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Summary: SYNOPSIS
Review: •PARACHUTE is always current and up to date, with tips about job-hunting on the Internet being the latest evidence of this. It works in conjunction with a Web site, [...] and a companion book, by the same author, JOB-HUNTING ON THE INTERNET.•It discusses what has changed about the job-market, and the new attitudes that are required in order to survive therein. •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.
Rating: 
Summary: The best of it's kind
Review: I bought this book at amazon , I am only on page 43 and I can already say it is the best of it's kind! I am a teacher in a University in Portugal-Europe and I am sure this book will be more than helpful to my graduating students - I will be sure to recommend it to them fiercly! And I am also sure they will thank the author for having written it!
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Summary: A good source of encouragement and advice
Review: This is an excellent book. The author has done a great job in pulling together the elements which spell success in the quest for employment. I recommend it. Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "The Accelerated Job Search" docwifford@msn.com
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Summary: CHANGING CAREERS? THERE ARE MUCH BETTER BOOKS
Review: I am a career coach with eight years of experience working with people wanting a new career - a better fit with their talents, more meaningful, a better work environment. If you want to choose a career that will be very fulfilling as well as something you will be successful at, forget about "Parachute". It just doesn't have the depth and wisdom it takes to coach you through this most important life decision. Another career counselor who reviewed "Parachute" recommended that you get two other books instead. I agree. They are "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success" by Lore, and "Do What You Are" by Tieger. "The Pathfinder" is the best career decision book ever, the seminal text, the masterpiece on the subject - this is, if you are serious about having a great life and unwilling to put up with less. I also agree with the other reviewer that "Parachute" is a great job hunting book, but only if you know exactly what job you are looking for. Reading "Parachute" takes some of the fear and uncertainty out of job hunting. But if you are trying to decide what to do with your life, forget about "Parachute".
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Summary: The Job-hunter's Bible
Review: •PARACHUTE is always current and up to date, with tips about job-hunting on the Internet being the latest evidence of this. It works in conjunction with a Web site, www.JobHuntersBible.com, and a companion book, by the same author, JOB-HUNTING ON THE INTERNET. •It discusses what has changed about the job-market, and the new attitudes that are required in order to survive therein. •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.
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Summary: Retrospective Look At What Have Been Some Good Practices
Review: I was uncertain how to rate this book. Compared to other job-hunting guides I have read, it is the best. So it didn't seem fair not to give it a five star rating. On the other hand, compared to what is needed, this book is mired in stalled thinking of the past. Let me talk about the good first. The book is pretty good on goal setting. Its first piece of major advice is to decide what you have to offer the world. Many people fail to self-assess and become stuck in misconceptions about what their job potentials are. Most people can do more than they think they can. In a tight job market like today, chances are you can get some flexible responses if you look for them. On the other hand, I thought the third major piece of advice was much more relevant: Go after organizations that interest you the most. Companies are increasingly hiring for attitude, and plan to work with you to add the necessary skills. If you find organizations that turn you on, chances are they will turn you on, too. The current thinking is that companies should have exciting purposes that make a job more like a meaningful adventure. I'd start there, if I were you. In fact, I was surprised to see the emphasis on skills in this book. That's certainly relevant, but it has not been a dominant factor except for certain types of engineers in over five years. Does Bolles do any new research on the job market before writing each volume? The best part of the book related to encouraging people to find their mission in life. That's something that most people never do. If you just read that section (inexplicably located near the back of the book -- I'd have put it up front) and apply it, you will more than have gotten your benefit from this book. A good related volume on that subject is Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. Now, on the negative side, the book assumes that you are suddenly on the street and have to find a job quickly. Or so it seems, because there is little in the book that suggests how to prepare to be very hireable when you have a job and are not looking. That's when you can do the most good by accomplishing things that will impress future employers, raising your visibility, networking with people who can give you job leads in the future, and so forth. Also, the book is awfully complacent about having found the best method for getting a new job. But it doesn't mention the idea of being so much in demand that you are always getting feelers so you never have to look for a job. That works 100 percent of the time. The advice for getting a job is to find people who can hire and demonstrate skills that can help them to meet their goals. That assumes that those hiring can link you and your job to their goals. That's assuming a lot. I think that better advice would be for them to see you as someone who helps them feel more confident they can accomplish something they care about. That might be simply getting home to dinner with the family on time. Here's a particularly critical point: What is the environment like in the company? This book treats employers like they are undifferentiated in many ways. Actually, they are more different from one another than they are similar. The advice on how to find out more about big companies before pursuing them is very good. Despite my reservations, there's a lot of value in here. Good luck in finding an irresistible job! But banish your stalled thinking first!
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Summary: An excellent tool for self-assessement
Review: Are you looking for a job or are you considering a career change? Or do you simply want to re-evaluate the job you currently have? Are you in a position where you have to hire others? Or do you want some guidance evaluating your personal mission in life?The audio version of this book, clearly read by the author, is an excellent tool for all of the above questions, and more. The more I listened, the more I realized that this was not just a book about job-hunting, but it is also a book about ethics in the workplace.Find out why the most common job-hunting techniques, such as reading the want ads and sending out resumes, are among the least effective methods for landing a job. Find out how to zero in on your own skills and interests, and with that information use more effective techniques for landing a "dream job."In my case, by the time I was done with this audio book, I realized that the time was not right for change for me, and that my current job suits my interests and talents quite well.The epilogue on finding your mission in life, was a suprise bonus that made listening to the whole book worth it for me!
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Summary: I bought first edition many years ago
Review: That was 30 years ago I guess, when I was a student in Albion College (Michigan). The title impressed me a lot. By that time, college best sellers were "The whole Earth Catalog" and "The anarchist cook book". It was a time for demonstrations in Washington against Vietnam war. Some of my friends even escaped to Canada because they did not want to be drafted. "Nixon, don't do the same mistake as your father, withdraw before it's too late"... this is what you could read on the walls. "What colour is your parachute" became a best-seller. It still is. I hope it will be as useful to my kids as it was to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Very Useful...
Review: For years people have been telling me about this book. I put aside my resistance and went out to buy the book. I now know that I should listen to my instincts more often! I learned a lesson by making this purchase: listen to your gut. This is also the way I will be finding my career path, because I found the author to be not so helpful with his advice. Although going door-to-door may work well for people in large metropolitain areas, it is not so useful for people in a smaller rural area. Save your money and buy stamps for your resumes!
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Summary: How do I get the job to sweep the streets?
Review: Little insight. The book would probably give you an understanding how to become a nightwatch or a janitor at summer school, but forget about anything else. Childish excitement. Not worth the money.
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