Interviews In Audio - Your Entire Life Is An Interview

Since seriously considering a career in audio I have put self employed at the top of the list of thing's I hope to achieve. I don't have any real issue with working for someone but I am really excited at the challenges and also the freedoms presented in being able to work for myself. So job interviews are not something I really considered to be in my future. I am not oblivious to the fact that a lot of my work could potentially come from contracts where something that might be loosely considered a job interview takes place, but I never gave it much thought.

Questions like “What’s the most important part of a sandwich?” (The condiment. A dry sandwich without a condiment that compliments the filling may as well be served in a prison) or “What makes you angry?” (The sound of people eating. I will actually start to imagine the ways I will kill you) have really made me think about how much I enjoy lunch and also that fact that I can't be around children when they are eating. I am also keenly aware that they are designed for an employer to try and gauge who I am. In the past where a formal interview process has taken place it's easy enough to read these questions for what they are and more or less lie in response to make sure a potential employer hears the right thing. I already know that I am an introvert with high anxiety, I don't need a potential employer finding that out too early on.

Another job interview that I didn't consider was the fact that if I do want to be self employed and work in music, my entire life is a job interview. Through attending shows, going to be pub and just generally being out and about, you meet a lot of people. People who are themselves musicians, run venues or work in other creative fields. It's pretty common for all of these types to end up at the same pubs watching the same bands on a Friday. So the way in which you interact with these people and how you conduct yourself around them and their acquaintances is incredibly important to how you are perceived in the industry. A potential employer or someone that you may collaborate with on a project may not even need to meet you if someone you know well can vouch for you, having effectively conducted multiple job interviews with you at 2 am in the beer garden of the Tote.

It's also important to put yourself in the situations where these "interviews" are likely to occur. If you are not actively seeking out these interactions and showing your face then you're not really going to show up on anyone's radar. Staying home because it's cold and you're stoned is kind of a cop out. Attending events, shows and lectures is not quite enough though, you do need to seek people out, engage them, and follow up. Either via email or their preferred social media platform. This sets you apart from everyone else and shows that you are proactive. Qualities that one would want to display in a regular job interview.

The important thing to remember is that given how small the industry is you must always be on your best behaviour. When considering the social media presence that we maintain as self marketing creatives, never before, have we been as connected as we are now and in a city such as ours there are never many degrees of separation. So there's a very good chance that someone who does not know you personally still knows quite a bit about you. Ultimately I have entered myself into a situation where it's entirely likely I won't end up in a formal interview very often. What I do need to remain conscious of though is the fact that I my life from here on is essentially one great big informal interview made up of a collection of smaller interactions.