“How many jobs are out there, in this economy?”
“Where do I go from here with my life?”
These are some of the questions at the forefront of the modern job-searcher’s mind. And they are thoroughly and thoughtfully answered with all-new chapters in the 2011 edition of What Color Is Your Parachute?, the best-selling job-hunting book in the world for more than three decades--in good times and bad. A longtime fixture on best-seller lists, What Color Is Your Parachute? features life-saving information that is updated each year to cater to the specific requirements of today’s job market.
Career guru Richard N. Bolles leads job-searchers to find meaningful work. He asks, WHAT skills do you most love to use? WHERE--in what field--would you most love to use them? And HOW do you find such jobs without depending on agencies, ads, and online postings?
This book is not only about finding a job in hard times, it’s also about finding your passion. In the words of Fortune magazine:
“Parachute remains the gold standard of career guides.”
What Color Is Your Parachute? is the world’s most popular job-hunting guide, with 10 million copies sold, in more than 20 languages. Written by career guru Richard N. Bolles--who coined the terms “informational interviewing” and “transferable skills”--this New York Times and BusinessWeek best seller answers such questions as:
“What are the five best--and worst--ways to search for a job?” See chapter 3 (starting on page 31).
“What are the most helpful job sites on the Internet, out of the thousands that are out there?” See pages 53-54.
“What interview questions can I expect to be asked, and how do I answer them?” See chapter 6 (starting on page 93).
“I want to use a resume. What should I include?” See chapter 5 (starting on page 71).
“I haven’t a clue how to do salary negotiation. Help!” See chapter 7 (starting on page 121).
“There are no jobs out there, so I’m thinking of starting my own business. Where do I begin?” See chapter 9 (starting on page 147).
“Since I’m out of work, I’d like to use this opportunity to find more purpose and sense of mission in my next job. How do I do that?” See pages 15, 179, and 269.
“What are the ten biggest mistakes made during interviews?” See page 92.
“How is the way employers hunt for people different from the way people hunt for employers?” See page 44.
“How do I figure out what my best skills are?” See pages 201+.
“If I decide I need some career counseling, how do I avoid getting ‘taken’?” See Appendix b (starting on page 288).
“I had a job dealing with manufacturing. Now it’s gone. How do I find jobs in related fields?” See page 45.
“I’d like to emphasize my traits in my next job interview, but I don’t have ‘a trait vocabulary.’ Got any lists?” See page 50.
“I have a handicap. How can I get around it, in interviews?” See page 57.
“I am painfully shy. I dread interviewing. What can I do?” See page 62.
“I want to use a resume. What should I include?” See Chapter 5 (starting on page 71).
“In general, what are employers looking for?” See page 48.
“How long should I expect my job-hunt to last?” See page 32.
“I’m over fifty. What special problems do I face when I go job-hunting? ” See chapter 10 (starting on page 167).
“I’m just starting on my job-hunt. I know ‘networking’ is important. I haven’t got a network. How do I build one from scratch?” See page 86.
Parachute has all the answers you’re looking for and more. It’s the guide that millions of job-hunters have turned to for more than three decades.
| |||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“What Color Is Your Parachute is deservedly the world’s most popular job hunting book…. This 2011 edition is as relevant today as when it was first published. Dick Bolles insightfully stays on the cutting edge of job searching and the book is full of new and updated suggestions, along with the classic advice that continues to hold true today.”
--Alison Doyle, About.com Job Search Guide
“If I were job hunting, I would pick up a copy of this book without hesitation.”
--FOXBusiness.com, 8/25/10
“There’s Parachute, and then there’s all the rest. . . . A life-changing book.”
--Career Planning and Adult Development Journal
“Parachute is still a top seller and it remains the go-to guide for everyone from midlife-crisis boomers looking to change their careers to college students looking to start one.”
--New York Post
“What Color Is Your Parachute? is about job-hunting and career-changing, but it’s also about figuring out who you are as a person and what you want out of life.”
--Time
“Ideally, everyone should read What Color Is Your Parachute? in the tenth grade and again every year thereafter.”
--Anne Fisher, Fortune
“It was one of the first job-hunting books on the market. It is still arguably the best. And it is indisputably the most popular.”
--Fast Company
--Alison Doyle, About.com Job Search Guide
“If I were job hunting, I would pick up a copy of this book without hesitation.”
--FOXBusiness.com, 8/25/10
“There’s Parachute, and then there’s all the rest. . . . A life-changing book.”
