If there is one book that has captured the imagination of the job-seekers over the last few decades, it got to be ‘What color is your parachute’ by Richard Nelson Bolles. It was first published December 1, 1970 — self-published, in fact, with the author using a local copy shop (CopyCopia) in downtown San Francisco. Its first commercial edition was published in November 1972, by Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, Calif. It began appearing on best-seller lists in 1974, has been revised and updated annually since 1975.
In 1995, the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book listed it as one of “25 Books That Have Shaped Readers’ Lives” (alongside such works as Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Saint Exupery’s “The Little Prince,” Henry Thoreau’s “Walden,” Cervantes’s “Don Quixote,” Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” and Mark Twain’s, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”).
While calling it a definitive guide to job-hunting might spark some debate, it sure does offer a wholistic perspective of one’s career and how a job fits into it. In the process, makes you ponder about that big mission in your life. A job then becomes a means to the bigger and more important goals in your life.
It is rare that a ‘Do-it-yourself’ kind of book transcends into something more meaningful and poses some interesting questions about the bigger picture…your real purpose on the planet. Having said this, the book definitely offers something for immediate use and puts you on the right track for your next career move.
A must read for a debutante, it is a worthwhile read for anyone who is planning a career move or when you are beginning to feel a nagging sensation about the existing job.:)
A decent companion site is available online at JobHuntersBible. If you are not sure about going through the entire site, get started here