if you're asked about your "interests" on a job interview, do you mention music?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I do, because it is my main "interest." And they ask, "What kind?" And I say something like, "Um, different kinds of rock 'n roll... I like going to hear bands play... and listening to records... and, um, I like to dance..." And they look at me a little funny, and I finish up lamely with something about liking the outdoors, too; while wishing I had just made up gourmet cooking or something instead of getting into the music thing.

OK, it doesn't go quite THAT badly, but I still end up feeling a little silly.

(This obviously doesn't apply to whatever cool music-related job you may be thinking of.)

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

im comfortable listing music.. but then, it makes up such a huge part of my life i have to..

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I usually put "micro-house."

― Huck, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 23:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I worked at a company where the Vice President was a huge music snob and basically hired one of the guys there because he ran W1sh1ng Tr33 Records!

― Acid! Polizei! (ex machina), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Yesterday I went to a med school interview and the dude asked me: "So what elso do you do? besides academics?" I responded "Well, I'm really into music and I play the guitar." Then there was an awkward silence while he waited for me to say something like sports or I don't know, what ever 'normal' people do. Then he asked me what did I think of the color yellow.
I hate it when people assume you have to have so many hobbies to be a 'well-rounded' person. Who the fuck cares? I prefer to have one single thing that I'm really into (besides work), than a bunch of other stuff I really don't give a shit about. Next time someone asks me about my hobbies I'll say: "Music and drinking. Yep, thats all I do, listen to music and drink"

― Cacaman Flores, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Then he asked me what did I think of the color yellow.

Maybe he was making a Coldplay reference.

― Huck, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

"i like 60s guitar bands. er, yeah kinda like the beatles, yeah.."

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 22 April 2004 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I've mentioned it before, but I don't see what it accomplishes. I don't see what business it is of theirs what I do in my spare time.

― bimble (bimble), Thursday, 22 April 2004 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

It's probably not a good idea to say I listen to music. Far better to say that you are in a band or edited a fanzine. It shows that you get along with people or can meet deadlines etc.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 22 April 2004 03:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Fucking right on.

― David Allen (David Allen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 04:51 (twenty-two years ago)

and when you get tired to being regarded as potential freak, stealer of photocopies, and drug addict you STOP saying it. i learned this by 21.

― Orbit (Orbit), Thursday, 22 April 2004 04:56 (twenty-two years ago)

You know, too, why is it so unusual to like music? It's ingrained in us. Just about every culture in human history no matter how isolated had some sort of music.

Personally, I think it's a lot more fucked up if you DONT like music.

― David Allen (David Allen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah but the people doing the hiring are generally twits.

― Orbit (Orbit), Thursday, 22 April 2004 05:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes they are. I don't know why I always seem to make the mistake of assuming the people doing the hiring must be at least as intelligent as I am. This last job interview I went to...I got the impression they basically twirl pencils all day and pick a name out of a basket when deciding who to hire.

I also agree with Cacaman Flores.

― bimble (bimble), Thursday, 22 April 2004 05:23 (twenty-two years ago)

"Far better to say that you are in a band or edited a fanzine. It shows that you get along with people or can meet deadlines etc."

I always used to try to avoid any sort of discussion of my interests and activities: partly because I've always had an irrational fear that a potential employer will find out that I used to be a punk and refuse to employ me because of all those horrid things the Sex Pistols said about The Queen; and partly because I had a manager 20-odd years ago who used to attribute every short-coming he perceived in me to my being more interested in the band I was in than in the job (of course I was more interested in the band I was in than in the job - but frankly my shortcomings actually had far more to do with me being more interested in going out and seeing other bands and getting rat-arsed every night than in the job).

However my last boss told me that the reason he gave me the job was because he'd always hated accountants and I was the least accountant-like one he'd ever met "so it had to be worth a try, if only for a laugh!".

He subsequently used to proudly introduce me to everyone as "our alternative accountant" (I used to describe myself as "the old punk who works for the pair of old hippies").

So the next time I was looking for a job, I included the bit about the fanzine and the bands on my CV, kept the DM's on when I went for ythe interview, and it didn't seem to do any harm at all - although I think as you get older, potential employers become decreasingly concerned that you're suddenly going to ditch the day job to go on tour....

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 22 April 2004 11:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Depends on the interview situation. When I interviewed at a music-programming service, I made a point of mentioning my zine/writing/record-collecting pursuits. (I didn't get that job.) For this most recent round of interviews, however - mostly at law firms - I didn't mention music AT ALL. Mostly for the reasons Morris gave; the inevitable next question is "what kind?" and I've never figured out a good answer for that.

― mike a, Thursday, 22 April 2004 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I usually mention my bands, because they might think it's interesting and then won't be surprised if I have to leave early on the occasional Friday or whatever.

HOWEVER

At the place I just interviewed at they made clear that they allow NO OTHER OUTSIDE SOURCES OF INCOME, and that if you play in the symphony or whatever you have to donate the money to charity. Yeah fucking right.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I think i got this job because I said summat like "Yeah, an office full of records in alphabetical order; it's like being at home!" They asked if I had an anorak and a scooter.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 22 April 2004 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.