Chapter 8
Analyzing Job Descriptions
There is no way to better gauge your readiness for a
particular job than to look over a detailed job description
or job profile. Reviewing a comprehensive job
description of a role you aspire to will help you to
understand typical responsibilities, minimum
qualifications, and desired attributes of those in a
particular position, and will allow you to take stock of
your own experience and skills and how they stack up.
Do you have what it takes to not only qualify for the role,
but to compete for the role?
Are there gaps in your skills and experience that
you could be addressing now to make you more
competitive for such a role in the future?As we
learned to analyze career ladders in chapter 5,
we’ll now dissect two job descriptions so that
you are familiar with the process. Let’s start
with a job profile for an online media intern,
from a San Francisco-based music venue.
Job Offering: Online Media Intern, Live Music Venue
Job Profile
Duties: Performing tasks in various areas of venue management,
including promotions, marketing, ticket sales, and administrative duties
under the direction of management
Key Responsibilities: Marketing and promotion development, social
media management, website administration, user engagement and
interaction, market research, and ticket sales
Compensation: $12/hr; 24 hour per week schedule; rotate between A.M.
and P.M. shifts
Prerequisites:
Education or Training: Preference given to applicants with college degree in
progress or completed in music industry, communication, and marketing
Experience: Working knowledge of social media tools, Microsoft Office,
and Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver
Special Skills and Personality Traits: Strong evidence of excellent
written and oral communication skills, ability to work independently, selfmotivated and driven, organizational and time management skills,
eagerness to learn, brightness, aggressiveness, knowledge of music and/or
live music business
Preferred: Own your own smart phone and laptop, extensive knowledge of
social media marketing (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, etc.), experience in
similar work
Position Analysis
• Intern will perform a number of audience related tasks as
outlined above.
• Depending on size of venue: intern may report to house
manager, marketing manager, box office manager, or other
staff
• Will be exposed to all facets of operating live music business
• Since most ticket sales will be online, skill and experience
gained will likely be valuable to other employers in related
fields including sports, theater, etc.
 Some tedious work (mailing list maintenance, data entry, etc
 Although this internship is paid, most in industry are not
• Paid or not, intern is expected to function as paid employee
– Always punctual
– Dress appropriately (observe fellow workers – some labels are more
informal than others)
– Learn as much as possible about all aspects of business
– Ask questions, volunteer for as much hands-on as possible
• Internship could be audition for job if you do all of the above
• If internship is part of college requirement, a paper on work experience is
usually expected (@ UIW it is in the form of a journal)
Experience/Skills/Personality
For this paid internship, strong interpersonal,
communication, and self-management skills are a
must. Since the live music industry is a people
business, the best candidates will clearly
demonstrate a fit with the employer’s own sense of
purpose, place, and values. Being outgoing will
advance one’s prospects for this position
If you’re serious about a career in the music
industry, you must take apart job listings to
really understand the details, specific
requirements and salary information. If you
haven’t done the research and you just blunder
along, how do you know you’re going to get
where you want? How will you know the job has
the potential to earn what you want to earn?
Burgundy Woods Rodriguez
Class of 2005
Best example of a good intern that was immediately
offered a job upon completing internship. UIW Music
Industry Studies Graduate.
•Unpaid internship
•1st to arrive, 1st to volunteer, last to leave,
•Interviewed all executives at Virgin and interscope
Job Descriptions
Next is a job description for a position creating music
and sound effects for a computer-game developer.
Observing this helps you lay out a career roadmap, which is
the specific skills, talents, and experience needed to obtain
that position and prosper in a particular area of the
industry. By developing a career roadmap, you will be able
to know where you’re headed and if you have arrived, so
don’t embark on your career without one.
With a job description in hand, take an
inventory of the skills and knowledge
required to fill the position successfully,
and determine the areas in which you may
be lacking in knowledge
Job Title: Game and sound designer; full-time salaried
position
Position Summary: This person will work with software
designers and senior sound staff to create music and
sounds for the company’s latest products. In addition to
maintaining the highest possible audio-production values,
the sound designer will be responsible for adhering to the
stylistic approach determined for the specific product.
Ability to complete work within an established timeline is
required.
Job Responsibilities:
•Edit sound effects and synchronize with animation and other
interactive elements of the product
•Edit dialog
•Compose music segments, songs, and cues to enhance the
product
•Arrange music for the types of synthesizers utilized in PC and
Mac computers as well as general MIDI synthesizers
•Review sounds and music to be developed with productdevelopment team and software engineers to ensure playability
• Stay current on various developments in MIDI playback
systems for computer applications
Qualifications:
• Ability to compose music in a wide range of musical styles
• Four-year degree in music or equivalent practical musical
knowledge that can be demonstrated through composition
and arranging examples
• Extensive experience arranging music for various types of
synthesizers including those commonly used in the general
MIDI specification, Throrough knowledge of synthesis
techniques, patch editing, and sequencing software.
• Familiarity with digital sound editing tools such as Digital
Performer, Pro Tools, and Sound Forge. Strong understanding of the principles of digital audio and the physical
properties of sound. Must know the basic sound properties
of the various families of music instruments (strings, brass,
woodwinds, percussion, etc.).
• Experience with Macintosh, Windows, and MS-DOS
computers required. Basic knowledge of computer
language such as C++ helpful but not mandatory. Practical
experience in a recording studio environment is a plus.
Position Analysis
•Job description clearly written – lots of specific info on
required skills and experience
•Although not spelled out, candidate should have experience
playing video games
•Game scoring similar to film scoring, music enhances action
•Candidate will have experience as composer, sound designer, &
arranger and be well versed in all things MIDI
– Note: although composing is usually a solitary pursuit, this position
requires frequent interaction with other members of team
• Working collaboratively and adhering to deadlines may be as
important as innate compositional abilities
• Videogame creation requires dozens of individuals working
as a team towards completion of final product
• Candidate should also be proficient at editing dialog and
working in a recording studio setting
Conclusion
This job description makes it easy to create a
checklist of the skills that are required and for a
candidate to then compare his or her skill set to
see if this person is in fact a viable candidate for
the position.