Preparing for a DJ interview

Thank you for the support everyone. To answer your question Dnbrn, it was not the type of interview I was expecting. Before I met with him, he emailed me some application forms to fill out. They were basic application forms which mainly asked for my personal information and did not ask many specific dj related questions. I filled them out and emailed them back. Once he reviewed them, we set up a time for an interview. I prepared for the interview by just reassuring myself that my heart was in this and that no matter what happened, the result would be good for me. I put my resume, my Dj resume, my business card, and a CD mix in a yellow folder and headed out the door. I dressed in khaki and a polo (it was F’n hawt outside)

I arrived at the interview which was is at his home/office. We introduced each other and from then on it was was a friendly/relaxed and slightly informal meeting. He began telling my about his company. I went into it thinking it would be mainly a bar/club kinda thing, but he actually had a legitimate reputable business that serviced private events throughout the area. He described what the employee roles were at events and we reviewed the employee manual of what the job entailed. We briefly discussed what experience I had (house parties and backyard gigs) and what equipment I am proficient in (Traktor kontrol, traktor pro 2). Other than that i wasn’t asked many questions related to my skill set. There was an hourly pay rate for employees and i was told that you receive good tips at major private events.

I was told that I was favorable over other applicants who were in high school or college. I’m 24 and in grad school, but he felt I would be more reliable than younger applicants. (I see where hes coming from since being the DJ at someones wedding is no joke, if you flake out the company is gonna look real bad) If you do happen to be high school or college aged, I think the trick is to present yourself in a manner which shows that you will take the job seriously.

The rest of the interview we reviewed how the gig works.I would receive some training and then act as a helper at gigs. Once they see I can handle myself i would emcee or dj events or both. I would go pick up equipment from him before events and transport it and set it up myself. He showed me to his garage where I saw all the equipment. It was seriously gear and a lot of it. I could tell this was a organized operation they are running. We just talked and joked around for a while, it seemed like a fun and enjoyable job. He told me the job was mine if i wanted it. So I took the papers home to review and called him the next day to accept!

Overall I was surprised how lax the meeting was. I went into it very professional and attentive, however as time went by I felt that i could loosen up and be myself. I’m not sure if this was typical for many dj interviews but this is the experience i had!

I def hope that sharing my experience will help others, I have already learned a lot from the experiences of people on this forum =]

During the interview I raised the point that I will be heading back to school in the fall, full time (my last year of grad school!) Thankfully he understood that. I can work as much as i can, and most events are on weekends which i’m willing to sacrifice to pursue something i love