Rating: 
Summary: First Book To Buy For Job Hunting
Review: "What Color Is Your Parachute" is the first book you need if finding a job is your goal. If you've not bought this yet, you haven't started looking.Richard Bolles is the expert. His books sell because they are fresh each year with insight, purpose and ideas for determining what job you should do, and how to get it. I used "Parachute" to get my first job. It continues to influence me today, as I job hunt again. Thoroughly practical, Bolles asks you questions about your mission in life. His belief is that just getting a job -- even ones you are good at -- won't be a wise decision in the long haul. He helps you see your passions mixed with skills and experience, and guides you to getting their. Though it is hardly a self-help book, it is far more useful than the ones clogging up the Top 10 list. He keeps you accountable. Finding a job is your job if that's what you say you want. And if you aren't working, he won't let you make excuses -- you've got the time. Either you are looking or you aren't. Dr. Phil could take a note from Bolles' direct yet congenial style. Don't bother with the hardcover. You need the paperback. This is not a sit-on-the-shelf book, but a get-down-to-business book, and you'll appreciate the flexibility while at work or on the train. I fully recommend, "What Color Is Your Parachute" by Richard Nelson Bolles. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: Life altering Book
Review: This book changed my life. First, a word of caution: if you are bigoted against religion, if you are intolerant of anyone who dares to talk about God and so forth, you should not read this book.
However, if you are open minded enough and are not neurotic about religious affairs, this book is absolutely amazing. It transcends the usual desperation of many job seekers. Even if you are just in career "survival mode," this book can refocus your heart on the fact that life on this earth is not everything, and eternal value is something that applies to the here and now--- even something as mundane as a job search. To all those who have even a little bit of faith in a higher power: read this book and never be the same again.
Rating:
Summary: A life saver
Review: Without exaggerating this book changed and saved my life. I had to change my career ( I became disabled with chronic back pain for three years-) almost but not quite ready to give up on life-I had to find new purpose and enjoyment...but as I had always been doing my dream-what would I do next? This book gave me the answers-and in fact while pursuing one of my 'new careers' I was laughing and enjoying life so much- the pain began to disappear and I became cured. So, this book was a miracle for me, as doctors told me I would never have the life I have now. (Full and rich and full of fun and pain free!) I also took a job later that normally I would never have thought of, nor thought I was qualified for-but I did, I got the job, and it turned out to become the best job I ever had, and now have my own business doing the same. It will give you the answers too, but you must actually do the exercises for it to be effective.
It opens you up to new possibilities, helps you find your natural skills, inclinations and preferences, and causes you to examine yourself very deeply in terms of what motivates you. For there you will find success and happiness. In addition, but in smaller proportion, it provides solid advice on researching, resumes, cover letters, etiquette, follow-ups and thank-yous and more.
I have since successfully changed my career, started my own business, do what I love even more than ever before, with more freedom, and have been a teacher and speaker on changing careers and career management in addition to pursuing my new found blisses...(there are a few now-where before there was only one.) It also gives you the confidence by enabling you to see the transferrable skills that you have to offer.
whether you are a job-hunter or looking to start your own business but not sure what you want to do or how to focus your talents this is a gem.
Rating: 
Summary: Out of Touch and Out of Date
Review: Don't believe the hype and the wonderful accolades that this book has recieved, they are totally unfounded. This book like many others written by arm chair acadamiens like Bolles is filled with witless and obvious information that even a Homer Simpson would find routine. The methods do not work. How do I know? I've tried them all and they have failed completely. Bolles continously talks about networking but gives no insight on how to build a network of contacts if your network of contacts is saturated or is limited. This book was initially written in the 1970's with some minor changes to reflect the 21st century such as the use of internet sites. The world has drastically changed and the climate for job searching is much more hostile. Even cold calling which Bolles suggests as a last resort only results in irate and often apathetic employers. But then again how would he understand, this book is not based on hands on job hunting experiences here in 2002. The job market has becoming more fierce and traditional methods of job searching that Bolles preaches(no pun intended) do not work. Besides the simplistic advice that is echoed in almost any job book you can purchase out there, Bolles goes into a mind numbing discussion of religious values which was almost as bad as job hunting advice. I think you get the underlying message, you need divine intervention to get a job nowadays.
Rating: 
Summary: You won't feel the impact if you land with this parachute
Review: It had been about 3 years that I've wanted to read this book, when a last minute relocation (and subsequent job search) made it at last imperative. Completely re-written for this new edition, I started to read it with an open mind, and have received only positive impact out of it. However, because I knew what I wanted to do from the very beginning, it was not 100% helpful to me. If you are not sure of what you would like to do to earn your living, then this book is for you. It contains numerous tests (including Richard Bolles' famous Flower Exercise) to help you find your Mission in life. But if, as it was in my own case, you just need some pointers on how to GET the job of your dreams - because you already know that's what you would most like to do, then you may not need to read the whole book. A few key chapters will suffice, such as the first five (interview tips, how employers look for job hunters, etc.) I cannot recommend enough to supplement this reading with its companion website, located at www.JobHuntersBible.com. In it there is an article especially written about what it means to go job hunting in America post-September 11. I don't think many of us know what it really entails and Bolles puts it in perspective here. If you need career counseling, there is a listing at the end of the book that will help as a place to start. The fifty thousand dollar question dealing with my finding a job after applying the techniques in this book has yet to be answered, but I would definitely recommend it as a means for the desperate job seeker who has or is about to lose all his hope. Bolles writes with a clarity and honesty that can only be helpful in the least, and give you total fulfillment at its most.
