Finding the Ideal Job
You are out of work. You hate your job. You aren’t satisfied with your career. You are looking for your first job. Where do you start?
If you are like most Americans, you’ll probably send your resume to a lot of companies .
you might search for job postings on the internet or spend hours and hours working on your linkedln page.
But experts say you won’t have much luck. People find jobs only five to fifteen
percent of the time when they use these methods . So, what can you do?
One thing you can do is read Richard Bolles, What color is your Parachute ‘? Bolles is an expert in the field of job hunting. He has helped thousands of people find jobs and careers. This book is different from other job- hunting manuals. Bolles doesn’t help you to find just another job. Instead, he helps you find your ideal job : a job that fits who you are, a job that makes you happy. What kind of job is ideal for you? If you don’t know the answer, Bolles says, you can’t find your ideal job. You need to have a clear picture in your mind of the job you want. The book has many exercises to help you draw this picture.
Bolles says that you must think about three things before you can find your ideal job :
1. Your skills. What do you like to do? What do you do well? Are you good at talking to group? Growing vegetables? Teaching? Drawing on the computer? Bolles asks you to think about all your skills, not only ‘work skills.’ For example, a mother of four children is probably good at managing people ( children) . This woman maybe a good manager.
2. Job setting. Where do you like to work? Do you like to work outside? At home? In an office? Alone or with others? What kind of people do you like to work with?
3. Job rewards. How much money do you need? How much money do you want? What else do you want from a job? What makes you feel good about a job?
After Bolles helps you decide on your ideal job, he gives specific advice on how to find the job. One of his favorite tools for finding a job is networking. Networking means using every person you know either to give you information about company or career or to introduce you to someone else who can give you this information. He asks everyone he meets how they got their jobs. Nice times out of 10, they got their jobs because a friend knew someone at the company who
hired them. So, once you know the kind of job you want, Bolles says you must use your network-everyone you know-to help yo meet the one person who will help you get the jobs.
Bolles's chapter on job interviews is full of useful information and suggestions. For example, most people go to interviews asking themselves the question, ‘ How do I get the company to hire me?’ Bolles thinks this the wrong question. Instead, he wants you to ask yourself, ‘ Do I want to work here or not?"
Some people think that Bolles writes too much and repeats himself. True.