Finding the Ideal Job

Read a book review of a job-hunting manual and do the tasks that follow.

What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers, by Richard Nelson Bolles, Ten Speed Press.

You are out of work.

You hate your job.

You aren’t satisfied with your career.

You are looking for your first job. Where do you start?

If you are like most Americans, you’ll probably send your resume to a lot of companies. You might answer newspaper want ads every Sunday. Or you might go to employment agencies. But experts say you won’t have much luck. People find jobs only five to fifteen percent of the time when they use these methods. So, what can you do?

One thing you can do is read Richard Bolles’s “What Color Is Your Parachute?” Bolles is an expert in the field of job hunting. He has helped thousands of people find jobs and careers. This book is different from other job-hunting manuals. Bolles doesn’t help you to find just another job. Instead, he helps you find your ideal job: a job that fits who you are, a job that is satisfying to you. What kind of job is ideal for you? If you don’t know the answer, Bolles says, you can’t find your ideal job. You need to have a clear picture in your mind of the job you want. The book has many exercises to help you draw this picture.

Bolles says that you must think about three things:

(1) Your skills. What do you like to do? What do you do well? Do you like talking? Helping people? Teaching? Reading and writing? Using computers? Working with your hands? Bolles asks you to think about all your skills, not only “work skills.” For example, a mother of four children is probably good at managing people (children!). She may be a good manager.

(2) Job setting. Where do you like to work? Do you like to work outside? At home? In an office? Alone or with others? What kind of people do you like to work with?

(3) Job rewards. How much money do you need? How much money do you want? What else do you want from a job? What would make you feel good about a job?

After Bolles helps you decide on your ideal job, he gives you specific advice on how to find the job. His exercises teach you how to find companies and how to introduce yourself. The chapter on job interviews is full of useful information and suggestions. For example, most people go to interviews asking themselves the question, “How do I get the company to hire me?” Bolles thinks this is the wrong question. Instead, he wants you to ask yourself, “Do I really want to work for this company?”

There are two small problems with the book. First, Bolles writes too much! He explains some of his ideas over and over again. Second, there is no space to write the answers to the exercises. But these are small problems. “What Color Is Your Parachute?” is the best job-hunting manual available today.

“What Color Is Your Parachute?” was written in 1970. But the information is updated every year. So, if you are looking for a job, or if you have a job but want a new one, remember: Don’t just send out copies of your resume. Don’t just answer want ads. And don’t wait for friends to get you a job. Instead, buy this book and do a job hunt the right way.

Barbara Kleppinger