What Color Is Your Parachute? (2019 edn)

The author, Richard N. Bolles, has worked in the job-search field for more than 40 years. He's a member of Mensa and the Society for Human Resource Management, and he's been a keynote speaker at hundreds of conferences. Bolles is regularly featured in the print and broadcast media, too.

So, keep listening to find out how seven petals can hold the key to your career choice, what your interviewer really needs to hear, and the secrets to getting the salary you want.

"What Color Is Your Parachute?" has 12 chapters, followed by a wealth of additional material. In the first six chapters, you learn how to create a flower-shaped "self-inventory." This identifies your personal skills, preferences and passions, so you can make a successful career choice.

The second half of the book guides you through the stages of job hunting, from maximizing your online presence and acing an interview, to negotiating your salary and overcoming perceived handicaps. We'll be discussing some of these later.

The wide scope of this book means readers can pick and choose the chapters most relevant to them. Bolles understands this and provides helpful references to related sections elsewhere in the book. He also recommends a wealth of tried-and-tested websites to consult.

It's worth noting that this is very much an American book. Its references are focused on U.S. business norms and culture. But if you're not in the States, don't worry. There's plenty here to help job hunters all over the globe. The fact that it's been translated into 20 languages is proof of this.

Chapter One looks at the job market today, and the shift in conditions since the recession in 2008. Bolles is quick to debunk the common belief that there are no jobs out there. The figures change all the time, of course, but Bolles provides a recent snapshot that shows over 10 million jobs available in the U.S.

So, if there are plenty of jobs, why is it still so difficult to get hired? This book's all about providing the answer.

Bolles separates job hunting into two approaches: the traditional, and the parachute approach, which is the subject of this book. With the traditional approach, a candidate searches for an attractive advert, writes and sends a résumé (CV), waits for a response, hopes for an interview, and so on.

By contrast, the parachute approach starts with yourself, not the job market. Once you have a clear understanding of your own skills and interests, you then go in search of the right organization and role. The author claims this approach has an 86 percent success rate. So, let's learn more about parachuting.

According to the parachute approach, the key to successful job hunting and career satisfaction begins with understanding what we have to offer and how best to present ourselves to potential employers. This is where the flower exercise comes in. It's a seven-petal map of who you are and what you want – in, and from, the workplace. It's your guiding tool for identifying a career that complements your passions, skills and values.

Chapters Four and Five guide us through the process of creating this self-inventory. The flower's seven petals, or categories, are: People, Working Conditions, Transferable Skills, Knowledges, Salary, Geography, and Purpose in Life.

To fill in our petals, we're invited to answer the following questions: Who do you like to work with? In what sort of environment do you achieve your best work? What skills do you bring from previous jobs and experience? What are you most knowledgable and passionate about? How important is salary to your job and life satisfaction? Where would you like to live and work? And what meaning are you looking for in life?

Each petal is introduced separately, with specific methods for identifying, and then prioritizing, the things most important and relevant to us. This process asks a lot of us, but it's worth putting in the time and effort. If we want to get it right, we need to consult friends and family, and do the exercises in the book.

This is a flower that promises the world. So let's take a closer look at two of the petals: "transferable skills" and "special knowledges." The author tells us that "skills" is one of the most misunderstood words in the world of work. He identifies three types: transferable skills, self-management skills, and special knowledges.

The transferable skills that you put in the petal aren't only what you can do. They're also what you love to do. They're usually functional, and expressed as verbs. For example, "audit," "analyze" and "coach."

Transferable skills can be broken down further into three categories: Data, People and Things. In other words, the skills you use with information and data; other people; and physical objects, such as machinery.

Self-management skills are how you behave when you're alone and in relation to others. They tend to be adverbs and adjectives – such as, I'm positive, flexible and a team player.

For the purposes of the flower exercise, self-management skills and transferable skills are included in the same petal, even though they're not the same.

A separate petal is devoted to the third type of skill, "special knowledges." These are your passions, and the subjects that you know the most about. For example, you might be really interested in physics, graphic design, gardening, or Mandarin.

Your top choice for each petal provides the key to your dream job, spelling out your preferred environment, tasks, salary, subject matter, and more. Now, you may not see such a job advertised, but you can always approach potential employers and make yourself known. Pitch them the job and see what happens. Bolles encourages us to think big.

By the time we reach Chapter Seven, we're into online tools and resources. The entire book is packed with online recommendations, but the majority of advice on how to use the internet to market yourself and network is here in Chapter Seven.

