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Summary: Can This Book (or Series) be Overrated?
Review: [Can This Book (or Series) be Overrated?] As a career & vocational counseling professional, my opinion is that it cannot. This book can be underutilized or misapplied, or a reader may want it to do something that it is not intended to do. (What book can be useful for everyone?) It provides no miracle path to a new or changed career. Nor does it state education or experience is neither helpful nor necessary. (And neither is it saturated with the author's faith beliefs; but some take issue with any mention of beliefs outside their own....) If one already knows the information in this work, of course it will be less useful. What Bolles does is (continue to) provide information and a way of thinking about one's work life in ways many people do not. What we term transferable job skills are frequently overlooked by career-changers, and this book is especially helpful in this area. The reader is encouraged to explore who they are now - not who they were (which might be why they are not in s job they like.) Most helpful are the various exercises. But, one must put some effort into doing them for the book to be a benefit. This can be a challenge, but is worth the effort.
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Summary: This book is helpful if you do the exercises
Review: I found this book extremely helpful in evaluating certain criteria that was important to me in terms of a working environment that I didn't realize was so important. You do have to do the excercises for it to have any meaning. It is easy to read and if you really need a starting point, I think it is worth it.
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Summary: THERE ARE BETTER CAREER CHANGE BOOKS
Review: Thinking of changing your career? Here are my suggestions. I am a professional, a former physician, who recently made a 90 degree career change after putting up with work I did not enjoy for many years. I managed to get through the two big problems career changers face : coming up with the courage to make the leap, and the BIG ONE, figuring our just what to do with my life. Now I'm in an exciting, new and different career and doing very well, thank you. I actually like going to work. I recently read this Po Bronson book to see what the experience of making a change was like for others. If you are thinking about actually making a change, don't waste your money on this book. It is excellent for providing suggestions to job changers, but if your are seeking a more fulfilling career, forget it. There are only two really excellent career change books. The first is called "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success" This is the masterpiece guide to career change. It is a brilliantly written, in-depth guide to all aspects of deciding what to do with your life, and dealing with the courage question as well. I eventually decided to get further assistance designing my new career from the author's well respected career counseling organization, Rockport Institute, but I was a hard nut to crack. You may not need anything more than this book. The other book I recommend is "Do What You Are", a guide to which careers fit your personality. Though this is not really a complete "how to" book, it is very useful. Get these two books and you will be on your way to a more fulfilling life. Buy "Parachute" only if you want a new job doing what you are doing now.
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Summary: Common sense for anyone that has been to an interview
Review: This book is nice for someone who has never been to an interview and is completely intimidated and at a loss for what to say and what to do. Otherwise, this book is pretty useless. Especially this "life changing" job hunt stuff. Let's get real... unless you have education somewhat pertaining to the field you want, the chances are pretty slim to none that you will get the job you are trying for. There are better resources out there...
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Summary: Simply put, the best overall...
Review: I have counseled and taught hundreds of people on career changing and job hunting. In doing so I have reviewed numerous professional and "self-help" books covering the skills and techniques involved. There may well be better works on specific issues, but for a general work accessible to many, this is the best overall. Bolles helps the active reader assess themselves, where they are at and where they might want to go, and provides practical information on making decisiopns and career changes.
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Summary: Down to earth, very helpful
Review: When you are out of a job or urged to find one because you feel the smell of layoffs in the air, desperation takes over and you start doing very stupid things, and forgetting to do others that could do you a lot of good. This book is a great reminder and source of ideas for those times, or perhaps even better, for the times that preceed them: before you are in a career crisis. This book is about landing the job of your dreams, about making it happen, and it's very down to earth in its approach. About the review that touches on the religious comments made in the book. You can perfectly skip the epilogue (which is basically the most religion-loaded section), and still the book is perfectly useful, so don't let that comment have you turn the book down. It is worth every minute you invest on it, to help you realize how our methods of searching for a job tend to be in direct conflict with the way employers (like to) hire. Also it gives prime advice (23 ideas) on how to find that job you want, all the time with a great sense of humor, and plenty of references and links for you to go out there and expand your job-hunting knowledge base. After reading the book, I feel better armed in my job search. Good luck to you all, job hunters out there! :)
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Summary: By far the best job hunting manual on the market.
