Interviewing indie music artists

I’m writing this to help me remember, but also as a guide for you to get some ideas on interviewing musicians.

1) Most indie musicians love writers b/c. it gives them more exposure, attention, contacts, etc. Knowing this will give you some confidence, be patient, positive, brief (don’t waste their time) – meaning, be direct and clear when you ask them for an interview.

2) You’re already at the show, you see the singer. Be proactive! You have to create your own breaks, stories…so go find them. Don’t waste a chance if your gut says go talk to THAT band.

3) At a show, you can approach in many ways, but always be respectful & handing over a nice looking business card, always looks good. State that you are writer, right off the bat, so they’ll probably get that you are there wanting to interview or get a quote for an article.

4) Nowadays, contacting a band through a website is actually a decent way to go. I have scored most of my interviews writing a direct e-mail to their official website, Myspace, Twitter, even Facebook. Social media does work for writers to connect with the artist….really!!

At first I would write comments & stuff on their site, and then the artists sometimes would comment back..huh? So, the more it happened, I thought, why not? E-mail directly and see if they want to talk, the worst they can do is say no or ignore your message. For example, if I get a response, I usually either try to meet when they next come to town, or I try to do a phone interview & set it up.

*The hardest thing about doing an interview is setting a suitable day & time. It can be frustrating if they have to re-schedule, etc., however, this comes back to the patience thing. If you want to interview an artist, it’s still awesome to have to interview, even if you have to wait a long time. But be persistent and patient. Remind yourself that musicians are busy, practicing, recording new stuff, so be prepared for example, if they say come to show  I’ll talk with you after the show, and the show ends at 2am…you stay till 2am happily & do that interview to your best.

Now, I’m saying here that you shouldn’t go through their indie record label, that’s fine, you will probably have to go that route if they’re a big “indie artist”.

O.K. this blog is getting horrendously long, I could tell you a lot more things, so I might in a continuation blog.

~Jason

[Via http://chodideeswaxpoetical.wordpress.com]

Why it's important to send a thank you letter after the interview

Landing a job, while managing to differentiate yourself from fellow candidates, is not an easy task. The marketplace arena is becoming increasingly competitive and to stand out as a future asset for any company requires taking the extra step that can really make a good impression.

Actually, there are three important steps in the job application process, namely your resume, the interview and the thank you letter after the interview. Each of these steps requires careful consideration. Even though most job seekers realize the importance of having a nicely structured resume and performing well during the interview, they underestimate the importance of sending a follow-up thank you letter to thank their interviewer. Yet, this is very vital for their potential hiring to the job.

There are numerous reasons why a thank you letter after the interview is important. First of all, it is an effective way to thank your interviewer for the time spent on the meeting and discuss potential employment. Besides, it is proper business etiquette and you can use it to make a good impression and present yourself as a courteous candidate that can soon turn into a viable asset for the company.

However, apart from leaving a good impression to the interviewer and possibly increasing your chances to get the job, the thank you letter post-interview is vital because it sums up the reasons why your skills can bring value to the company. By writing a thank you letter, in effect, you remind to your potential employer the benefits derived by hiring you. However, to achieve that, you need to write a well-structured thank you letter in order to include all the necessary points that can really make you the ideal candidate for the job.

In particular:

• Always thank your interviewer for their time
• Briefly explain why you think you’d be an asset to the company
• Recap on your skills which you believe match to their organizational needs
• Explain why you have chosen their organization
• Mention matters that you didn’t have the chance to do during the meeting, such as working overtime or taking over extra responsibilities
• Let them know you look forward to hearing from them
• Be at their disposal for any further information they may request
• Keep it short and simple

Always remember that getting a job is stressful and sending an interview thank you letter can be your key to success. For instance, if you have similar skills and expertise with other candidates, a thank you letter will probably make your application more interesting and may just be the one thing to give you a competitive edge when the time for the final decision comes.

Besides, regardless if you feel that your interview was successful or a miserable failure, it is vital to remember that the interview thank you letter in effect completes your interview. So, don’t be one of those job seekers who disregard the necessity of sending out this vital piece of correspondence. Be the exceptional candidate who carries a strong resume, knows how to present own skills and competencies during the interview, but most importantly recognizes the value of a follow-up thank you letter after the interview to reiterate on the skills that can make you a real asset for the organization.

[Via http://christinapomoni.wordpress.com]