What Color is Your Parachute Book Summary

By Richard Bolles

What Color is Your Parachute Book Summary – the below are the main points that resonated with me, if you like them please do check out Richards’ book

• Before searching for a career, first identify what you are good at and what you enjoy. Then find the right network of people to introduce you to promising opportunities.

• It’s normal for your job hunt to take a few months these days. Don’t panic, and don’t settle for any old job. Hold out for the best job you can.

• There is always something you can do to maximise the odds of you getting a job. You can change the wording on your CV and Cover Letter. You can do more networking, You can research the job market more intensively to figure out what jobs really appeal to you.

• The author compares the different ways of job searching. There’s the “Traditional Approach,” which involves spending hours looking at job listings for work, and sending out countless CV’s. Instead he recommends the “Parachute Approach,” which begins with ourselves.

• He talks about finding a job based on your strengths and weaknesses, understanding what are your transferable skills.

What Colour is Your Parachute Book Summary: Your Online Presence

• Make a list of keywords that best describes your skills and characteristics and that describes what recruiters will be looking for. Put these in your profile bio on LinkedIn.

• Search your name on google and see what your potential employer might see. Can you find anything you wouldn’t want them to see i.e. Facebook or a LinkedIn profile, a blog, some pictures?

• Does anything contradict what you put on your CV? Untag yourself from any unsavoury photos and make sure your online profile comes across as professional as possible.

To make your CV impress any hiring manager, check out my comprehensive CV checklist post

• If you want to be known for your knowledge on a particular topic start a blog to showcase your expertise.

• Increasing your presence in LinkedIn groups is also a great way to get noticed. Search for groups which are relevant to you profession/industry and share interesting articles, like and comment on posts. You can also use Twitter to like and comment on relevant posts in your field

What Color is Your Parachute Book Summary: Interview Tips

• Before an interview, make sure you spend time researching the company. Check out their recent press releases, find out what is being said about them online. Look up the employees you could be working with on LinkedIn.

• Prepare great questions to ask the interviewers that will make them think you are smart.

• You can’t afford to blend in with the other applicants if you want to get hired – that’s why networking is so important.

To ensure you are the most prepared you can be for an interview, check out my comprehensive blog post on how to prepare for interviews

What Color is Your Parachute Book Summary: Self Employment

• The author also says you have the option of working for yourself if you can’t find employment or don’t want to work for anyone else. He recommends that you take time thinking about what you’re trying to achieve and what will make you happy before taking the bold step of self-employment.

If you enjoyed this What Color is Your Parachute Book Summary, please do check out some of my other book summaries!