As “American Idol¹”Season 13 winds down, the last of the disappointed candidates heads home. (Bye-bye oft-abused Jessica Meuse and too-quiet Alex Preston, you were lucky to survive so long.) The 10-month gauntlet that started in Salt Lake City has been an arduous², sometimes superficial, review process filled with mixed messages and false hopes. In other words, it’s resembled a real-life job search.

随着第13季美国偶像的落幕，失望而归的候选人们也踏上了回家的路。（是时候和你们说再见了，Jessica Meuse和Alex Preston，你们能撑到今天很走运。）这盐湖城开始的为期10个月的较量非常艰辛，有时候肤浅的评论充斥着各种信息和不切实际的希望。换而言之，和现实生活中找工作有类似之处。

But take heart, dog! If in the words of “Idol” icon³ Randy Jackson, you’re “in it to win it!” you can overcome these five Idolesque pitfalls⁴ to emerge as the NEXT…

别灰心，朋友！如果能做到“偶像”Randy Jackson说的“加入它去赢得它”，你就能克服以下五种偶像式的陷阱。

The Best Advice Is the Worst, Unless It Isn’t

所谓最好的建议恰恰是最糟糕的，否则这个建议就不是最好的

"AI" contestants⁵ must continually navigate⁷ between admonitions to “make the song your own,” and “Don’t mess with great arrangements.” Jennifer Lopez dissed front-runner Jena Irene’s melody change on Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” Yet after hearing Irene’s distinctive⁸ take on Elvis’ “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You,” Lopez walked up and kissed the contestant⁶. What to do with such, er, consistent feedback? “Stay in your lane,” as EVERY “Idol” judge has counseled. Or make the song your own!

美国偶像参赛者们必须不停地游走于各种建议之间，有的建议“把歌曲变成自己独有的”有的建议“不要破坏原本很棒的歌曲安排。”Jennifer Lopez批评参赛优胜者Jena Irene对Lady Gaga歌曲“Bad Romance ”曲调的更改。但当她再次听到Jennifer标新立异翻唱猫王歌曲“I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”之后，上台亲吻Jennifer表示高度赞扬。这样“一致的”评价让参赛者如何是好？“保持歌曲自己风格”这是每个“偶像”评委所建议的。要不然就把歌曲变成自创的。

Jobseekers understand this cycle of confusion and contradiction. “Get creative with your resume,” some experts will tell you, even as many job application portals are keyword-based. Script your answers to potential questions ahead of time – except when job interviewers decide to test how you perform on the fly. Read enough advice, and every strategy is both a best practice and the fast track back to your sofa. Worst yet, what works with one interviewer may not impress another.

求职者懂得疑惑和矛盾之间的循环。“简历要做得有创意，”一些专家会告诉你，即使许多工作申请入口是基于关键词的。提前准备好问题的答案——除非面试者要测试你的应变能力。收集足够的建议，每一条策略既是最管用的也可能会让你空手而归。更糟糕的是，能令这个面试官满意的不一定会令另一个面试官满意。

How you get around it? Do your homework. Learn about the company, its core business and its hiring process. Sites like Glassdoor can help. The better informed you are, the better prepared for questions you’ll be, and the more comfortable you’ll be answering.

怎样克服这些困难呢?做功课。去了解公司核心业务和雇佣流程。诸如Glassdoor之类的网站可以提供帮助。自己获得信息越多，准备就越充分，回答问题时就会越自在舒适。

You Can’t Just Think You’re Great

不能总是觉得自己很优秀

In 2013, an estimated 8,000 contestants showed up at the Detroit auditions⁹ alone. They all thought they had a shot at the crown. You know what those 8,000 had a better shot at? Being forgotten. Just two Detroit contestants made it to the top 13, and one of them already has been eliminated (sorry, Malaya).

在2013年间，仅仅在底特律约有8000名参赛者试镜。他们都觉得自己有希望夺得桂冠。然而事实上你觉得他们最有希望的是什么？是被遗忘掉。只有2位闯入前13名，并且其中一人已被淘汰（对不起，Malaya）。

Job applicants¹⁰ aren’t much different. You’re totally awesome¹¹. Look how awesome you are! Your resume is peppered with superlatives. You’d be a star for whoever hires you. That’s what most people think, anyway. But that’s also not really the case. A 2013 study by The Career Advisory¹² Board reported that 72 percent of all jobseekers are convinced they know how to present themselves to potential employers, but the same study says “just 15 percent of hiring managers say nearly all or most jobseekers” have what they’re looking for.

求职者也差不多。你很棒。看看你有多么优秀！你的简历中使用的都是最高级。你简直就是雇主的掌上明珠。不管如何，这就是大多人的想法。但是这却不是那么一回事。2013年研究调查机构The Career Advisory Board报告指出72%求职者确信自己知道如何在潜在雇佣者面前展示自己，但是研究结论还显示雇佣者认为只有15%的求职者满足他们的条件。

How you get around it? Get over yourself and on top of your actuals. Show the interviewer how you can help the company, citing specific examples from your work history. Lean on your resume and experience, not your total awesomeness¹³. Oh, and drop the empty adjectives from your resume. State your accomplishments¹⁴ and results plainly, and let the work, like a powerful song lyric¹⁵, speak for itself.