--Career Planning and Adult Development Journal
“Parachute is still a top seller and it remains the go-to guide for everyone from midlife-crisis boomers looking to change their careers to college students looking to start one.”
--New York Post
“What Color Is Your Parachute? is about job-hunting and career-changing, but it’s also about figuring out who you are as a person and what you want out of life.”
--Time
“Ideally, everyone should read What Color Is Your Parachute? in the tenth grade and again every year thereafter.”
--Anne Fisher, Fortune
“It was one of the first job-hunting books on the market. It is still arguably the best. And it is indisputably the most popular.”
--Fast Company
About the Author
RICHARD N. BOLLES has led the career development field for more than thirty-five years. A member of Mensa and the Society for Human Resource Management, he has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of conferences. Bolles was trained in chemical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude in physics from Harvard University, a master’s in sacred theology from General Theological (Episcopal) Seminary in New York City, and three honorary doctorates. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Marci.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
RICHARD N. BOLLES has been a leader in the career development field for more than thirty-five years. He was trained in chemical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds a bachelor's degree cum laude in physics from Harvard University and a master's in sacred theology from General Theological (Episcopal) Seminary in New York City. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Marci.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 61 people found the following review helpful
By Scott Carter
Format:Paperback
This excellent book has been in multiple reprints since about 1970 and is extremely helpful in many ways.
Some of the areas I found most helpful included:
1. How Employers Hunt for Job-Hunters. In this chapter, Bolles clearly lays out the harsh realities of the differences between people looking for work and those seeking jobs. The power lies with the employer, and the sooner I realized that truth, the better off I was. This chapter also pointed out that different types of resumes work better for different types of employers, so it's important to tailor your resume to your audience. This was a great lesson for me.
2. Tips. What I loved about this chapter was the reinforcement that job hunting is hard work and takes effort, there is no getting around it. I also thought it was great advice to be open to changing my tactics if what I was doing wasn't working. Too often I get caught up in the thinking that just doing more of the same will change my result. I now realize that sometimes I am just doing the wrong things, so need to try something different.
3. Interviewing Tip For Smarties: Another great chapter that reset how I think about interviews. One of the best tips for me was sticking to the time I asked for from the interviewer. Too often in the past if I thought the interview was going well, I would keep talking. Now I realize that one of the best ways to impress a potential boss is to stick to the time (e.g., 20 minutes) that I originally asked for. The other very helpful tip was to let the interviewer do 50% of the talking. This balance of time lets the interviewer know that you know how to listen as well as speak. Too much talking by me tells them I might ignore the needs of the company: too little speaking by me might tell them I am trying to hide something. Good input!
Overall, I thought this book could be extremely helpful to a lot of job seekers, since it provides a wealth of insight into what the employers are looking for and how they are approaching the hiring process. After all, it involves two parties trying to see if there is a match, so it's very important to know what the hiring manager is thinking and how they are approaching this process.
Another book that I thought was extremely helpful in terms of applying to my job search was "GOAL! Your 30 Day Game Plan" Goal!: Your 30-Day Game Plan for Business and Career Successwhich helped organize my efforts and kept me motivated along the way towards my new job.
Some of the areas I found most helpful included:
1. How Employers Hunt for Job-Hunters. In this chapter, Bolles clearly lays out the harsh realities of the differences between people looking for work and those seeking jobs. The power lies with the employer, and the sooner I realized that truth, the better off I was. This chapter also pointed out that different types of resumes work better for different types of employers, so it's important to tailor your resume to your audience. This was a great lesson for me.
2. Tips. What I loved about this chapter was the reinforcement that job hunting is hard work and takes effort, there is no getting around it. I also thought it was great advice to be open to changing my tactics if what I was doing wasn't working. Too often I get caught up in the thinking that just doing more of the same will change my result. I now realize that sometimes I am just doing the wrong things, so need to try something different.
3. Interviewing Tip For Smarties: Another great chapter that reset how I think about interviews. One of the best tips for me was sticking to the time I asked for from the interviewer. Too often in the past if I thought the interview was going well, I would keep talking. Now I realize that one of the best ways to impress a potential boss is to stick to the time (e.g., 20 minutes) that I originally asked for. The other very helpful tip was to let the interviewer do 50% of the talking. This balance of time lets the interviewer know that you know how to listen as well as speak. Too much talking by me tells them I might ignore the needs of the company: too little speaking by me might tell them I am trying to hide something. Good input!
