The Perfect Musicians CV!

A Musician’s CV

Hey monkeys!

This week I have been looking through CVs of musicians for different jobs and so I thought I would give you some insider info on what made me choose candidates:

Here are the top 5 things, which got 3 guys work, which didn’t feature on 35 other CVs of musicians, all of whom were probably great for the jobs.

• Your Picture – First impressions are everything and only 30% of the applicants put a picture on their CV. Out of the 30% who did, most seem to have been taken by a Tourette’s sufferer having a stroke! Nobody wants to work with the next Columbine killer so get yourself a semi-decent shot in some decent clothes.
• Do your research – The amount of CVs and applications I get from musicians with no idea what we do, or what they will be asked to do, amazes me. If you want to make a good impression, find out as much as you can and then show how you can be of value to the company/band.
• Show your personality – As a musician you are a creative individual so show off some creativity and personality. Remember the old ‘I am not a number?’ Well in which case, show it when writing a covering letter or in your pictures or videos. Creativity will overcome budget any-day so think of a cool way you can stand out a bit without being too much like a desperate Big Brother contestant.
• Ask for the job – This sounds ridiculous but I love it when someone says ‘I really want this opportunity’. It makes me want to give them the opportunity! So finish your covering letter with a way of saying ‘Take a chance on me and I won’t let you down.’
• Keep it to the point – Personally I don’t care how many GCSEs you have as it’s bound to be more than me. Where you went to school and how long you worked at Topshop, might be relevant in some cases (which is why research is important), however, I want to know : What do you look like? what do you sound like? and what are you going to bring to the party that the other people won’t? When you have got that message across stop, as it can only decrease your chances if I know what star sign you are!

There are obviously a lot of other things that can help, but just remember that all you are trying to do with a CV is get your foot in the door to be seen and heard in an interview/audition. At that point you can build your case for why you should get the job.

One last bit of advice. Nowadays with social media like it is, it’s very easy to find out information about you. The first thing I do after scanning over a CV is to go find the candidate on Facebook and Twitter. If your Facebook status says something about you being ‘mashed off your face’ or telling your ex to go f*ck himself for boning your mum, it’s not a good start. So keep your Facebook secure and your Twitter clean and preferably proactive. This was a status I found from a recent candidate.

‘Can’t be fucked to get out of bed and look for work so gonna stay in and get stoned….’ – They didn’t get the gig funnily enough!

Peas!

Damo