如何克服这个困难？振作起来达到最佳状态。向面试官展示你能如何帮助公司，从自己的工作经历中举例论证。精简你的简历和经历，但保留下你值得骄傲的方面。简历中舍弃那些空洞的形容词。用普通的言语描绘你的成就和成果，让你的工作，好比铿锵有力的歌词，为自己代言。

When Looking Good is Better Than Being Good

有时外表比能力更有竞争力

On “Idol,” simply singing isn’t enough, and it may not even matter so much if you look like a superstar. Just ask Season 4’s Constantine Maroulis (he of the rock-god charisma), Season 5’s Ace¹⁶ Young (the movie star looks) or Season 13’s Sam Woolf (so boyishly cute), whose looks more than lungs got them well into the top 10. The same is true in job interviews. Your off-point answers are the interview equivalent of that pitchy “Idol” wannabe, but good news! Only 7 percent of hiring bosses place much emphasis on what you say, while 55 percent say the biggest impact is on what you’re wearing and how you carry yourself. That’s superficial, depressing and completely true.

在“偶像”节目中，如果看起来不具备明星气质的话，仅仅靠唱歌是不够的。看看几个例子，第四季中Constantine Maroulis（拥有摇滚巨星气质），第五季的Ace Young（具有电影明星相）或者第13季的Sam Woolf（小鲜肉），他们进入前十名其中外表起到了比歌声更重要的作用。你面试中的小瑕疵就好比“偶像”节目里唱跑调的歌手，不过好消息是，只有7%的老板会在意你的回答，有55%的老板说影响最大的是你的穿着和如何表达自己。这听起来虽然肤浅，令人沮丧，但却是现实。

How you get around it? Ask about attire¹⁷ before the interview, and dress one notch¹⁸ above that standard, but don’t sacrifice comfort. If you feel stiff or uncomfortable, you’ll come across that way. You should look and feel good before walking out the door.

你如何克服这困难呢？面试前想大家问问服饰方面的问题，穿着提高一个档次，但也不要牺牲了舒适性。如果你感到僵硬和不适，你将会遇到麻烦。你应该在结束面试前都要看起来和感觉很棒。

All About the Judges (or Interviewers)

关于评委（或面试官）

“Idol” has always been as much about the judges (sometimes more so) as the singers. See: Simon Cowell’s empty abuse to perpetuate¹⁹ a shtick; Jennifer Lopez’s lip-synced self-promotional mid-show performances; Harry²⁰ Connick, Jr., feeding Lopez a giant gummy bear; instead of reviewing a performance. Judges use the show to push their own interests and ego²¹, distracting from the matter at hand at the cost of legitimate²² critique. Like a desperate “Idol” contestant awaiting judgment²³, jobseekers may find themselves nervously²⁴ twittering as hiring managers yammer on about their work, rather than the work you’re looking to do.

“偶像”节目主要关注评委（有时被关注更多）和歌手。比如：Simon Cowell的一些搞笑无稽之谈；Jennier Lopez在节目中的假唱来展现自己；Harry Connick，Jr.，给Lopez喂巨大的gummy bear软糖；而不是评价一个节目。评委通过节目展现自己的兴趣所在和魅力而忽视了手头要评论的节目。好比一个急于获得评委评分的“偶像”候选人，工作面试者可能会发现自己紧张地做着汇报而面试官却在抱怨自己的工作而不是介绍你要寻求的工作。

How you get around it? If you can’t get a word in edgewise, interrupt by not saying anything at all. Just lean in. Your body language should help get your point across. If the interviewer does decide to take a breath, take the opening with a graceful²⁵ interjection, and point back to an aspect of your resume that aligns²⁶ with the job description. Guide them to respond to what you’re saying, rather than what they’re saying.

如何克服？如果你找不到合适言语去引导，那就不要打断也不要说话，洗耳恭听。你的肢体语言会让对方明白你的观点。如果面试官打算跑题休息一下，可以使用一声优雅的感叹，然后再指出你简历中符合工作的方面。引导他们去回应你说的内容，而不是回应他们说的内容。

The Jennifer Hudson Effect

Jennifer Hudson效应

Sometimes, being the best candidate simply doesn’t matter; they might not hire you anyway. This is the Jennifer Hudson Effect. In “Idol” Season 3, America gave Hudson the heave-ho on the “top 7” show. The folks who finished ahead of her included winner Fantasia Barrino and a bunch of other people you’ve forgotten. The loss hurt Hudson’s career so badly, she’s done nothing of note except earn an Academy Award, a Grammy and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the corporate²⁷ world, hiring managers make mistakes all the time. As a result, you could be Hudsoned. But! You could also be Hudsoned, and experience all the success in the world somewhere else.

有时候，就算是一位最佳候选人也没什么用，评委也不一定会选择你。这就是Jennifer Hudson效应。在“偶像”节目第三集中，Hudson在“顶尖7人”节目中被淘汰。在她之前的包括获胜者Fantasia Barrino和许多你已经忘记的选手。Hudson的损失惨重，她除了获得奥斯卡金像奖，格莱美和好莱坞星光大道位置以外没有做出引人注目的成就。在公司圈里，雇用经理总是会犯各种错误。结果就是你和Hudson下场一样。不过你可以和Hudson一样，获得其他领域的成功。

How you get around it? Don’t let someone’s “no” discourage you. Keep putting yourself out there. That rejection²⁸ might end up being the best thing that ever happened to you.

如何克服？别让其他人的否定打击自己。努力奋斗，会有一次拒绝有可能是一件好事。