Overall, I thought this book could be extremely helpful to a lot of job seekers, since it provides a wealth of insight into what the employers are looking for and how they are approaching the hiring process. After all, it involves two parties trying to see if there is a match, so it's very important to know what the hiring manager is thinking and how they are approaching this process.
Another book that I thought was extremely helpful in terms of applying to my job search was "GOAL! Your 30 Day Game Plan" Goal!: Your 30-Day Game Plan for Business and Career Successwhich helped organize my efforts and kept me motivated along the way towards my new job.
82 of 98 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
While WCIYP may be a classic book of its genre, the formatting of this Kindle edition makes it useless to all intents and purposes:
- Highlights are picked out in the palest shade of gray, rendering key phrases almost illegible.
- Tables and diagrams are filled with tiny, fuzzy fonts that are unreadable, even when zoomed (I have a K2, these may be better on a DX but I suspect that they would just be larger and fuzzier).
- Hyperlinks are provided to online versions of the tables and diagrams, but they lead to PDF files that the Kindle cannot download
- It even opens with a piece that defends why it needs to be published in a paper edition
Kudos to Amazon for allowing a prompt and easy return and full refund (even though I'd had it more that the requisite seven days) but the publishers need to do a far better job.
- Highlights are picked out in the palest shade of gray, rendering key phrases almost illegible.
- Tables and diagrams are filled with tiny, fuzzy fonts that are unreadable, even when zoomed (I have a K2, these may be better on a DX but I suspect that they would just be larger and fuzzier).
- Hyperlinks are provided to online versions of the tables and diagrams, but they lead to PDF files that the Kindle cannot download
- It even opens with a piece that defends why it needs to be published in a paper edition
Kudos to Amazon for allowing a prompt and easy return and full refund (even though I'd had it more that the requisite seven days) but the publishers need to do a far better job.
36 of 44 people found the following review helpful
By JustReading
Format:Paperback
I used this book several years ago to help me get direction in life once I got out of college and actually had to act on the age-old question of "what do you want to be when you grow up?"! In 2010 I am revisiting this classic. And I am giving it 4 stars because the newest edition is definitely still jammed full of useful advice about career choices and the job search process. HOWEVER, this book has the same flaws as the older versions: it is too long and too scattershot in its approach. The book has way too many charts/diagrams/grids - many of which you must complete, including the "Flower Diagram." I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want to spend hours on end working through a career book and drawing diagrams.... SO I greatly prefer Scott Smith's "FIND YOUR PERFECT JOB." It is MUCH more concise and easier to use while still being jammed full of useful advice. FYPJ's "Perfect Job Profile" accomplishes much more quickly what 300+ pages of Bolles' book tries to do. And if you are a young professional then FYPJ is specifically tailored for you (it includes very interesting info on business and law school programs, two areas that Parachute has no information on). Find Your Perfect Job: The Inside Guide for Young Professionals
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very helpful...
I am 36 and looking to make a career change. This book has reshaped how I approach my job search. It is full of practical advice as well as tools to help you identify hidden... Read more
Published 28 days ago by joel zeiner
4.0 out of 5 stars
what color is your parachute
This product is OK for my consulting job It's necessary for me to know many procedures, and thids book is perfect
thank you
thank you
Published 2 months ago by fmc
4.0 out of 5 stars
Different perspective on looking for your life's meaning...
I had gotten this book after seeing so many of my friends reading it, seeing where they were before and after reading the book had an affect on me. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jon B.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Item as described
Item as described and quick shipment. won't let me enter just that so here are more words so I can submit.
Published 3 months ago by Karen W.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful Book
I needed this book for a class on improving job-searching skills, resume writing, interviewing, etc. It has been very helpful thus far. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Katie Simms
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still the Best
Get this book if you are looking for a career or changing careers, or if you just need a job.
Published 3 months ago by T. L. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best job book ever
This is my go to book for whenever I lose my job, want to start a new career path, or am just looking for a different approach. I highly recommend it.
Published 5 months ago by Holly Weick
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for all!
By far, the best reading experience for both content and motivational benefit. When I first read the book, I was very skeptical, especially considering the job market in this... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Stu
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book review
I'm between jobs and not sure what I want to do now, and this book has helped a lot. I've learned that the old ways of job hunting down't always work. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Carol J
3.0 out of 5 stars
My wife started reading this
We were thinking this was closer to "Who Moved My Cheese" but it's more serious. My wife started the read but never finished since it wasn't really what we were looking for. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Gary L. Richter Jr.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
|
|
