See full review @ The Indigo Quill: http://theindigoquill.blogspot.com/20...

What Color Is Your Parachute? is a book I always heard of, but never actually read. I can't say this book fully applies to me since I'm pretty set in more than one career at the moment (Cosmetology until I graduate college, then teaching music), but I thought I could look at it from a different perspective than one who is already feeling a little discouraged or stagnant in their search for their "calling" in life. I think this is a decent book for people needing to get motivated in their job-search...if they allow it.

We all go through that point in life where we ask ourselves, "What do I want to do with my life? What am I actually good at?" Obviously, you can examine your deepest desires in life as much as you want, but experience is also very important to figuring out what you want out of life, and a book can't do that part for you. The tasks within this book will definitely get you noticed and set you in the right direction, however, it is for people who WANT to help themselves. If you go into it cynical and comfortable in your lack of direction, then you probably won't get a whole lot out of it. The same is with pretty much any other SELF-Help book.

I do like that there is a new edition of this book every year. The market is always changing, and it is wise for Bolles to keep current. If I picked up the 2007 edition and was looking to change my career in 2013, I probably would've pushed it away. The market is VERY different now than it was even then. Not to say there wouldn't be useful tips that I could apply, but it just wouldn't seem practical. He even mentions recent networking resources like LinkedIn in this edition.

I think there are a lot of great tips in here for people figuring out what they want to accomplish in life, and might also be struggling with an identity crisis (I use that term loosely). If you're solid in where you're going and what you want to do, this book probably wouldn't apply to you as much. But keep in mind, experience is important, and no job is going to be absolutely perfect.

I work as a freelance writer, so I'm kind of a perpetual job hunter.

So, for me, this book offers an occasional bit of wisdom and inspiration -- but if I was actually looking for a full-time job, then, in the time it would take me to actually do every exercise, I probably could've found that job, maxed out my 401k for a couple decades, and retired.

(Do you see what I did there, with the commas?)

I also don't like how Bolles throws out statistics that aren't actually statistics. What's the point?

Maybe if you've been job-hunting for a few months -- and I mean really job-hunting, not just thinking about it -- then this book might help you find out what you're doing wrong. If not, you might be better off learning by doing, first, before consulting this book.

The graphic design is pretty good, though. I'll give him that.

And it only took six years.

Note: I actually read the 2012 version, but I didn't see it listed under the available versions to review.

I had been aware of this book for quite awhile, but never had any desire to read it. I figured it was one of those "I'm okay, you're okay" touchy-feely find yourself sort of book. And, well, it is that. But it's a lot more, too. There is a reason this book has been published in one form or another for the past 40 years: it's an excellent guidebook for thinking not just about how to find a job, but how to find a career that can offer fulfillment. It's chock-full of web resources and has suggestions for ways to seek jobs off-line as well.

The most surprising section was Ch. 5's evaluation of the least and most successful job-hunting techniques. The most important advice he gives? Have alternatives. Don't get stuck looking (or thinking) in only one direction.

One small quibble: I didn't like the layout. Why is the career brainstorming section tucked in the middle? Shouldn't it be at the outset, and then you would use that insight to then enter the job-seeking process? Oh well. Maybe that's me. The man has sold countless books over four decades, so clearly this isn't a barrier for folks.