Detailed Summary

What does the book title mean? How do you relate it to your real-life situations? Well, the book title is just an inspiring word that the author used in the meeting conversation in 1968. Where colleagues told him that they were “bailing out” from the company and from where the utterances hit the author’s mind. The word “Bailing out” seems inappropriate and bizarre as they will jump off some kind of plane. Besides, this activity sounded scary and crazy. So, he laughed and joked Oh yeah? What Color Is Your Parachute?

What color is your parachute begins with an idea of self-reflection that who you are, what you like, or what you are good at. Because once you figure out what you want, it doesn’t matter what the market offers you. You’ll set yourself on a career that gives you satisfaction and fulfillment.

Regardless, this book unpacks many facts about why traditional ways of getting a job no longer work out. What is the need to learn the “Color of Parachute”? What Parachute perspective is?

What Color is Your Parachute Key Points

Want to learn how to get a job that values your skills? The following are the absolute tips and tricks to tackle with your job interview.

Think like an Employer if you want to get Hired

More and more companies today are looking for candidates who are qualified and fit into their corporate culture. This means you should go beyond the resume and cover letter; you must show a prospective employer who you are and what you can bring. That’s not as hard as it may sound.

Adopt the employer’s mindset, and a job interview is just another business transaction, regardless of whether it’s with a new or potential employer.

You can’t interview your potential employer. Seems crazy, but it’s true. You have to sell yourself without knowing what the other person is thinking. So how do you get a foot in the door? First, you have to understand what your prospective employer is thinking.

So, approach the firm in a way that speaks to its needs. Employees who approach the blanket way can never make their importance to the prospective employer; then, they will get their resume stuck on a pile of other resumes.

A paper resume is just the half story – Make your online presence

A paper résumé is just half the story. With a great résumé, you’ll get an interview. But the interview is where it’s at–where you make the connection, sell yourself, and clinch the job. In the What color is your Parachute, your resume may be of two kinds; one is a two-page document that shows your skills, education, or expertise.

But the second resume that job seekers don’t often realize is their already existing online resumes in the form of your public profile, I.e., on LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube. And it may be possible that your employer will find you on any of your social media, judge your personality by that second resume and get you your dream job.

I’ve learned in freelancing that you don’t even sometimes need a resume. You can get hired based on your skills. Clients can send you an offer saying, ‘Hey, I like your content. Can you write some paid content for me?’

And in today’s world, LinkedIn is the best platform where jobs are only advertised, and employers hire the promising candidate directly through LinkedIn. This platform enables you to make professional connections with people of the same interest. So, if you don’t have a LinkedIn account, get one asap.

And let the world know what you’re doing or what your interests are!

Ways to Nail the Interview even before showing up there

If you’re going for a job interview, you’re preparing. That means nailing the elevator pitch, researching the company, and ensuring you’re putting your best self forward.

It’s also time to make an impression before you even get to the company. Nothing will make or break you as quickly as showing up late, disheveled, or unprepared. Starting strong greatly influences your overall performance — everything from your answers in the interview to your chances of getting the pay bump you want.

Richard Bolles has suggested three tips in What color is your parachute to tackle in an interview:

Research everything about the Company

Before you go to your interview, it’s important to do your research on the company. This will help in two ways:

• You’ll be able to answer all the questions they ask. You don’t want to answer a question by saying that you don’t know or you don’t understand. That will make it seem like you’re not prepared, which is not a good impression to give off.
• You’ll know what’s important to the company and what they value. Knowing this will help you get inside the head of the interviewer and be able to connect with them better during the interview.

Prepare questions to ask your Interviewer

Before your interview, you should prepare questions to ask your interviewer. These questions will help you make a good impression on the interviewer and maximize the time allotted for your interview. They are going to drill you, so it’s better to drill them without letting them know what’s happening.

Show your Best Work

Show your work – It’s the biggest pet peeve during interviews. You can’t say, “I have nothing to show.” And that’s probably true. If you’re not thinking about a portfolio of your work as a professional, then you probably haven’t created an archive yet.

Whether you’re in the early stages of your career or are seeking work after being out of the profession for a while, now is the time to start building your portfolio.

Why? Because, like it or not, we live in a world where everything you do is part of a public record. And Richard Bolles, in What color is your Parachute, advises job seekers to go public with their best work. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the more work you share in today’s savvy social media market, the better.

Count the Salary 

What is the right time to ask for a salary? 

Many people make mistakes in this matter. When the company says they want you, it is best to ask for a salary. Bolles warns, ‘Don’t be the elated, breathless high school graduate who lands their first job, and then gets the rude awakening upon opening their first dismal paycheck.’ 

But before you ask this question, make sure you have done a lot of research on typical salaries in this field. Additionally, you must know how someone above and below this position might earn. Remember, it’s a negotiation. Ensure the salary range in the employer’s mind and get started from there. 

One more thing, when you negotiate the salary figures, you will likely get more from them, and they are giving you the least. Bolles advises not to be the first one to throw the salary figure. Because whoever tells first is likely to lose. 

Bolles says, ‘We can speculate this till the cows come home, there are theories, but all we know for sure, is that it’s true.’ if the company asks what kind of salary you are looking for. Remember, it is a trick to ask the employer, ‘Well, you created this position, so you must have some figure in mind, and I’d be interested in first hearing what that figure is.’

To whom I would recommend: What Color Is your Parachute summary?

• Anyone who is about to apply for their first job.
• Anyone is afraid of whether they will get the job or not.

What Color Is your Parachute reviews

It mapped out a way to find a career that suited my values rather than just working for money. Now I make money and do valuable work. Diarmuid Fitzgerald

Parachute will help you in numerous ways to come across as relevant and well-suited for the role(s) you pursue. Terry Pittman