What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (Paperback)

by Richard N. Bolles (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This has been the job-hunting classic for decades, and is updated by Bolles each year. It's terrific for college students, people who need the basics of job hunting and those who are contemplating whether to change careers. Bolles always goes beyond the routine, including things like useful Internet sites and how to select a career counselor. It's virtually always the best-selling career book, and with good reason."

Product Description
"WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? HOT AGAIN, 30 YEARS AFTER DEBUT." So ran the headline this past October in the Seattle Times. Actually, it has been "hot"—the best-selling job-hunting book in the world—year after year, for more than three decades now, so much so that it is referred to as "the job-hunters’ bible." Each year it is updated, and sometimes vastly rewritten, by the author, giving first-time and veteran readers alike something new to discover. For those who have not read an updated version in recent years, this is a reminder of why, in the words of Fortune magazine, "PARACHUTE remains the gold standard of career guides."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; Revised edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580085415
• ISBN-13: 978-1580085410
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best career advice I ever got (or gave)? Read this book!, December 10, 2003

By	annulla "annulla" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

The best career advice I ever got was when someone told me to read "What Color Is Your Parachute." I did so, during a period when I couldn't figure out what to do for a living, and spent a few months completing all the exercises it contains.

To get the most out this book, don't try skimming through or reading it all at once. Instead, treat it like a course of study. It isn't necessarily quick or simple, because the book guides you through a process of self-discovery, and that requires time and serious thought. But if you work with it, it can really help you focus on what's important to you in a career ... not money, but the things that make work satisfying. Since you have to work for most of your life, is it possible to go to work every with a smile on your face? Some people do - what do they know that you don't? What type of career will make you feel proud and pleased about what you do all day long?

I recommend this book to everyone who's trying to work through the puzzle of what to do to pay the rent without losing your mind or soul. It worked for me ... I've escaped from the cubicle and have found the career that is right for me, and this book made it possible.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the right person, this book is profound, March 27, 2004

By A Customer

Parachute is not for everyone. If you dislike thinking about your life, values, spirituality, and your goals, you will find What Color Is Your Parachute ? incomprehensible. If you want a quick fix to your life/work problems, Parachute doesn't offer you a quick fix.

But for many ( 8 million readers and growing), working with the ideas and exercises of this book has helped them create very positive change in their lives---and its impact on their personal lives is so great that they want to share it with others.

In my case, I read the book after graduating from college, and found myself in the midst of a recession, no demand for a kid with a BA in liberal arts. I was totally unprepared to enter the world of work after 4 years of college. WCIYP? gave me a road map for thinking out my mission in life, who I was and how to find work that would use my favorite skills. I started my own business , which turned into a INC 500 Company. My life/work has been a wonderful adventure,influenced greatly by Bolles' book. Over the years, I must have given out 100 copies of Parachute to college students and friends who needed to go through a life changing job hunts. I have worked through it several times over 20 years. Each year Bolles brings out a new edition with fresh insights. I keep it on my shelf as a reference book.

I have read many other books on 'finding the job of your dreams'---and almost all are derviative from Bolles and frankly are pale imitations.

A word of advice. Parachute is really a workbook. Just reading it gives you only a taste of its true value. Read, reflect, write and read some more. Then take action!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Job Search Book, March 4, 2004

By	Joseph J. Slevin (Carlsbad, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Bolle's book is still timeless for job seekers of all kinds. I feel that his book updated each year to meet the current trends in society is critical. He needs to address those issues, like the web, downturn in the economy and the like.

The most critical part of the book is the self evaluation section. This is a very structured process that can be used intutitively as well. Bolles asks you to write a few stories about yourself, then, what did you like and dislike about those stories? What did you do well, where did you fail or feel challenged beyond your abilities? These are the critical areas of the book that take time to get through, yet you can evaluate yourself and understand what you like, it is what you do best, usually.

We excel what we are good at, according to Bolles, this method will help us discover what we are best at.

I have recommended this book to many over the years, and still do. Whether someone is in college, or someone is going through a long term transition after being in a job for a long time or moms returning to the work place, this book will be very instructive for you.

One of his processes is very simple asking you to compare who you would most like to talk with or groups of people you would rather relate with. This is a standard set of tests for some very expensive career consulting, he gives it to you for the price of his book and the time to self evaluate yourself. Then, he breaks down the possible job areas and skill sets related to these groups.

Again, a worthwhile journey for anyone not wanting to wander any longer in the world of work.

JOE SLEVIN
Job Coach