WHATCOLORI SYOURPARACHUTE?

2015EDI
TION
 THE 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 It’s a Whole New World for Job-Hunters 1

Chapter 2 Google Is Your New Resume 11

Chapter 3 There Are Over Eight Million Vacancies

Available Each Month 35

Chapter 4 Sixteen Tips About Interviewing for a Job 43

Chapter 5 The Six Secrets of Salary Negotiation 73

Chapter 6 What to Do When Your Job-Hunt Just Isn’t Working 89

Chapter 7 You Need to Understand More Fully Who You Are 101

Chapter 8 You Get to Choose Where You Work 181

Chapter 9 How to Deal with Any Handicaps You Have 201

Chapter 10 Five Ways to Change Careers 221

Chapter 11 How to Start Your Own Business 235

THE BLUE PAGES

Appendix A Finding Your Mission in Life 252

Appendix B A Ten-Minute Crash Course for Returning Vets 275

Appendix C A Guide to Dealing with Your Feelings

While Out of Work 294

Appendix D A Guide to Choosing a Career Coach or Counselor 303

Appendix E Sampler List of Coaches 317

Appendix F Recent Foreign Editions of What Color Is

Your Parachute? 337
The Final Word: Notes from the Author for This Edition 338
About the Author 343
Index 344
Update 2016 353
Additional Helpful Resources from the Author 354
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90 Chapter 6

The Two Ways to Hunt for a Job

We begin with good news: there are two ways you can go about the
job-hunt. In the previous five chapters, we’ve been discussing only one
of them, namely the way that everybody goes about the job-hunt, at
first, because that’s the way you do it, and that’s how it’s always been.
We’ll call this The Traditional Way. Most of us know how to do this,
or can quickly learn. It doesn’t demand much time. Slap together a
resume. Post it. Send out bushel baskets of resumes. If that doesn’t turn
up any job offer, send out another ton of resumes. Post it everywhere.
Wait to see if you get any responses. Look at the ads online and off for
vacancies. Approach those companies via your resume.
If this works for you, great! (But then, if it did, you wouldn’t be reading
this chapter, would you?)
With the second way to hunt for work—let’s call it The Parachute
Way (everybody does, except me)—you begin with yourself instead of
the job-market. You figure out who you are, and what you most love to
do. Then you decide which organizations match you. And you do not
wait until they announce they have a vacancy. You approach them any-
way, not through a resume but through a person, specifically a bridge
person—someone who knows them and also knows you.
The opposite page has a detailed comparison of the two approaches.
If you’ve tried as hard as you can to find a job, and nothing is working, you
need to switch approaches. If you’ve been using The Traditional Way—and
it just isn’t working out this time—then you need to try using The Para-
chute Way—as outlined in the right-hand column of the chart.
Sure, it’s harder to use this approach.
Sure, it requires more of you. It’s more work.
Sure, it asks you to do some hard thinking and reflect on who you
are, and where you’re going with your life.
But that is precisely its value. It’s not just about work. It forces you
to step back, and first think about Who before What (shall I do). You get
to think not just about your work life but your whole life, and what you
want out of life.
What to Do When Your Job-Hunt Just Isn’t Working
What you are looking for
How you see yourself
Your basic plan
Your preparation
How you figure out which
employers to approach
How you contact them
What the purpose of your
resume is
What your main goal is if
you get an interview
What you talk about in the
interview
What you’re trying to
find out
How you end the final
interview there
What to do after getting
the job, but before you
start
1. I’m indebted to Daniel Porot for this term.
2. See chapter 8 for an explanation of this term.
The Traditional Way
A job.
As a “job beggar.”1 You will
be lucky to get them.
Figure out how to “sell”
yourself, before you go out
hunting.
Do research to find out
what the job-market wants
and what the “hot jobs” are.
Your best weapon is your
ability to “fit in.”
You wait for them to identify
they have a vacancy.
Through your resume.
To sell them on why you
should be hired there.
To sell them on why you
should be hired there.
Yourself, your assets, your
experience.
Do they want me?
You ask them: “When may
I hope to hear from you?”
(You are leaving things
hanging.)
Send a thank-you note.
Then, “it’s over.” Rest,
relax, and savor the
successful end to your
job-hunt.
91
The Parachute Way
A “dream job”: one that uses
your favorite skills and favorite
fields or knowledges.
As a “resource.” They will be
lucky to get you.
Figure out what kind of job
you’d die to do, before you go
out hunting.
Do homework on yourself, to
figure out what you do best,
AND most love to do. Your best
weapon is your enthusiasm!
Doing “informational inter-
views,” you figure out which
organizations most interest
you—in light of your home-
work—even if they do not have
an advertised vacancy at the
time.
Through a “bridge person”
(someone who knows you
and also knows them).2 Use
LinkedIn to find them.
To get a first interview with
them.
To get another interview there.
50% of the time you let them
ask the questions. 50% of the
time you ask them the things
you want to know about the
place, and the job there.
Do I want them? (as well as
“Do they want me?”)
If you decide you do want to
work there, you ask them: “I
believe I could be a real asset
to you. Given all that we’ve
talked about, can you offer
me this job?” (You are seeking
closure.)
Send a thank-you note.
Then, keep on quietly job-
hunting. (The offer may still fall
through before you start, due
to unforeseen circumstances
there.)
92 Chapter 6

