Your Essential Guide to Work Experience in the Music Industry: Part 2
Blog by Louise Dodgson under Artist Managers, Creative & Branding, Finance, Law & Music Business, Live, Media, Music Publishing, Music Training & Careers, Record Labels, Recording & Production, Selling & Distributing Your Music
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Here’s our Editor, Louise, again with the second instalment of our blog all about finding work experience in the music industry and getting the most out of it! Just click here if you missed the first part of our Guide to Work Experience in the Music Industry. So assuming you now have a work placement, internship or similar in the bag, there is still plenty you can do to make sure you make a lasting impression (for the right reasons!) and have a valuable experience worthy of addition to your CV.
Once the golden placement is yours…
Set your watch 5 minutes early
Be on time, be early…just don’t be late. Yes, you’re giving up your own time and working for free so perhaps you don’t think rolling up 5 minutes late will matter too much. If this is your outlook then you’re already on a downward spiral to getting zero out of your placement. Being on time and making a concerted effort to be alert and enthusiastic demonstrates that you’re ready to give 100%. If any paid opportunities do come up, I want to offer them to the person who is on the ball, not the person who has been consistently late. Of course, things beyond your control do happen from time to time, so if you are running late just make sure you let someone know by telephone. If you are only helping out on certain days and need to change the arrangement, then give as much notice as possible, again by telephone if you can. An email sent 30 minutes before you’re due in, to say you cannot make it after all is just plain impolite. Treat others with the same consideration you’d want to receive.
Get the kettle on!
Don’t think that offering to make everyone a brew will therefore mean that you will be palmed off with the menial jobs for the entire duration of your placement. It’s all about chipping in and being part of the team…and quite often the quickest way to win the hearts of your team will be to put the kettle on! I cannot speak for every office, but certainly here at The Unsigned Guide, every single member of our team will take their turn in ‘brewing up’ so get involved!
Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether it’s something you’ve been shown that you’re not clear on or something you’re really interested to learn more about, just speak up. A work placement is meant to be a rewarding and learning opportunity for you so the people you’re working with should be happy to answer any enquiries you may have. Personally, I would much rather somebody ask me if they’re unsure of a task, rather than keep quiet and consequently do it wrong.
Hopefully, the people you’re working alongside should be friendly and approachable so make the most of it. Most folks enjoy talking about what their job entails and sharing their knowledge so use your work experience time to tap into that and get a feel for what everyone is doing and how it all fits together.
Make sure you’re comfortable
Now you’ve got stuck into your placement a little, take a step back and make sure you’re comfortable with the whole arrangement. Remember, you are there by choice and if you think too much responsibility is being assumed of you or you’re putting in more than your fair share of hours, then you can speak to whoever your placement is organised with to review the situation. Obviously, if you’re not happy, we don’t suggest popping out for lunch and never returning, but you are a free agent and you can leave if you want to. Just do the professional thing and let somebody know if you’re not intending to come back the following day.
If, on the other hand, you are taking on lots of responsibility, thriving on it and keen to take on some new challenges, again speak to the relevant person who will probably be overjoyed to give you more new and varied tasks. There is no right and wrong measure either way as to how much graft you should be putting in, just whatever you feel comfortable with.
Go the extra mile
Whether you’re the only member of work experience staff at a business, or one of many, you still need to make your mark and stand out. The good news is that you don’t have to dress in fluorescent clothing to get the attention of your co-workers…simply work hard and do the best job you can!
Ultimately, the key to making a good impression whilst on work placement is this: treat it as though it’s your paid job. You won’t go far wrong! Be keen and enthusiastic. If there are other bits & pieces you think you can help your colleagues out with, go ahead and offer. It’s unlikely they’ll turn down somebody offering them an extra hand. You never know, if you make yourself an invaluable part of the team, they may not want to let you go!
Get references & feedback
Ideally, at the end of, or even during, a work placement you should be in a position to get a good reference from your employers. This will stand you in good stead to get future work in the music industry but you don’t have to wait until another opportunity arises before you ask for it. Usually, if you ask nicely, it should be no problem for a brief reference of your performance to be knocked up and this may then come in handy to email on when applying for new jobs or opportunities.
Ask for any constructive feedback that can be offered about your time with the business. You can work on any weaknesses and the praise will make you feel good and propel you onto the next thing that comes your way!
Tags
music industry, music business, music jobs, music internships, music work placements
