Product Description

This is the best-selling job-hunting book in the world, and has been for 25 years. It is revised and updated annually, is popular not just in the U.S. but in many other countries around the world, and is available in seven languages.'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26984 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
For three decades Richard Nelson Bolles's annually updated and revised Parachute has been cheerfully advising people that the best way to find a job or make a career change isn't to answer a job ad and/or send in a CV. That way, the statistical odds are heavily stacked against success. Instead he advocates a creative three-pronged approach. You are in charge so be proactive and sell yourself. First identify your talents (and of course you've got lots). Then work out where you would like to apply these transferable skills. Lastly, decide how you will pursue organisations which interest you. Thereafter it's down to your efforts: "Successful job hunting is a learned skill. You have to study it. You have to practice it. You have to master it, just like any new skill. And master it thoroughly because you'll need it all the rest of your life", says Bolles.

An ordained Episcopal priest, Bolles was canon pastor of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Made redundant in 1968, he created another career by publishing the first edition of Parachute in 1971--then little more than a newsletter. Today it is published in 10 languages world-wide and bought by 20,000 people a month. It's an immensely detailed, friendly book whose attractive layout includes coloured fonts, nice historical sketches and lots of easy-to-read grids, charts and even the odd poem. Useful Internet site addresses abound. And although Parachute is American, most of Bolles's advice is just as applicable in Britain as in the US. Bolles evidently means to be inspirational and is. He's also down to earth. Once you get into an interview you are much more likely to get the job if you don't reek of aftershave, perfume or garlic and if you've had a bath and pressed your clothes, he points out. --Susan Elkin

Amazon.co.uk Review
For nearly 30 years, What Color Is Your Parachute? has been the guiding light for those in pursuit of satisfying and fulfilling employment. The 1999 edition has been completely revised and rewritten and is designed to work in conjunction with the book's Web site. At the heart of Bolles's formula for finding the right job are two questions: What do you want to do? Where do you want to do it?

Answer those and you're well on your way to finding the job you really want. Packed with time-tested advice, What Color Is Your Parachute? works as a good companion for those just starting out in the "real world" as well as for those who are thinking seriously about a career change. --Harry C. Edwards, Amazon.com

From the Author
Parachute went from 560 pages to just 235 in this edition.
For much of 1998, The 1998 What Color Is Your Parachute? was the second best-selling business paperback in America. But, at 560 pages, I had a feeling people weren't reading it, except in bits and pieces. Its size was just too intimidating. So, for the 1999 edition (now out) I rewrote the entire book, summarizing where I could, writing shorter sentences where I could, and as a result, reduced it to just 235 pages in the main body of the book. Much more manageable. Here's a typical reaction from a reader: "For the past 20 years, I have purchased or been given a copy of your annual edition/rewrite. In my opinion, the 1999 edition is the best, easiest to read, briskly written, humorous, personal, practical, jam-packed with hints and helps, and 235 pages, excluding the appendices. You have returned the book to the reader and now for the first time in many years, I will strongly encourage people who buy this book to read the entire thing. I am in awe of the masterpiece you have produced." (Jim Kell, Texas)

Customer Reviews

The only careers book I've ever ENJOYED reading!
Initially, I hesitated about buying WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? because I thought it would be too American in outlook and not practical enough - but I was wrong!

Now I wish I hadn't wasted money on all the other careers books I've bought over the last couple of years.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? is extremely well-written. You feel as though Richard N. Bolles is writing especially for you. His advice is frank and straightforward, but always encouraging and reassuring - he really seems to understand the jobhunter's 'fragile' state of mind. The author offers spiritual comfort as well, but without ever preaching or becoming bogged down by religion (I found that Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was sanctimonious, on the other hand).

The book was a real source of comfort and inspiration to me when friends had run out of advice and family had run out patience - and I had run out of ideas.

There are lots of excellent exercises to help you work out exactly what you want from life. They are very effective, and not too time consuming - you probably need a weekend or so to work on them. There are also masses of links to free websites which help analyse your skills and so on.

For me, the best part of the book was the news that recruitment agencies, classifed ads in newspapers and the Internet are among the five WORST ways to look for a job!

This book has changed my attitude to job-hunting and has filled me with enthusiasm, as well as providing me with practical ways to channel my enthusiasm. I'm so glad I've discovered WHAT COLOUR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? The only other books I've found to be as useful are the PERFECT CV/PERFECT INTERVIEW etc. range by Max Eggert which are short but extremely helpful.

Retrospective Look At What Have Been Some Good Practices
I am reviewing the 2000 version of this book. I have not read any more recent ones.

I was uncertain how to rate this book. Compared to other job-hunting guides I have read, it is the best. So it didn't seem fair not to give it a five star rating. On the other hand, compared to what is needed, this book is mired in stalled thinking of the past.

Let me talk about the good first. The book is pretty good on goal setting. Its first piece of major advice is to decide what you have to offer the world. Many people fail to self-assess and become stuck in misconceptions about what their job potentials are. Most people can do more than they think they can. In a tight job market like today, chances are you can get some flexible responses if you look for them.

On the other hand, I thought the third major piece of advice was much more relevant: Go after organizations that interest you the most. Companies are increasingly hiring for attitude, and plan to work with you to add the necessary skills. If you find organizations that turn you on, chances are they will turn you on, too. The current thinking is that companies should have exciting purposes that make a job more like a meaningful adventure. I'd start there, if I were you.

In fact, I was surprised to see the emphasis on skills in this book. That's certainly relevant, but it has not been a dominant factor except for certain types of engineers in over five years. Does Bolles do any new research on the job market before writing each volume?

The best part of the book related to encouraging people to find their mission in life. That's something that most people never do. If you just read that section (inexplicably located near the back of the book -- I'd have put it up front) and apply it, you will more than have gotten your benefit from this book. A good related volume on that subject is Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins.

Now, on the negative side, the book assumes that you are suddenly on the street and have to find a job quickly. Or so it seems, because there is little in the book that suggests how to prepare to be very hireable when you have a job and are not looking. That's when you can do the most good by accomplishing things that will impress future employers, raising your visibility, networking with people who can give you job leads in the future, and so forth.

Also, the book is awfully complacent about having found the best method for getting a new job. But it doesn't mention the idea of being so much in demand that you are always getting feelers so you never have to look for a job. That works 100 percent of the time.

The advice for getting a job is to find people who can hire and demonstrate skills that can help them to meet their goals. That assumes that those hiring can link you and your job to their goals. That's assuming a lot. I think that better advice would be for them to see you as someone who helps them feel more confident they can accomplish something they care about. That might be simply getting home to dinner with the family on time.

Here's a particularly critical point: What is the environment like in the company? This book treats employers like they are undifferentiated in many ways. Actually, they are more different from one another than they are similar. The advice on how to find out more about big companies before pursuing them is very good.

Despite my reservations, there's a lot of value in here. Good luck in finding an irresistible job! But banish your stalled thinking first!

An extremely useful tool in the job-hunting world.
Being not quite sure what kind of job I want to move to from being an I.T. Consultant I bought this book in the hope that it would guide me. It has done that and has encouraged me to go out and do... ...not to wait for the jobs to come to me. I haven't finished reading it yet but am already ordering another copy for a friend having a bad time in their career.