Tuesday 16 March 2010

Volunteering at Music Festivals

Are you sick of your job? Do you get that feeling of dread on a Sunday evening? Do you feel undervalued and overworked? If you said yes to any of those questions it probably means you’re in the wrong job and industry. So how can you find a job that makes you feel excited to go to work? Well think about what you love to do in your personal life? For instance are you a fan of live music and going to visit them live? Do you go to all the festivals in the summer and have the best time and come away feeling totally alive? Then how about considering a job in the live events industry? Imagine helping out backstage at an up and coming festival, then spending the rest of your shift watching the show for free! As well as getting to see the band play live for free, you may get up close and personal with band members. Also with a bit of networking you might meet some interesting people who could help you on your way to a new and exciting career change.

So how do you go about getting a job in an industry you have little or no experience in? Well it sounds simple but why not try volunteering? You might think “I’m not working for nothing”, but if you do think that you are seriously missing the point. You will not be working for nothing. You will be working to gain experience which is priceless. With a few days of voluntary work at different live events you will have something of value to add to your CV. So what if you get the crappy jobs, so what if you’re not getting paid...With a positive and hard working attitude you will soon be on the pay roll if you so wish. You might find that live events are not your cup of tea and not the type of career you want to get into, if that turns out to be the case the voluntary work was very useful indeed.

Every music festivals need volunteers so what better ways of finding out if you like an industry than working in it, even if it is for free. You might not get the best jobs like helping out with the band or help putting the stage up but it could soon lead to those type of jobs. You never know it might be the start of some big changes in your life, and you wouldn’t get those if you didn’t put yourself out a bit. If you believe in the law of karma then you will know that good comes from doing good, so by doing some voluntary and helping people out, good will come right back to you. The more you give, the more you get in return.

Another great aspect of doing voluntary work at live events is the networking opportunity. You could get to work along site event managers, band members, event planners, event coordinators and many more people who have been in the industry for years. If you work your but off and really show what an asset you are, you could possible get noticed and approached by some of these people. Being friendly, offering assistance and working hard will make you stand out from the crowd. Also the fact you’re working so hard for nothing will prove just how dedicated you are at working in that environment.


Live-Recruitment are a specialist recruitment agency offer Events Jobs and AV jobs in the Live events industry.

No comments: