How Dolly Parton Can Help You Find a Job

Country music legend Dolly Parton once said, "Trying to put myself into a top is like trying to put ten pounds of (stuff) in a five pound bag."

Dolly's' difficulties in dressing her "assets" aside, her twist of a phrase can be further twisted to help job hunters: if you are able to pack more into less, you can be recognized as fantastic.

Keep in mind Dolly's not just known for her...uh..."two things," but also because she's insanely talented - and packs ten pounds of stuff into the five pound bag known as her schedule. You can achieve success by doing the same thing.

Collaborate. Parton's duets with Porter Wagner and Kenny Rogers are legendary. Wagner, in fact, helped bring Dolly to national prominence and started her on the road to the success she is today. Today, Dolly does the same thing for up-and-coming (and established) musical artists. She's sung with Linda Ronstadt, Emmy Lou Harris, Billy Ray Cyrus and more. Whether early in her career or now, her collaborations have stuffed her schedule and lined her pockets.

Give back. When she heard Porter Wagner had fallen on hard times, Dolly found the time to not only buy his entire catalog of music - but then gave it back to him. The estimated value of his catalog was over $1 million. While this isn't a highly publicized story of the modest superstar, it only adds to Dolly's legend. And I'm sure Wagner was eternally grateful she found the time to help an old friend.

Dollywood. That's right, Dollywood. Once she was worth more than most third world countries, Dolly decided to go into the amusement park business. As you can well imagine, this took huge chunks of her time. She stuffed that into her schedule even though she was still recording and touring. Because of her time investment, her monetary investment has paid off many, many times over.

I Will Always Love You. Yes, Dolly sings incredibly well. What most don't know, however, is that she writes even better than she sings. And she milks every cent from her work possible. Not only did she have a monster hit on her own with "I Will Always Love You," but she made even more money by letting Whitney Houston cover the tune for The Bodyguard. She also found the time to re-record the hit twice more - once solo and once with fellow country crooner Vince Gill. Finding the time to do so has proved very, very profitable for her.

Not just 9 to 5. She sings, collaborates and invests. She's also carved out a solid film career with such hits as Nine to Five and Steel Magnolias. By stuffing her five pound bag of a schedule, she's become a multi-dimensional entertainer.

IN A NUTSHELL: Put ten pounds of stuff in your five pound bag of a schedule - just like Dolly Parton.