What Color Is Your Parachute?

Abstract

Color Is Your Parachute 2015, by Richard N. Bolles. 2015. NY: Ten Speed Press. 353 Pages. Hardbound. $29.99What Color Is your Parachute 2015 is a practical manual forjob-hunters of all stripes and for people who wonder what they should be when they grow up, regardless of their age. An industry standard that has been revised every year since 1970, this job-hunting toolkit deserves to be on the desk of every career counselor and outplacement consultant. The 2015 version offers eleven chapters and six appendices containing new research and tips on all facets of the job search process, an updated chapter on starting one's own business, and a new section for returning veterans. The two chief questions it enables the reader to answer are: What kind of work am best suited for? and How can get hired for that kind of work?The first hundred pages instruct the reader on how to conduct ajob search today. Bolles covers in detail social networking, resumes, interviewing, and salary negotiation. Otherjob search topics covered more briefly include a two-minute Crash Course on today'sjob market, the efficacy of posting or sending resumes in various ways, and a listing of the twelve best and worst ways to look forajob.The second hundred pages enable readers to dig deeply to learn about themselves and how they fit into the job market. The deservedly famous flower petal exercise is designed to enable anyone to be able to complete the sentence, I am a person who.. .''in seven different ways (such as what you know, what you can do, and your favorite working conditions), and then to deploy oneself accordingly in the job market. These exercises are so effective that those who devote sufficient time and energy to them will learn their precise capabilities, what kind of job they would like to land, who they would like to work with, and the industries for which they are best suited. The balance of the chapters cover related topics: overcoming handicaps (lack of a degree, have a prison record, physically unattractive, etc.), how to make a career change, and how to start your own business.The one hundred pages of appendices provide guidance on finding your mission in life (including a hefty dose of delicately worded spiritual commentary), what returning veterans need to know, dealing with the emotions of unemployment, and choosing a career coach. Readers may want to read and follow Bolles' clear instructions on how to get listed in his state-by-state sampler listing of coaches. Network members who live in other countries will want to know that Parachute is published in nineteen other languages, listed in the final appendix. …