ADVICE: Finding and Making the Most Out of a Music Industry Internship

This post is by Hypebot intern Hisham Dahud. His Twitter: @HishamDahud.

There have been a few discussions circulating the web lately about unpaid internships in the music industry being worth it or not. The fact remains that the entertainment and music sectors continue to be areas where many people are willing to work for free, so companies need not pay interns.

But speaking from personal experience, unpaid internships are only worth as much as the overall experience the intern can create from the internship.

That being said, it’s up to the intern to put forth due diligence and ensure first that the free labor they’ll be providing is conducive to their growth as a professional.

Will you be utilized as a task worker, or a knowledge worker? Will you primarily be getting coffee and watering the plants, or will you be involved in the day-to-day operations of the business? Knowledge of your strengths as they relate to the tasks being performed will be key and provide you with an advantage.

Once you think you've found an internship that suits you well, it’s important to keep the following in mind to ensure you get the most out of your experience:

1. Build Relationships, Not Just Rapport

This is probably a no-brainer for most people but it cannot be stressed enough that the music industry is one built primarily on relationships so it’s vital that you network and network often. The purpose of networking is to develop a network: a group of people who provide support, information, and resources to each other for the advancement, enhancement, or enrichment of each other’s careers or business pursuits. Knowledge of your brand value (understanding what you’re bringing to the table) is the key to opening doors in all networking situations. You may not have much to bring to the table early on, but that’s precisely why you’re interning.

2. Display a Genuine Desire to Learn

Leave your ego at the door – you’re here to learn and to advance your career. Once in a while you may get assigned seemingly meaningless tasks, but that’s part of being an intern. Ultimately (and assumingly), you’re here because you’re passionate about the music. It’s important to remain teachable and to speak up whenever you’re unsure of something or when you want to learn more. However, it’s also important to know when to keep your mouth shut. You’re dealing with confidential and internal information here so make sure it stays that way.

3. Under Promise, Over Deliver (UPOD)

Pretty basic: follow through on your commitments and exceed what you said you’d do. However, it’s important to set realistic expectations for yourself and your employer. At first, you may feel inclined to try to impress your supervisor (which is fine) but you've got to ensure that you can continue to perform at the same level that he/she expects of you. With that, it’s important to let your actions speak much louder than your words. You’re here to be of service and to be of value. How you choose to demonstrate your value can be the difference between a “good” intern and a “great” one.

4. Treat it Like a Real Job

An influential college professor of mine (and now good friend) Gian Fiero once emphasized: “The minute you are lucky enough to get a coveted internship position is the minute you should start conducting yourself like an employee – whether you are receiving monetary compensation or not. Even if the internship does not result in a job, or is not the right fit for you, the opportunity to build your professional reputation is still exists and must be capitalized upon."

While the common cliché of the music industry is that it’s "all about who know”, it’s of the opinion of this author that just as important as who you know, is what you can do for them. Internships not only provide you with valuable experience that builds upon your professional equity, they place you in situations where you can meet the people who can take your career to the next level – provided you seek first to fulfill their needs, solve their problems, and cater to their desires.