18.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level party planner salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a party planner job description

   A good party planner job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a party planner job description:

   Party planner job description example

   COME JOIN THE PARTY
   
   At Party City we create joy for our customers by making it easy to create unforgettable memories. We are Customer Obsessed. Our team members possess the energy and enthusiasm to match our customers excitement while providing an exceptional shopping experience. They are knowledgeable about our products and services, because we have the broadest and best selection of Party Goods. Our teams ensure that our stores are easy to shop and in stock. We inspire our customers with exciting concepts, themes, ideas and provide everything they need to bring them to life. Party City is a collaborative environment and we accept the responsibility to be the best that we can be. We live our brand every day and love to party! There aren't a lot of companies where wearing a costume is part of job.
   
   ARE YOU CUSTOMER OBSESSED?
   
   At Party City we celebrate each season, holiday and event with our customers. If you have a celebratory spirit, then we need you.
   
   · We show empathy and create a connection with every customer by offering a friendly greeting and welcoming smile.
   
   · Our associates listen to each customer and ask relevant questions to determine the appropriate solution for their event.
   
   · Party City loves balloons! We use our personalized creativity to design balloon décor and bouquets for every holiday and occasion.
   
   · We celebrate birthdays every day.
   
   · Our associates create joy for our customers by providing quality products and services. We bring the customers party vision to life!
   
   · We utilize suggestive selling techniques to ensure our customers are presented with a variety of options on every visit.
   
   WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE PARTY?
   
   If you can answer YES to the questions below then this is the job for you!
   
   · Do you possess prior retail sales experience?
   
   · Can you thrive in a fast-paced environment?
   
   · Are you Helpful, Passionate and Fun?
   
   · Can you inspire and serve others?
   
   · Are you influential, collaborative and adaptable?
   
   · Do you enjoy competing for goals and incentives?
   
   · Do you enjoy planning parties?
   
   APPEARANCE MATTERS!
   
   We are responsible to ensure our store is always customer ready.
   
   · Participation in the replenishment process will require you to lift, push and pull up to 25lbs daily.
   
   · Cleaning, store recovery, setting plan-o-grams and endcap maintenance is required.
   
   · Climbing ladders is required to re-stock and obtain merchandise for our customers.
   
   · Ringing transactions on a register is required.
   
   · Utilization of our helium tanks to blow up customer orders and seasonal balloon bouquets is required.
   
   PARTY PERKS AND REWARDS
   
   We value our team members loyalty and commitment to the organization.
   
   · Fun working environment
   
   · Competitive hourly wage
   
   · Flexible scheduling
   
   · Relaxed dress code
   
   · Generous associate discount
   
   · Lifestyle benefits
   
   · Skilled base learning
   
   Job Type: Part-time
   
   Pay: From $10.00 per hour
   
   Shift:
   
   Day shift
   Evening shift
   Night shift
   Weekly day range:
   
   Weekend availability
   Ability to commute/relocate:
   
   Pearland, TX 77584: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
   Shift availability:
   
   Day Shift (Preferred)
   Night Shift (Preferred)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right party planner for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your party planner job on Zippia to find and recruit party planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting party planners requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new party planner

   Once you've selected the best party planner candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new party planner. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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