www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580082424/qid=1008053251/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_11_2/104-1528290-4681515
Is there an item you'd recommend instead of or in addition to this one? This year's 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? Answer those and you're well on your way to finding the job you really want. It aids career-changers, as well as job-hunters, and has a detailed step-by-step plan for identifying a new career, as well as more detailed strategies for locating just the job you want in the geographical area of your choice. It has a detailed description of interview questions, and what kinds of answers the employer is looking for, plus step-by-step salary negotiation strategies. It is thinner, by 200 pages, than earlier editions, slimmed down for reading (and doing the paper and pencil exercises) in this fast-paced world, where time is precious. I read it first in college and used it extensively when I worked as a career counselour. I can honestly say that every edition seems to be quite different from previous versions, so it is not a waste of money at all to buy a more recent version. Bolles tells some remarkable stories and while not directly applicable to your career area, they make you aware of how similiar job searching is regardless of your field. Before reading this, you should be aware of what this book is NOT: it does not provide resume advice nor does it provide very much advice about general trends in the job market. This book is a sobering dose of reality, but the interesting thing is that the reader finds this information heartening rather than disappointing because it unmasks many of the treacherous parts of the job search process. As such, this book is a great gift for a loved one who is out of work. It will make them feel good about themselves, and that is good, because a lot of unemployed approach job searches with a chip on their shoulder. I used the exercises in the book with clients to help them analyze what they wanted in an ideal job because clients really had little idea what was important to them. I was a little surprised to find that the 2000 edition was smaller than previous versions. Bolles decided to reduce some of the religious/spiritual stuff and to cut out some of the reference lists (with the internet, a lot of references can be put online). Overall, I was not impressed by how Parachute covers online job searching aside from discussing generalities. People really need to learn more about job boards like monster and how freelancing opportunities are opening up that never before existed. Another thing is that I thought it was unnecessary to deemphasize the spiritual component in the latest version of the book. I'm not superreligious, but his stuff on the spiritual element added a unique perspective to the book and was nondenominational enough not to offend anyone. Bolles has spent his entire life making each version of the book better than the last. Without even getting into the 'spiritual' aspect of the book its target audience is middle-aged careerists looking for a new job in the same general field. The problem is the BEST job advice for such seekers is: NETWORK! That's included, of course, but for anyone seeking a foothold in a new field, or trying to focus a scattershot resume, there's nothing of value here. This book may be useful to you if your resume reads: 'Graduated Magna Cum Laude Wharton School of Business 1985, Vice President of IBM 1985-1988, Chairman of Ford Foundation 1988-92, Ambassador to Court of St. James 1992-1994, President of Harvard Medical College 1994-1998'. With a resume like that, however, you don't really need a book to help you land a job! It was Tuesday and he had promised he'd let me know about the job by last Friday. I had followed the book, "What Color Is My Parachute," to the letter. I dressed up for the interview, prepared my list of questions to ask during the interview, memorized all the tips, and most importantly, emailed a thank you note afterwards. Despite all this, I was still nervous about getting the job. I haven't even graduated with my undergraduate degree yet, meaning I have no experience. If I got the job, it was going to be my first job after college. I got a great system that determines what job I'd like to be in. Not only does the book ask about career interests, but on the part of the country I want to live in and the working conditions I prefer, which are two categories I never even considered. I recommend this book to everyone who needs to get a job these days and wants an edge on the competition. Because of this book, I am happily on the start of a long career. Of course, the 20% of the population with brains would never even pick up this book. Every counselor I ever knew would tell me to read this book back when I was unsure of my future toward the end of my college career 15 years ago. I didn't have the money for the book, so I basically read through it at B. Instead, stop lining the pockets of this preacher and say no to this book. Anything that is a best seller in the United States must be flawed, because like I said before, 80% of the population are idiots. People need to start thinking for themselves and stop buying this garbage. If you are in the 80% idiot group, you will disagree with this review and probably buy it out of spite. The other 20% will know where I'm coming from, but most of you would never be enough of a loser to be reading a review on this book and even contemplating buying it. The only reason I've spent the time on this is to possibly persuade one person that this book is a scam and maybe they'll spread the word and this book will eventually go away. Yes No 7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 4 out of 5 stars This Book Is A Good Start To Help You Find A Job You Love, August 26, 2003 Reviewer: A reader from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA I liked this book because Richard Nelson Bolles writes to the reader searching for a job in a manner that is friendly, and not at all demeaning or condescending. Let's face it, if you wanted a job you really wanted to have, one where when you got home and could not wait to get back to work the next day, and getting paid was only a part of your job, wouldn't that be a job that you could call a friendly job? He writes in his book, (and I don't think there is anyone with their frontal lobes of their brain intact that would disagree), that the world of searching for a job is one we have come to cordially hate. If you are searching for just a job, this book is not for you. The methods used in the book bypass searching for a job in the newspaper, which according to Bolles is the LAST place an employer will advertise a job opening. If you feel that this book has good ideas as I did, but you feel you need coaching and help in extracting the specifics of what your interests are, and how they would fit into your next job, I would recommend finding and hiring a career counselor that uses Bolles methods. If you are miserable at your job, and dread coming to work, pick up this book, read it, and get as much information as you can about career counselors in your area so you can have as broad an amount of information as possible before making your next step towards hiring a career counselor. Bolles method is a process that takes time, but once you get the specifics of what you really like doing, it will propel you forward into your next job, and it will be like a light at the end of a long dark tunnel. Hang in there at your current job for as long as you can, until you know for certain that you found a job that you are comfortable with and know you love and will do your very best. Customers who bought titles by Richard Nelson Bolles also bought titles by these authors: * 97 Nicholas Lore * 98 Paul D.
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