Review: This book is head and shoulders above the rest of the job search books on the market today, plain and simple. It has been around for a long time, whereas most of the books which have at times competed with it have long since been out of print. The author gives the job hunter straightforward, no-nonsense advice on conducting an effective job search. He eschews any trendiness in favor of the truth - that job hunting comes down to "pounding the pavement" and working your contacts until you land the job you want. Incidentally, I find it unfortunate that some reviewers apparently are offended by the inclusion of a final chapter of the book which adds a Christian perspective to the job search. Mr. Bolles "warns" readers at the very beginning of the book that he is an ordained minister, that the final chapter of the book adds a Christian perspective to the job search, and that if you are not so inclined, you can skip the last chapter and still reap the benefits of the book. Does the mere fact that the author is a Christian offend these reviewers? Why don't they simply heed the author's explicit instructions and refrain from reading the last chapter if they find it so offensive?
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Summary: A New Book On the Block
Review: What Color Is Your Parachute is the classic job-hunting tool - good exercises that make you think and hold you accountable. But they are also a bit blah and boring, and the religious commentary is a bit unnerving. There's a new player in the market that's getting a lot of buzz - Women for Hire: The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Job! I picked this up after hearing Regis and Kelly plug the book on their show. It's great! The tone is dynamic and motivating and the exercises focus on clear actions that you can take now. The authors do a great job of lifting your spirits. The anecdotes and feedback from recruiters and other human resource professionals helped me understand what goes on on the other side of the desk, once my resume is received. I incorporated a number of the tips and tricks detailed and am now interviewing for my dream job! I highly recommend this book!
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Summary: Sorries, I don't live in Small Town USA
Review: I was just laid off a couple of months ago from a job I despised with every fiber of my being. My first reaction was purely survival driven-- I started surfing Monster for jobs that were close to my previous occupation. I figured that was pretty much the game... Then, I went to a two-day seminar that was what my former company considered "outplacement assistance." It gave me a little bit of perspective, and a brief step outside of the self-imposed box. Wonderful! But I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and my career. Outside of the box is a wide universe of possibilities, including the chance to pursue my passion in life: politics and public policy, or possibly getting involved in international business. Still, I had no clear picture of where to begin, even though it was pretty bloody obvious that I needed to change careers. Soooo, I began the almost frightening process of reading every career switching book known to humankind, including "What Color is Your Parachute?" I'd eyeballed the copies at the local [store] for a couple of weeks, and finally decided to plunk down my [X] or whatever the cover price is for the 2003 edition. I began reading, and actually enjoyed it, despite the overt Christian references that dot the writing (especially wonderful when you're an atheist). But there really wasn't anything new here! I'd already figured out at this seminar what my favorite skills were, and what I'd be willing to consider with my educational background. I was familiar with networking, and developing a marketing plan, researching companies, etc. I took a couple of the career tests that were recommended by Bolles, and came up with things like "College Professor" which are my eventual goal, but nothing answered the question: "What the heck do I do now?" And I think that's one of the key weaknesses of this book. I can't really go into business designing states' public policies for profit, since that's a government function. I can't combine my love of politics, international relations, writing, and drawing in a consulting business. I mean, reality check! Eventually, with a little more thinking, I realized that I never wanted to work for corporate America ever again as long as I live. I just don't like it! So, that leaves the government and nonprofit/NGOs. There's surprisingly little directed in "Parachute" toward either of these career directions. The only example of a job hunter looking for a government job is some guy living in a small town in the middle of the country, who was able to convince the city government to hire him in some special capacity. That's all well and good, but out here in the Big City, things don't work that way! In fact, in California, city, county and state governments are required by law to post all positions to allow equal competition among employees and outsiders for these jobs. A civil service exam is almost always required, and these positions are posted on the internet as well. Problem: how do you network into something like this? You can't! How do you have someone create a position in government for you if you don't live in a small town? You can't! I don't think Bolles could come up with answers to those questions, and sadly, there don't seem to be any career switching books that deal specifically with municipal, county and state government jobs. Despite the prevailing wisdom on how to find jobs, you are almost required to conduct an internet search for government positions. Bolles' section on internet searches isn't very detailed or helpful in strategizing how to do this, unfortunately. So, where does that leave the errant career-changer who doesn't want to work for-profit anymore? Pretty much where she started, on her own. Luckily this one has found a nice long term temp job that will allow her the time to think a little more and decide what she wants to do, with the assistance of her alma mater's career center, and a couple of other good career switching books, including the current project, "Zen and the Art of Making a Living," which at least is non-denominational about its spirituality ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Out of date
Review: This book is out of date. Also it has many religious comments throughout. Why someone would put religious comments in a job search book is beyond me. I threw this book away.
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