Your Marketable Skill Set

1. Your Marketable Skill Set Chapter 9

2. Skill Set Assessment Worksheet • Tool to help you achieve your career goals by identifying your marketable skills • Example: fluency in a second language – linguistic proficiency is a component of your unique marketable skill set • Two types of marketable skills • Foundational skills – needed for any job in today’s job market • Job-specific skills – required for success in specific career

3. If you are at the beginning of your skill-set development, don’t tackle specifying your marketable skill-set just yet. • Study this chapter so you understand the process. • After time in school and possibly an internship, then tackle the worksheet. • If you already possess some skills then go ahead and do the worksheet • You will be assessing your marketable skill set against those required for the career that interests you • To increase your “hire-ability,” your marketable skill set should be made up of skills that a potential employer would look at and say,

4. “We can use this person’s particular set of skills around here.” That’s because when an employer considers whether or not to hire you, they’re basically trying to answer one question, “What is this person going to do to make my life easier?” That is the single most crucial question you must clearly answer when you set out to create a strong résumé or go for a job interview. What are you going to do to make your next boss’s lfe easier and better, and make the company more efficient and profitable?

5. Workshop 9.1 Foundational Skills Assessment • Taking an inventory of of your own marketable skills is a key step in your career development. • In today’s fast-paced entertainment world, foundational skills are a prerequisite to being considered for most jobs!

6. STRONG MODERATE NEEDS WORK Reading and writing 0 0 0 Verbal Communication 0 0 0 Listening 0 0 0 Understanding and following 0 0 0instructions Observing and assessing 0 0 0situations and problems

7. STRONG MODERATE NEEDS WORK Decision making 0 0 0 Computer word processing 0 0 0 Computer database ability 0 0 0 Computer spreadsheet ability 0 0 0 Internet navigation and 0 0 0research

8. The first six skills are interpersonal skills that most people will have developed some proficiency through school, social, and business situations. • The last four relate specifically to computers and the Internet. • Absolutely necessary for success in any music or entertainment industry company If you feel your interpersonal skills need improvement: • Ask school counselor what classes would help develop them • Speech, language, writing classes are just a few Computer skills not up to par? • Basic classes available online, community colleges, books

9. Analyzing a Sample Marketable Skill Set Next we’ll look at a marketable skill set for an aspiring recording engineer. Important to remember – this is an example of the level of detail you need to comprehend for your industry job, regardless of what area of the industry you hope to work in!

10. Marketable Skill Set For Audio Engineer Foundational Skills • Reading/writing/following instructions • Ability to communicate clearly • Ability to stay calm and cool • Basic computer skills

11. Audio Engineer Skills (continued) Job-Specific Skills • Critical listening skills • Audio engineering expertise • A good “bedside manner”

12. Foundation Skills 1. You have to be able to read, write, and (yes), follow instructions. Why is that critical in a recording studio? • Not following instructions could damage expensive equipment • First engineer could request you to perform a specific task and can’t always coach you through that activity • You are working with client’s master tapes that cost thousands of dollars

13. Following instructions (continued) • Studio owner must be confident that you will listen, follow instructions and get the job done correctly and on time. 2. The ability to communicate clearly • The author mentions that many times while engineering a session, the Artist or Producer stated “It just isn’t right, It’s not getting me.” • He also mentions spending hours trying to figure out how to “get it right!” This is actually a case of the Artist or Producer not having good communication skills but also emphasizes the importance of the engineer’s communication skills.

14. The ability to communicate clearly (continued) • Mr. Hatschek also mentions that it’s important to know when NOT to communicate and let the Artist and/or the Producer figure it out for themselves. 3. The ability to stay calm and cool • It’s not unusual for Artists to get emotional in the studio when things are not working well. • A capable engineer knows how to stay cool when an Artist vents their frustration. • The author mentions arguments between management and band that escalated to the point of fisticuffs. Generally that’s not conducive to the creative process.

15. The ability to stay calm and cool (continued) • It is advantageous if the engineer knows how to block an uppercut. 4. Basic computer skills How much computer knowledge to you need to make it as a recording engineer? • Most aspiring engineers are already quite proficient with DAW software and that is, of course, a big plus, BUT! • You must also be proficient with word processing, database and spreadsheet programs for documenting and logging of projects, maintenance records, etc.

16. Basic computer skills (continued) Example: On your first day as an intern or gofer, and your boss tells you, “Go log these fifty tapes into the tape library,” and he points you to the computer and you can’t figure it out, you’re out! PC or MAC – best to know both!

17. Job-Specific Skills 5. Critical listening skills – Extremely important! Author’s Anecdote: “A computer company approached me with a disc of sampled instrument sounds for computer users. It shows musical instrument graphics on the screen and then plays the instrument’s sounds. The computer company stated that they were getting a lot of complaints about the sound. After loading the disc I could see the samples were quite small and at a very low sampling rate. What was supposed to be a clainet sounded like a chainsaw. It was recorded with so much distortion that it didn’t even sound like a musical instrument anymore.

18. 5. Critical Listening Skills (continued) That is an extreme-but real-example of how critical listening skills could have saved a lot of time, money, and headaches. Important ways of building critical listening skills: • Listen to music at every opportunity and learn to focus on both the individual instruments and the overall ensemble. • Listen to ALL styles of music – classical, jazz, rock, country, alternative, chamber music, big band, folk, etc.

19. 5. Critical Listening Skills (continued) • Engineer/Producer Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Paul McCartney, and many more – all genres) recommends listening to all syles of music in a live concert setting. • Swedien states: “Recordings are sonic illusions or sound paintings. In order to become a competent engineer, you have to build up a library in your mind of what instruments sound like naturally-one at a time and in ensembles.” Truer words were never spoken!

20. 6. Having Audio Expertise You have to develop a thorough knowledge of audio, such as: • Signal flow • Phase • Microphone selection and placement • Signal processing

21. 6. Having Audio Expertise (continued) • Whether you are self-taught or went to a recording school, you have to acquire the basic knowledge of how to make a recording, do overdubs, and handle a mixdown efficiently. 7. Having a good bedside manner (how the engineer sets the tone, or mood while working in the studio with a client) • The most successful engineers are the ones who create an environment that is conducive to getting creative work done.

22. 7. Having a good Bedside Manner (continued) • The finest equipment and stellar acoustics don’t mean a thing if the vibe is not good in the studio • What’s the point if the artist walks in and he or she doesn’t feel comfortable? • If artists are cared for, even pampered, a good engineer will capture their best performance.

23. Closing Thoughts Students often ask Mr. Hatschek, “What do I have to do to get a job as an engineer?” His answer: • Get the skill set together first (the first 6) • 7. Good bedside manner - can only be learned through on the job experience or during an internship at an established studio • Very helpful if you’ve played music, can read music, or are conversant with the musical language. • You need to know enough about musical structure to understand what forte, ritardando, and the “B” section of a musical chart represent.

24. Closing Thoughts (continued) Great Example: • You are booked to record a Dixieland Band next week • You purchase a few well-known Dixieland Band recordings • Band shows up for session and you say “I bought a Turk Murphy recording and I was checking out how these guys sounded together.” • The band will think, “Wow, our engineer took the time to learn something about what we do. • You’ve just scored some major points, established a rapport, and are now ready to make a great recording!