Tonight is the final showdown between the two remaining competitors for the “American Idol” title. Crystal Bowersox, the young, dreadlocked mother from Elliston, Ohio, will take on Lee DeWyze, a former paint shop worker from Mount Prospect, Illinois.

While Bowersox has been a consistent favorite all season long, Lee DeWyze has made a gradual climb into America’s spotlight, and all signs point to Lee as the predicted winner of American Idol Season 9. “For the last few weeks, Lee DeWyze has been slowly emerging as the favorite to win ‘American Idol,’ and after this past week’s performances it has been made clear that Lee is now odds-on favorite going into the final two at -200,” Richard Gardner, prop lines manager at the online betting site Bodog.

Even Simon Cowell, the most critical judge on the show, has predicted a DeWyze win, “Well, if you’d of asked me five or six weeks ago 100% I would have said Crystal. But now I’ve changed my mind. I think Lee is going to win.”

So what did Lee do to finally stand out from the other finalists? He exuded confidence.

Although Lee has always sounded great, he struggled with his confidence. Early in the season, Lee had some nervous habits, pulling up his pants, looking downward, and generally looking very uncomfortable as the center of attention. Fortunately, the judges recognized his talent, and repeatedly pushed him to open up and believe in his own talent.

This season’s “Frank Sinatra Week” was a major game changer for Lee, when judge Kara DioGuardi recognized a change in his stature and told him, ”You better go home tonight and write ‘I can win this thing’ a hundred times and believe it, because that’s the confidence you need because you can,“ DioGuardi said. ”You can win this thing.“

Simon Cowell also noticed Lee’s increased confidence during that week’s performance, and credited mentor Harry Connick Jr. with writing an arrangement that helped DeWyze’s personality shine through. ”You started off, you were working in a paint shop, right? And you had some issues with shyness and I think what Harry
managed to do tonight is that he brought out your personality,“ Cowell said. ”He bought out your confidence, and what I really loved is the fact that you gave it 110% and it was, by far, I think for all of us, the best performance of the night.“

Regardless of whether or not Lee does end up being crowned the next American Idol, his confidence is something that everyone, and especially job seekers, should recognize as a key to success. As soon as Lee believed in his own skills and talent, his performances greatly improved and he had a star quality. The following are 3 things that job seekers can learn from Lee’s rise to the top 2:

1. In the same way that Lee has come to believe in his talent, if a job seeker walks into an interview and truly believes that he/she has the skills and experience to successfully fulfill all of the position requirements, they will already have an edge over other candidates who may be unsure of themselves and their abilities. Know what your skills are, and be prepared to explain what sets you apart from the competition- with confidence!

2. Stop playing with your clothes and all other nervous habits! Believing in yourself and what you have to offer will make you more confident in your appearance, as well. When you are confident, you have improved posture and make direct eye contact- which is critical in an interview.

3. It’s okay to be nervous. Although Lee is now a much more confident performer, he has admitted that he is still very nervous before every performance and calls his family before every show. Even if you are confident in yourself, you may still get nervous before an interview. It is important to recognize that almost everyone feels nervous before interviewing. Before you go into the interview, spend a few minutes visualizing yourself doing well
in the interview. This will help calm you and give you confidence. Also remember that if you made it to the interview phase in the first place, the company probably already believes that you are capable of doing the
job.

Tune into Fox tonight at 8/7Central time to watch the last performances and vote for your American Idol! The winner, who receives a major recording contract, will be announced on the results-show Wednesday night.

Stephanie Urban
Interactive Resources

The Execu|Search Group
Side note: I attended St. James school in Arlington Heights with Lee DeWyze- please Vote for Lee!

Sources:
“Simon Cowell makes his ‘Idol’ winner prediction” http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/05/...
“How did Lee DeWyze become the favorite to win?” http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2010/05/how-did...
“Kara DioGuardi Says Lee DeWyze Can Win ‘American Idol’”
http://television.aol.com/american-idol/2010/05/04/kara-dioguardi-s...