'American Idol' can teach you about job interviews and networking

Career Connection: Building your professional career

I enjoy watching "American Idol." I've seen so many parallels between how hopefuls audition for a chance to continue their quest toward fame, fortune, and a trip to Hollywood and how people approach job interviews. On "American Idol," those who are really talented rise above those less gifted. But even among the very talented, we see significant differences.

We can almost spot the "Top 10" contestants by how they handle their auditions. The ones who find the most favor understand what the judges are looking for: not only "the look" and great vocal chops but how a contestant gets lost in the moment of the audition. Or, better yet: how that contestant is on his or her game when he or she delivers what the judges want.

The beggars and pleaders rarely make it through to the Hollywood round. If they do, they're usually gone by the end of that week. They just don't understand the nature of the auditions. They're controlled by the emotion of the moment — perhaps overwhelmed by the celebrity status of the judges — but then they rely on the beneficence of the judges and hope they'll get to the next round.

They've allowed their immediate surroundings, the presence of the judges or other external factors to exert control of their auditions. This behavior quickly and clearly labels these pleading hopefuls as amateurs and usually disqualifies them for further consideration.

Your job interview is your audition. When your game is on, you focus on what the hiring manager wants and needs, and you own the audition — the interview — and the space in which you find yourself, rather than feel sucked into it like a semi-helpless victim.

Beware of useless schmoozing disguised as networking

I empathize with the "American Idol" judges when contestants, after their poor auditions, subject them to tearful drama for some special consideration. I've seen it in the hiring process and with those who abuse the idea of networking.

Occasionally, I receive an email or phone call from a former colleague — perhaps someone I hardly knew to say "hello" to in the halls — who wants to meet with me over lunch for undisclosed reasons. I'm reluctant to offend, so I used to agree with a modicum of enthusiasm because I knew what was coming: useless schmoozing, an outright plea for a job, some good leads — or all three.

So now, I don't accept the invitation unless I first know why. If the person is favor shopping, it's okay to tell me up front. But to disguise it will always result in losing my respect and future assistance.

I call this approach "noxious networking" because it always leaves a bad smell behind. It's a sign of desperation in which professional decorum takes flight before I've ordered an appetizer. Such people are interested only in what they can get out of a relationship and not in how they may be able to help others. It's a sure-fire way to ruin a potentially great networking contact.

Networking works best when it's about building and maintaining mutual relationships — with a focus on the word, mutual. It's best to nurture those relationships long before you need to use them; otherwise, it's simply a selfish, self-absorbed, one-way strategy others will detect quickly. And you've likely burned key contacts for your job or career search.

Nurturing professional networks requires time and energy. You want to ensure you're creating mutual professional relationships with those you can help and who can help you. Sometimes, the perceived benefits of such contacts are greater than actual ones.

Be honest with network leads

Just as it's wrong to pass no-talents through to the next level in "American Idol," so is granting interviews to candidates you have no intention of hiring.

Back in the mid-1990s, the division manager to whom I reported wanted to bring in three of his friends and former employees to interview for a vacant technical writer position on my team. We received résumés of these possible candidates who had extensive experience in the aerospace industry with writing and illustrating technical specifications. They actually were more engineering draftsman than technical writers, but the boss insisted we interview them.

Members of my team knew before the interviews that none of them qualified as microprocessor technical writers and editors, and we probably would pass on recommending them. All the candidates worked in DOS-based environments and didn't have any experience with the Windows-based applications we used.

The interviews lasted about four hours and, as we expected, we didn't recommend any of the candidates for hire. The division manager thought he was helping his friends and former co-workers, but ultimately the interviews were just another disappointment for these folks. And we all felt badly that we had to waste these individuals' time and possibly injure their dignity.

Are you a job applicant or a job supplicant?

The overt nature of begging and pleading for a job also smacks of misdirected energies. The very term "applicant" has synonyms such as "aspirant," "contender," and "claimant" that imply some degree of intent, concerted effort or purpose.

People apply for vacant positions, or they fill out job applications. The individual who must resort to pleading is known as a "supplicant," which has as synonyms, "requester" and "petitioner." An applicant who resorts to supplication when seeking a job either isn't considered seriously for the position or might have to work harder to earn the respect of co-workers — if he or she is hired.

So, if supplication is your preferred approach, just remember how so few "American Idol" pleaders heard former judge Randy Jackson say …

'You're going to Hollywood!'

Short-sightedness is often the reason "American Idol" hopefuls fail in their auditions. Many of the finalists put "being the next ‘American Idol' " ahead of the love of making music for the enjoyment of others as so many first-round wanna-bes confidently proclaim to the viewing audience and the judges. Sometimes in the hiring process, short-sightedness comes across in candidates who embrace the "I need a job" mindset rather than seeing themselves as the hiring manager's problem solver. It's a matter of focus that makes all the difference in the approach to an audition/job interview.

Finalists' words of advice

Whether you're seeking a job within your industry or are considering a complete career change, heed the advice from "American Idol" finalists:

• Play to your strengths and know your limitations.
• Maintain an approachable, likeable personal style.
• Show some personality.
• Understand what the judges are looking for and need.
• Above all, demonstrate your talent.

As with "American Idol" finalists, the person who outperforms the competition, who brings to the open position the skills, knowledge and expertise the hiring manager needs for the position — and promotes that expertise throughout the hiring process — is ultimately the person who carries the day.

Donn Levie Jr. has more than 25 years of experience in hiring manager positions for the U.S. Department of Commerce-NOAA, Phillips Petroleum (now Conoco-Phillips), Fisher Controls, Motorola SPA, and Intel Corporation. LeVie is the author of "Confessions of a Hiring Manager Rev. 2.0 (Second Edition)," and "The Art of the Unfair Advantage: How to Become the Hiring Manager's Candidate for Choice for Any Job in Any Economy" (to be published later this year).

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