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Summary: USELESS - THERE ARE BETTER BOOKS
Review: I have bought several editions of "Parachute" over the years whenever my successful but unsatisfying career got under my skin more than usual. It has been the only resource I've used because it is the one everyone seems to know about. But it hasn't worked for me. Until a few months ago I was still stuck, not sure what career would be best for me. Finally I read the reviews of this new edition of "Parachute". There is a great review of "Parachute" by a career counselor dated October 24, 1999 that says "Parachute" is a great job hunting book if you know what sort of job you are looking for. He/she also says that it is pretty useless if you are trying to figure out what to do with your life. The counselor recommended two books. I bought them, used them, and finally was able to make a good decision about my future. I love my new career! The two books that helped me were " 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. If you are in the same situation as me, buy these books instead of "Parachute". Or, at least read the review I spoke of. You can find that review by clicking "Read all customer reviews" on this page.
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Summary: Dick N. Bolles - Messiah or Charlatan?
Review: I was given WCIYP recently by my uncle during a spell of unemployment, and I read it from cover to cover over a couple of days. Initially I found it compelling, however the more I read, the more that the "So what's new about this?" feeling overcame the compulsion.The book starts with a big promise: Conventional job hunting methods don't work, but Dick's cunning scheme will get you that dream position. Then the style settles down for the first few sections which cover self-assessment and skill identification, and which seem good and useful to practically everybody whether they're employed or not. Ok, hold onto the table, because here comes the exciting bit! Dick hands you a bottle of his Magical Job Potion! (I won't say exactly what ingredient 'X' is, as book sellers tend not to like that kind of thing). That's dandy, except as Dick's rickety cart disappears over the horizon, you look down at the bottle you're holding and see that the cheap and badly printed label actually reads: "100% Finest Snake Oil".
Rating: 
Summary: Great overview with helping detail
Review: This is the 4th edition of "Parachute" that I have purchased over the years. It always helps me in some way, whether I'm looking for a job or not. It continues to contain great guidance and helpful tips on job searches and career development. I particularly like Bolles' emphasis on self-responsibility in your search. Also recommend, as helpful supplements to your career management, books I've read: anything by Blanchard or "The Leader's Guide: 15 Essential Skills."
Rating: 
Summary: Required Reading for me
Review: As a student taking an internship, this book is required reading as part of my program. I am on the last chapter right now and have found this book to offer little insight on any kind of career choices, and the tips for interviews are either common sense, or far-fetched. This book may offer some insight only if the reader knows their general direction and may need motivation, but to a college student I would suggest getting some other information elsewhere, say a career development center. This book should be a last resort if you really have problems getting hired.
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Summary: Great Book on Getting a Job
Review: For someone who is looking for a job, I don't know of a better book. After college I decided I wanted to be an actor and figured id read this to see if I could deal with the business world. Im not in big business, but I know if acting doesn't work that I can do it in sales if I need to.
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Summary: Superb buy
Review: This book is an excellent start and finish to anyone looking at changing careers or jumpstarting their existing careers. Its processes of self-discovery are intuitive and easy to use, and they help lead you to assuming responsibilities for your career and work goals. Also recommended, since it discusses how to get ahead by improving your daily actions on the job, "The Leader's Guide: 15 Essential Skills."
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Summary: A must have ! ! !
Review: When leaving the military, I was given the 1997 version of this book by a neighbor who was about to retire. Soon thereafter, I purchased the 1998 version. Both books totally opened my eyes--the five best/worst ways to jobs hunting and the idea that you should ALWAYS be looking for sources of employment JUMPSTARTED my IT career. I suggest this book to everyone that I know who is currently job searching.
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Summary: The Publisher, Ten Speed Press
Review: Realizing that the average reader wants some indication of what is essential and what is optional, PARACHUTE has been completely rewritten--not just revised and updated. The optional things which are useful to some readers but not all--such as Moving, or Dealing with Depression--have been put in the second volume, created and baptized as THE WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE WORKBOOK. The book that has been hailed "the Cadillac of job-search books" by the Rocky Mountain News, has just gotten better with this helpful companion volume.
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Summary: The Best Book In Print on How to Find a Job!
Review: "What Color Is Your Parachute 2000?" is a classic. In my opinion, it is the best book on how to find a job in print. Highly readable and filled with practical, doable, and successful ideas from skill identification to Worst and Best ways to find a job, it assists the beginner and the experienced job searcher equally well. In my twenty years as a Career Consultant, clients who have followed the ideas in "Parachute" that apply to their job search have been 100% successful in finding the work they love and for which they have the skills regardless of the job market in their area. Jim Kell, Texas.
Rating:
Summary: Marginally useful to people deciding their career direction
Review: I'm a career counselor in private practice, working with mid-career changers and young people making these decisions for the first time. Over the years, an endless stream of clients have told me that they read "Parachute" and that it was not very useful. The problem is that the methods the author uses are simply inadequate to make this most important of life's decisions. "Parachute" became a best seller years ago because it was a breath of fresh air at a time when there were no other reasonably good career books. That time is long gone - and "Parachute" continues to sell mainly because everyone has heard of it. I recommend that you buy two truly extraordinary books to guide you to a highly satisfying career decision. The first is "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success", by N. Lore. It is by far the best book on the subject. I recommend that you also buy a copy of "Do What You Are" by Tieger and use it along with "The Pathfinder" because it is the best guide to personality type. It is not my intention to denigrate "Parachute". It is an excellent guide, probably the best, if you already know exactly what you want to do and are seeking good job hunting advice. It gives courage and many excellent tips to those nervous about the job search, but for making career decisions, the books I recommended are much more useful.
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