The book, ‘what color is your parachute’, by Richard Nelson Bolles, is a book with timeless principles that can help you land the right job.
“What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Nelson Bolles was first published in 1978. It has since become a classic. The book is a must-read for anyone looking for guidance on how to find the right job and build a successful career.
“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
Some of the key questions answered in the book are:
How to identify your calling
How to prepare yourself for the job hunt
How to find jobs in the digital age
How to to ace interviews
Key lessons
List of Contents
Lesson 1 : Don’t just survive, thrive in your career
Do you dread having to drag yourself to work every morning? Does getting through a typical work day feel like a humongous struggle? One that requires every last bit of your effort? BY the end of the day you feel drained out and empty? Then there’s a good chance that your personality is not suited for the job that you are currently doing.
The first step of findings a career you can thrive in is to find a job that you love. The book has the FLOWER EXCERCISE that will help you assess and inventory your unique gifts and talents.
Lesson 2: Passion Plus competency ,both are important
You need to find an area that you love but you also need to have skills in that area. Competency can be developed over time is passion exists. Passion alone can help drive competency improvement. Using test like Myers Briggs Type Indicator can be a great help. You can also test your aptitude and skills to verify the level of competency.
Lesson 3: Job hunting is different now and you have a new set of rules
With technology and changes in work systems, the hiring systems has undergone changes. Traditional job hunting methods cannot yield you the results you seek. You need to learn the new rule and modify your job hunting strategies accordingly. Once of the important aspects Bolles stresses, is the necessity of networking actively. With applicant tracking systems and AI based hiring mechanisms you need to circumvent these to reach the actual person who make the hiring decisions.
Lesson 4: Job interviews are crucial
Bolles talks about how job interviews are like going in a date, it is crucial to express the qualities the employer is looking for. To do well you need to identify what they are actually looking for and conduct a research into the company and the job requirement. By preparing ahead on how you will establish compatibility can help the employer reach a decision faster.
Lesson 5: Managing your digital footprint is important
What comes up when people google you? What is on the social media about you? How have you represented yourself on LinkedIn and Instagram. You may think ‘what’s the big deal?’. Well, thanks to the smartphone revolution and how it has changed communication and business. Over 90% of the American employers check the social media of prospective candidates before calling them for the interview.
So your digital footprint can be even more important that your resume. You need to know what is and what is not acceptable behavior for your career and manage your social media presence accordingly.
Overall, “What Color is Your Parachute?” is an excellent resource for professionals who looking to build a successful career. It contains timeless principles that can be applied to help find a job quickly.
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