Does This Second Way of Job-Hunting

Really Work?
This all sounds just fine. In theory. But does it actually work? I mean,
does it actually help us find a job when The Traditional Way has failed
us, up to now? Yes, it does. Impressively—50% of the time at least.3 In
other studies, it’s 86% of the time.4 Not just a job but work we really
want to do. What we sometimes refer to as “our dream job.”
Now I said there were basically two job-hunting methods. Well,
I was generalizing. We can actually distinguish twelve. Here’s some
comparative statistics for them all.
We’ll start with the worst, and work our way up: from the ones with
the poorest track record, to the ones with the best.

The Twelve Best and Worst

Ways To Look for a Job
1. Looking for employers’ job-postings on the Internet. This
method apparently works on average just 4% of the time. Yeah,
it works for just four out of every one hundred who try it. You’re
somewhere between surprised and shocked at this finding? I
was too.
It is strange. If you’re out of work, everyone will tell you the
best way to look for a job is to look for employers’ job-postings
(vacancies)—either on the employer’s own website (if the job-
hunter or career-changer has a particular organization in mind);
or on websites or job-boards such as Monster, CareerBuilder,

3. A report of a 50% success rate, from a Job Search Support Group in Cupertino, California: “The
Cupertino Rotary Job Search Support Group is going strong again this year. Last year we had
154 people come through the Group and exactly 50% found jobs—77 people found the work they
were seeking! The ‘50%’ figure has been the ‘Rule of Thumb’ for the Job Search Support Group.
. . . EVERY year (all 11 years except the first year, which was 43%) the success rate has been
50%! And every year, we use Dick’s book as a central ‘resource’ for encouragement and a prac-
tical job-searching guide. Every single person that comes to our Group receives a copy of What
Color Is Your Parachute? along with a Cupertino Rotary Job Search Support Group binder—and
with these resources, it helps people tremendously!”
4. In studies conducted by Crystal Management Services, in its work with the State Department,
the military, and other job-hunters.
WHATCOLORI SYOURPARACHUTE?
2015EDI
TION
This is an annual. That is to say, it is revised each year, often substantially, with the new
edition appearing in early August. Counselors and others wishing to submit additions,
corrections, or suggestions for the 2016 edition must submit them prior to February 1, 2015
using the form provided in the back of this book, or by e-mail (dickbolles40@gmail.com).
Forms reaching us after that date will, unfortunately, have to wait for the 2017 edition.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not
engaged in rendering professional career services. If expert assistance is required, the
service of the appropriate professional should be sought.

Copyright © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002,
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1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1975, 1972, 1970
by Richard Nelson Bolles.

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