What is the Colour of your Parachute? - A Book review

While exploring and researching job options outside the Army on the Internet, I came across a reference to a Book called “What Colour in your Parachute?”. This book can loosely be described as a Job Hunting Guide. However soon after I had ordered the book on Flipkart and started reading, I believe that it is the single most important reference every one of us in this group, who is either contemplating, in the process or already plunged into the civvy street, should read and use gainfully.

The biggest fear which most Faujis have is that of job insecurity or unemployment Richard Bolles author of this book asks his reader to deal with this fear by having hope. He states that key to hope is have at least two alternatives. Two alternatives to describe ourselves, two ways to find/hunt for a job, two kinds of jobs to look for, two types of companies to go after, two places to work in and so forth. This is just one of many techniques which Richard deals with in his book for searching for a new job.

The book is divided into five sections as under

1. Introduction.
2. Attitudes necessary for Survival.
3. Advanced Job Hunting Techniques.
4. Advanced Job Creation Techniques.
5. Inventory of what you have to offer the word.
6. Each one Teach one.

  In the first section ‘Introduction’ he talks about hope and lists out various ways to search for a job and the survival techniques essential during the period of unemployment.

In the second section “Attitudes necessary for Survival” he talks about the having the correct attitude to survive unemployment and look for a new job.

The third section “Advanced Job Techniques” is the most practical where he delves into various ways for finding job vacancies and categorises them into best and worst techniques. He then focuses on the much touted “Resume” and why we need one and how one’s presence on the net is itself a resume. One of the most relevant areas “Networking in age of Social Media” is discussed with Linkedin, Facebook and Blogging. Finally he talks about how to prepare for an interview and negotiate your salary and how to be prepared for it.

As there are but limited jobs out there and we may not always be able to land one Bolles in his third section “ Advanced Job Creation Techniques” talks about starting one’s own business and importance of being inventive. He also discusses methods on choosing a new career and gradual ways to transition to new fields.

As the author puts it, the book is less about job hunting than life/work planning life/work designing. i.e. designing your life/work as you desire it to pan out.  

My favourite section is the fourth “Inventory of what you have to offer the World” where he urges us to focus and identify the skills we most enjoy using and where do we want to use these skills. Then he educates us on how to find jobs that fit these skills. He works on how people should be able to spell out and describe the skills they have rather than the positions or jobs they held which is very useful to identify transferable skills which can fit multiple jobs. This fills the gaps between expectations of the old and the new job and gives us clues on what additional skills we need to acquire or learn to get the new or available job vacancies.

Finally the fifth section “Each one Teach one” he exhorts his readers to teach more people job hunting skills so they can learn and more people fit the jobs that are out there waiting to be filled.

I found the book an easy read with useful advice where not only did I get useful information but was also prodded to work along with the various exercises provide in the book. It is an essential read which serves as a help both for job hunting as well as for evaluating your current career.

The book was first published by the author in 1970 and has since then received yearly updates remaining as relevant as it was 45 years back. It is available on Flipkart and Amazon with the paperback costing Rs 699 ( may get a 20 -30 % discount ) and Kindle version costing Rs 332.50.

Finally some useful links based on the book.

1. A review of the first edition - Rethinking a classic
2. Facebook page of the author -  https://www.facebook.com/richardnbolles -  
3. Author's website - http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/