How to write the perfect music industry CV

Getting your first job in the music industry is an exciting experience but it can be daunting.

Whether you are applying to a record label, agency, live music company, streaming or merchandise platform - music industry jobs are extremely competitive.

But if you are up for the challenge we've created a music industry CV template to help you stand out.

What is different about a music industry CV?

• If your role requires being savvy with social media and presentation, format your CV to display your flair for design. Keep it cohesive, clean and easy to read, but don’t be afraid to make it look unique. 

• The music industry is pretty results-driven, as creative as it is – so anything you list as an achievement, provide hard figures outlining how this improved things or benefitted the business. Good examples could be if you grew an artist’s fanbase on social media, grew listenership or brought in good results from a campaign you managed.

How to stand out:

• Include a portfolio: What have you got to show? Housing projects on a portfolio document or website that can be attached to your CV will make a huge difference - this could be any involvement in social or video campaigns, artist branding, social campaigns, and more.

• Internships, internships, internships: It's not the make or break, but larger brands may come to expect you to have completed a music industry internship or two. If you have, explain how long each placement was for and what you achieved during your internship.

• Tailor your CV: Review the job spec of the role you're applying for and include examples of tasks or scenarios where you've shown a competency that the company are looking for. This could be during an internship, apprenticeship or a project taken on during college or uni.

• If you have any music-related brands or businesses you manage, as well as any social media profiles for said brand, provide a link for them to check it out. 

• If you create music yourself, add your socials and what your successes have been. It's a clear way of showing you care about this industry if you actively partake in it.

Must-haves

• Contact details: Phone number, Email.

• Your opening statement has got to be strong and display in a couple of lines how you stand out from the competition – speak about your experience, what specific area of the industry you wish to specialise in, and where you’re at now in your career.

Download our template below:

Music Industry CV Template (entry-level)

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About Handle Recruitment

We opened the doors in 1978 and built our reputation in the music industry. We quickly realised that a great brand is not always a household name. A great brand is something people connect with, not just a place they work. Somewhere that helps them become better at what they do. It could be a record label, it could be in media, it could be a tech start-up.

• Supporting Great People in Marketing | Finance | HR | Office Support | Sales | Legal | Event Operations | Post-Production.

• The Talent Solutions we provide, Permanent, Temporary and Interim Recruitment | People Consultancy | Outsourced Freelancer Payroll & Compliance.

• The Industries we support: Music | Film | TV | Entertainment | Fashion | Live Events | Sport | Publishing | Post-production.

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