Reinvent Yourself: More Job Hunting Inspirations from Taylor Hicks

Several years before Taylor Hicks was crowned the 2006 American Idol winner at the famed Kodak Theater, it was a much smaller stage that he claimed in his native Birmingham, Alabama.  In a venue called The Open Door Cafe, Hicks and his band mates tossed up a mixed salad of classic-bluesy rock and Southern rock, a Ray Charles’ heartbreaker, and some of Taylor’s original material.  Peppering his set with observations tossed out to the audience, Taylor noted rather wistfully that, “The blues don’t pay.”  Quickly and prophetically, he then added, “But they will someday; they will.”

Although Taylor’s public pep talk underscored both his devotion to his music and his commitment to landing a lucrative record contract, it also presented a dichotomy.  The kind of music that swept commercial radio represented a calculated, formulaic route too narrow to allow the undeniably talented and diverse, albeit unknown, artist to set off on a path of his own making.  Taylor understood that in order to get his foot in the door, he had to reinvent or repackage himself, balancing the primal need to remain true to his musical roots with the necessity to market himself to a broader audience.  As demonstrated by his song choices and as demanded by the judges throughout the Idol process, these were the decisions that informed Taylor’s strategy.

Although the three judges rarely achieved total consensus during the competition, they all emphasized that it was vital for each contestant to tell his or her unique story, to stand out artistically on the stage, to be memorable.  Interspersing the selections of older masters such as Sam Cooke with that of a gifted and little-known 21st century songwriter Ray LaMontagne, as well as widespread favorites such as Elvis and The Beatles, Taylor built a repertoire of soulful, emotional songs.  Over the weeks, they told the story of the type of music that he had moved him from the age of nine, when the pain and beauty of soul music compelled him to “liberate” an old Otis Redding LP from a friend’s parents’ collection.

Compressing three and four-minute radio-format songs into the two-minute offerings necessitated by Idol, he rearranged (“Taylorized”) each of the songs’ endings himself.  Telling his story in this manner, Taylor Hicks appealed to the broadest possible audience while maintaining the integrity of his musicality.  His eponymous, first post-Idol CD was fabricated on the premise of what he termed Modern Whomp:  a sound that honored the past while embracing more current forms of music.  With his newest CD “The Distance” sailing under the flag of his own Modern Whomp label, Taylor evolves his rich mélange, spinning the story of where he has been and where he is headed musically.  Integrating the sounds of yesteryear’s soul-blues luminaries with more contemporary genres, Taylor Hicks continues to reinvent himself, opening the widest possible markets for his genius and laying the foundation for continued success.

In this economic environment, employees, particularly older workers, would be wise to take a page out of the Idol winner’s book.  Instead of entering the job market like a singer walking cold into an audition, define and execute a strategy that will position you in the spotlight when reinventing yourself for potential employers.  Consider honestly the skills that you have acquired and honed over the life of your career, including both discernible and not so obvious abilities.  Proficiency in creating MS PowerPoint presentations, coordination of administrative aspects of clinical trials, and management of a medical office are examples of more palpable skills.  Not as obvious but no less valuable are, for instance, the ability to negotiate positive change with management, identify more efficient means of accomplishing departmental functions, and reduce overhead without cutting quality.  Viewing your skills in this manner will enable you to broaden your view of how you might best transition into a new industry or division.  And, this perspective will facilitate the telling of your own unique story.

In narrating your tale, do not neglect to bring to light some of your achievements.  As Einstein taught us, all things are relative; in order to illuminate your successes, you must first relate them as problems.  Explain the crux of the problem, how you perceived it, and how you turned it around.  If feasible, indicate measurable results (i.e., “Improved processing time by 20% over the previous system.”).

Bullet points on a resume are more effective than paragraphs for ease of digestion, but abbreviated bullet points cannot tell a story.  If this advice has you wondering if you need to write a book, you don’t.  The key is to encapsulate your story, using a reverse-chronological, functional (skills-based), or hybrid style of resume.  For most applicants, a two-page career synopsis is not only acceptable, it also enables narration of the salient factors that we have discussed above.

It is human nature to remember stories better than facts, so use this to your advantage when crafting your own memorable resume.  And don’t forget the importance of a cover letter.  As the precursor of the resume, the cover letter lends itself to writing a strong, succinct introduction.  By weaving a compelling story, you will prompt employers to schedule interviews during which you will have the opportunity to tell, in the words of the late, great Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.”