Some of this is fairly obvious, especially for younger readers. But if you've found yourself job hunting for the first time in decades, it's a helpful guide to the online age, where your internet presence is a powerful job-hunting tool.

This chapter's title, "Google is the New Résumé," says it all. Bolles says you should assume a potential employer will Google your name. So do it yourself, before you start job hunting. Remove or edit anything that can turn off employers. Then check your online profiles are consistent. If one differs from another, it throws your credibility into question.

And add detail. Don't just list projects and skills, say how you did something. Bolles says employers like to see a candidate, so include a photo and even a video. Joining forums or writing a blog are other ways to expand your professional online presence.

According to Bolles, employers are more inclined to hire people they already know or who've been recommended to them. So one key to opening doors is to identify "bridge people." These connect you and the person or company you're interested in working for.

Interviewing is like dating. Sometimes you'll never know why it didn't go well. Maybe the chemistry just wasn't there, or another candidate had the edge. Chapter Eight provides 16 tips on how to boost your chances throughout this two-way process. Some are obvious, such as: avoid ordering alcohol if you're taken out for lunch, don't bad-mouth your previous employer, and prepare answers to predictable questions in advance. Others are more insightful. For example, observe a 50:50 rule for time spent listening and talking.

The most important thing is to understand the perspective of your potential employer. What are they looking for? We're told throughout the book that employers like low-risk choices. Or, to put it another way, they look for reasons why it's too risky to hire you. Interviews are your chance to help them understand why you're "the one" for this position. So, calm their fears. Give examples of the skills you have, and tell them what they'll gain from hiring you.

Remember that the interviewer's main interest is what might happen if you do come on board. So when they ask questions about your past experience, they want to find out how you'll behave in their workplace. Will you put in the extra effort? Will you get on with your colleagues? Will you take a lot of leave?

You can judge how an interview's going by the timeframe of the questions being asked. They tend to begin with your past, move through to the present and on to the future. For example, "Where did you attend college?" might be followed by, "Tell me about your most recent job," then, "What kind of job are you looking for?" and finally, "Where do you hope to be in five years?" If the questions don't progress beyond your previous experience, the interview's probably not going so well.

Regardless of how the interview goes, though, Bolles says you should send a good old-fashioned thank you note afterward, and ideally that same day. A handwritten message shows you're serious about this role and, unlike an email, it's a physical reminder of who you are. If you already know the interview wasn't successful, ask where your skills might be better suited within the company.

At some point, every successful interview will mention money, and Chapter Nine has six tips on when and how to negotiate the salary you want.

Bolles says money should only be discussed once the interviewer has said they'd like to offer you the job. If it's brought up earlier by the interviewer, explain that you're happy to discuss it, but only once you know they'd like to hire you. When asked for your expectations of pay, mention a well-researched salary range, never a single figure. A definite figure leaves no room for negotiation, and you may seem too expensive to hire.

The other salary negotiation tips are equally useful. If the company can't afford the salary you want or need, Bolles suggests offering them a percentage of your time. Always go to an interview prepared to demonstrate your value – how much will you save, or make, the company?

And remember to move the conversation on to fringe benefits, as these can add 15 to 28 percent to your salary. Before the interview, decide which benefits matter most to you and where you're happy to compromise. Finally, always request a letter of agreement, so you get everything in writing.

Chapter Eleven presents five ways to change careers. Bolles points out that you may not need to retrain from scratch. You might be able to step sideways from one position to another. His main advice is to research, the old-fashioned way. Seek out people who work in the job that interests you, and ask for 15 minutes of their time to learn more about it. Get work experience if you can.

The final chapter explores the option of starting your own business.

But the book doesn't end there. It closes with a section of orange pages containing further material. These include a guide to choosing a career coach, and how to deal with the negative impact of unemployment. And there's more personal information on the author. For example, religion is close to his heart, and this is the subject of the opening appendix.

So, what's our final word on this book?

We believe this remarkable guide to job hunting could be a really valuable tool for people of all backgrounds, at all stages of their career and job search.

For younger people, knowing the colors of their flower may mean they never need to pack a parachute. For the rest of us, wherever we are in our lives and careers, there are several chapters that can lead us to clearer skies and softer landings, as we take a meaningful jump in the right direction.

"What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019: A Practical Manual For Job-Hunters and Career-Changers" by Richard N. Bolles is published by Penguin Random House.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.