On Tuesday April 28 2020 we held our very first virtual event! We’d originally planned for this event to take place IRL however instead of postponing, we wanted to cater to our YGN community and so we switched it to an online event.
Over 50 YGN-ers met on Zoom for a timely session on Finding Music Jobs After Covid-19, with guest speakers from Handle Recruitment, David Johnston, one of the Executive Directors, and Managing Consultant, Jane Bellamy, who looks after music roles at Handle.
We had a real mix of attendees. For some, it was their first every YGN event! A poll was conducted to get an idea as to where everyone was in their ‘music industry journey’ with 36% currently studying and a quarter who are already worked within the music industry. Jane and David answered questions on how recruitment in the music industry had been impacted by Covid-19. A round-up on some of their great tips and pieces of advice: * If you’ve been furloughed, and your employer is okay with it, you’re able to get another job or volunteer, you might also be able to undertake training.
*Don’t ‘panic apply’. Meaning, don’t apply for numerous jobs at one company because it doesn’t come across well. Continue to target your approach.
*Internship schemes [in particular here, David was asked about the Sony Music Internship schemes] will still run, but will be recruiting later in the year - i.e. be pushed back to September/ October to allow current interns to complete their internships.
*If you are finding it difficult to get into music, industries such as Gaming or TV on Demand or Online Education are sectors that are not dissimilar. Jane also made a point that Labels have been recruiting people with Youth Culture Brand backgrounds [such as Red Bull etc] to bring a diverse skillset. So if you’re going to cast your net wider, remember that there will always be a route back to the music industry. Before breaking out to try our hand at some ‘virtual networking’ run by members of the YGN team, David ended on a positive note saying that the industry has bounced back from recessions in the past- the Industry will come out at the other side. He mentioned that there are roles that will be advertised, companies are just waiting to see how things pan out first. He encouraged everyone to take advantage of all the help out there.
You can follow up with Jane and David via email: jane.bellamy[at]handle.co.uk and david[at]handle.co.uk