The biggest news this week, of course, is that American Idol starts up again with a new parade of star wannabes. I have to confess I’m a fan because it’s something I can watch with my fifteen and a half (as they’re fond of reminding me) year old twins. We watch, dis and discuss and it’s one of those rare times we’re all hooked into the same electronic media. But this year’s big news of course is that Paula is leaving and Ellen is arriving. As in Ellen DeGeneres.

Who knew, the critics carp, that she was a music critic? Who knew that she could sing, why is being a fan enough to qualify you to be a judge and on and on. What no one seems to mention (including Ellen in her defense) is that she has been in the entertainment business for her entire career and that keeping an audience entertained is the heart and soul of American Idol. She has that rare ability to sell herself to her audience; Ellen nailed the entertainment business. What she has is something you should search for: transferable skills. It’s not just a matter these days of doing what you’ve done forever. If you’re unemployed or under employed, you may need to sell your skills at transferable. Find the heart of what you do–which may have nothing to do with your job description–and sell that. As I wrote in Stop Pissing Me Off! What to do When the People You Work With Drive You Crazy, finding work you love is always worth it.

People frequently come up to me after I’ve delivered a seminar or a speech and tell me that I’m “what they want to be when they grow up.” They want to know how I made the transition from a litigation attorney to doing what I do now. Truly, it’s all about transferable skills. I’d taught while I was still practicing–in a law school but some of those skills did transfer to the corporate world. I’d written hundreds of briefs before I wrote my first book. A different kind of wordsmithing yes, but still a step on the path. I’d argue cases before judges and juries, different from giving speeches but still transferable. I’d advised clients about employment cases, not so different from the kinds of thorny conflicts I now mediate as a consultant.

Buff up your resume. Look for what’s transferable. You may not make it to American Idol but you may find a job that keeps you singing just the same.

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