Ways of Getting into the Industry

After I graduate with my Master's in Entertainment Business I want to jump straight in to the music industry. I plan on moving to Nashville as soon as my lease for my apartment is up, which will be in June. The music industry is a very competitive industry and networking would be one of the key ways to land a job. That's why I have kept in touch with a lot of my friends and especially the ones who have moved to Nashville and already have jobs there. There are many ways to get hired in the music industry. The most simple way would be to send in your resume, but sometimes the simple way does not guarantee someone a job. You could also design a website for yourself that highlights your attributes. This shows the employer that you are a hard worker and they are more likely to remember you as opposed to just handing in a resume. This website will also have your resume on it but it will look better than a piece of paper. Think of this as your portfolio. There are many websites that allow you to design your own page but the one that I use and the one that I think is the best is www.wix.com. It is very user friendly and guides you through multiple ways you can design your page. Anyways, back to the hiring process, usually you will get an interview and if the employer likes you then they will ask you back for another interview. Also, if you don't have a profile on http://www.linkedin.com/ then you need to get one quick. Employers are using this website more than ever to find employees so make sure it looks good. http://blog.linkedin.com/2009/10/14/linkedin-50-million-professionals-worldwide/ says there are 50 million linkedin users but this number has certainly grown since this blog came out almost a year and a half ago. Sometimes you will have to settle with an internship before you will be given a job. Internships are good for a new employee to become acquainted with the business, and employers like them because they generally don't have to pay you. Employers want to see that you have experience and this is a good way to gain some. After the internship is done, the employer can decide if they want to hire you. NEVER think that you will get hired after you are done with your internship, on your free time you should be looking for other jobs or internships that you can work for after your previous internship is through. 

3 ways to use digital media:

Well the first thing I am going to talk about shouldn't be a surprise because everyone seems to be using it and that is social media. Build an internet presence for yourself. This is especially handy when your employer looks for you on the internet. They can look at all things you have done and make a judgement if you are right for their business. www.facebook.com, www.twitter.com, and www.linkedin.com are all great websites to start building your web presence. 

Another digital media tool that one could use would be blogging and especially blogging about the respective field of work that one wishes to work in. This will show an employer how dedicated you are to working in the industry but make sure you know what you are talking about because you don't want to come off as misinformed. Make sure if you have a blog to not keep it yourself. Try and get the blog out there on the internet so people can see it. The more people that see your blog the more likely you are going to get noticed and maybe offered a potential job. 

Another way of utilizing social media is doing a podcast. Once you have completed your podcast you can put a link for it on all your facebooks, twitters, and even your blog. People will have a one-stop shop for everything that is you and for everything that you care about. Podcasts are huge these days, and they even have awards for the best podcasts of the years, sort of like an Oscars for podcasts. Here is a good website to become more acquainted http://www.podcasting-tools.com/blog.htm,