Rating:
Summary: Some diamonds, a lot of rough...
Review: Two stars for practical tips on job-hunting and interviewing. The book starts to lose focus about half way through as it spends several long chapters on things like "determining what skills you have" and "finding out what you want in a job". These parts were useless for me (but they may be useful for others). My biggest complaint: As other reviewers pointed out, at the very end of the book, the author totally shifts gears and delivers an utterly inappropriate Christian sermon as a 20-page epilogue. Regardless of your own religious beliefs, you will find the change in tone from the last chapter to be very jarring, and you will wonder if you are still reading the same book. Where was the editor when he slipped THIS into the presses?
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: Even before I received "What Color is Your Parachute?" as a gift, I had heard that it was the "Bible" of job-hunting. It wasn't until after I began reading it that I discovered this is not only a figurative reference, but also, to a great extent, a literal one as well. Bolles, a practicing minister, makes religion a central theme of the book. The 400-page text is rife with Christian teachnigs, and the epilogue could easily be mistaken for a sermon. I found the entire religious context to be distracting and entirely unnecessary. Despite this, Bolles primary message is a relevant and important one. He divides job searches into two primary types: traditional, in which one seeks a job matching their current skills, and "life-changing", in which one seeks a job consistent with their own interests and desires, regardless of current skills. Bolles strongly encourages the reader to conduct a life-changing job search, and much of the book is dedicated to exercises to help the reader discover their true calling. (These exercises are not consistent with those found in Bolles' workbook, by the way.) While Bolles delivers an important message, and undoubtedly has prompted many people to radically change their lives for the better, I found his writing to be redundant and meandering, making the book much longer than necessary. Furthermore, Bolles' organization leaves something to be desired, as he dedicates Chapter 2 to job searching on the internet, only to tell the reader in Chapter 3 that this is the "worst worst" method. If you are looking for a serious job-hunting guide, I suggest you look elsewhere. tpm
July 10, 2002
Rating:
Summary: This book does not apply to all
Review: As a professional with graduate degrees in business and science, I was extremely disappointed in this resource for 3 reasons. One, the "language" of the book is characteristic of grade schools texts and inherently instills doubt in the books arguments, objectives and goals. Two, the statistics compiled in the text are outdated and discounted by the author on multiple occasions. Finally, and most importantly, the resource appears to be most applicable to those in the blue collar field. Many examples and self-marketing strategies target positions or firms which require less education and even experience. Overall, the book is written at a level for children and suggests strategies that are great if you are not a well educated and seasoned professional. For a book that generates 20,000 copy revenues per month, I was shocked. This text is not for a seasoned professional contemplating a vertical or horizontal career change.
Rating: 
Summary: Asad Husain
Review: Okay, so this book has gotten many good reviews. After I read it, I did get some good ideas about how to go about looking for a job. The rest of it was well, fluff for me. If you don't know what you want, this book might inspire you a little. If you are a novice on the internet -and anyone reading this isn't, the references in the book to good job resource websites are just that -a reference. But getting down to the real reason I purchased this book was to learn how to get a job. This book had one segment that was priceless and that was only 2-3 pages long and earned the book it's stars. It's the section on going out and looking for a job rather than just sending out resumes! But that section is expanded in one of the best books I have come across on the subject: "Don't send a Resume" by Jeffery Fox. It looks like one of those little "101 Ms. Manners" type of book. Small and thin. But that's the beauty of it. It tells you with examples exactly what you need to do to get a job by making yourself the product you are selling. See my complete review on it. It is worth 5 stars, easy to read, yet you will reference it again an again and it WILL help you get a job.
Rating:
Summary: still here - still great
Review: I love this book. As a career counselor, I'm delighted when a client refers to Bolles or a specific component of Parachute. I then know I'm working with a focused, dedicated and diligent person, willing to do what it takes.
It's important to know what Bolles does not do. He doesn't cover career trends or updated Labor Dept. information. He doesn't compare resume formats extensively.
In the 2002 edition, Bolles goes fearlessly into the spiritual aspect of career. Many of us fear being dogmatic on this topic, so tend to avoid it entirely. Yet clients (some of them) are eager to explore a sense of vocation for today's troubled planet. Bolles opens doors into exploration of one's mission which I am eager to pursue.
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