What Color Is Your Parachute? Guide to Rethinking Interviews: Ace the Interview and Land Your Dream Job

by Richard Nelson Bolles

The first interview book from the What Color Is Your Parachute? career guru Richard Bolles.
 
Interviews instill fear in many a job-hunter, but this empowering guide from legendary career expert Richard N. Bolles reveals that interviews are really just conversations to determine if the work—and workplace—is a great fit for both parties. 

For the first time, Bolles combines his decades of experience with the latest studies and job-market research to create an all-in-one guide for the whole interview process, from pre-interview research to elevator pitches, “tell me about yourself” questions, and salary negotiation. This slender handbook provides just the essentials: the three most important things you need to know about interviews, the five questions you must have answers for, and an ingenious summary of how to succeed. With this guide in hand, you’ll walk into interviews with confidence, armed with the means to impress—and hopefully land your dream job

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Adult

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2014

About the author

Dick Bolles, more formally known as Richard Nelson Bolles, was a former Episcopal clergyman, a member of high-IQ society Mensa, and the author of the best-selling job-hunting book, What Color is Your Parachute? The book remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than a decade and has sold over 10 million copies.

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally good advice, although some things seem outdated or questionable. For example under "During the Interview" he suggests asking "what this job is all about" to start off, which to me sounds like you haven't done any research.

With talking about weaknesses, he suggests focusing on a skill that you lack, which I agree with. However, he suggests talking about a skill that is not required for the work, such as "I'm lousy at repairing stuff". How is that supposed to help the interviewer assess you other than feeling like you are avoiding the question?

I liked the sections on negotiating salary and the overall framework for the 5 things employers want to know from an interview. I would suggest updating the language around "handicaps" to be more about weaknesses, and to point out that not all Asian countries present business cards with a deep bow.

[Beth Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all the books I’ve read about interviewing skills, these one left me feeling a little more confident. Though the book is short, it contains some good tips and advice.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, informative and jam packed with useful information. This book guides the reader through the complexities of the modern interview process in a clear and concise manner without adding excessive and unnecessary details.. This is definitely a "must have" for the potential job seeker.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super helpful refresher for brushing up on my interview skills after getting back into the job market recently. There are some parts that seemed a little outdated (asking for everyone's business cards, not drinking during the interview process, etc.), but overall it was full of salary negotiating resources and provided the employer's perspective on interviewing candidates. I like that it covers not only the different questions you might get during the interview, but also what you need to do to prepare before and after the interview. It really restored my confidence in the process!

[Catherine Nasers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some really good nuggets but was definitely geared towards more corporate hiring settings. While the principles are certainly applicable, I would have liked some more instances of smaller company style interviews. Often the person certainly knows the job they are hiring for—it’s not an HR department or hiring team.

TBD on success with practical application.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of What Color is Your Parachute: Guide to Rethinking Interviews from Blogging for Books in order to review. I think this is a really great little book. I do not have much interview experience. I tend to stay in a job forever. However, I am on the cusp of a career change and envision getting more practice than I may have ever anticipated.
Interviews are more than a little terrifying. I do not excel at selling myself. However, this guide tells you there is MORE to the interview than selling yourself. It gives great tips on what questions to expect during the interview, what is the underlying reason for some of the questions asked, and what questions you need to ask the interviewer. This is just to name a few of the very useful tips in this guide.
With a list price of under $13.00 and 112 pages, there is no great investment of time or money. I feel this guide can improve your interview skills, and consequently your chances of landing the job if for no other reason than giving you an idea of what to expect during an interview. You can put together answers for what will most likely be asked and plan a strategy for getting information from your prospective employer. All in all, I think this is a nice little book to have on hand for any job seeker.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish to thank Blogging for Books for a free copy of this book in order to post an honest review. The reason I chose this book is because at age 47, I finally received my Bachelor's Degree! What everyone needs to know in this new version of "What Color Is Your Parachute 2015," is that to get a job in this era and in the future, the way to go about it is clearly written by the author. Bolles gives in chapter two some great advice, go ahead and google your name. "Since 2008, or even before, there's anew resume in town, and it's called Google." Everyone has a chance to join free social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, and others to create a great portfolio, business, reputation and resume. One big tip to do is research the job you are applying for so that when the interview comes, you are prepared to answer questions about their organization. Most helpful to me as well as anyone is the flower where you also can narrow down all that is needed to included in your personal profiles, portfolios, and the exercises that help you gain value to prospective employers. Chapter ten talks about making career changes with links and resources to help anyone make the transition. This is a great resource book to keep or give to a new graduate. I admire Richard N. Bolles for such great expertise in the 100 best nonfiction books according to Time Magazine. © 2014 Jackie Paulson

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose this would be a good beginner book. I'm not sure where the "rethinking" part comes in since most of it is pretty basic. Some key takeaways.

Employers only ever ask 5 questions:
Why are you here?
What can you do for us?
What kind of person are you?
What distinguishes you from others?
Can we afford you?

You should ask 5 questions:
What are the responsibilities of this job?
What are the skills and experience a top employee in this job ideally have?
Are these the kind of people I would like to work with or not?
Can I persuade them of my uniqueness?
Can I persuade them to hire me at the salary I want?

Research the organization
Not mention salary till the end (time it correctly and don't be the first one to mention a number)
Write thank you notes (no exception)
Follow up on when you'll hear back
Negotiate

Nothing out of this world but it is 90 pages that you could go through rather quickly.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful

[Note: Review transitioned from Barnes & Noble website]

I felt that this book helped me a little more than the previous book I read "What Color is your Parachute: Guide to Rethinking Resumes" not because it is a book about a somewhat different topic but because I have less experience with job interviews than I do with resumes.

There are various tips on preparing for a job interview but there are not as many potential interviewer questions with answers that you would expect. This is because there are an endless amount of questions that could be asked. The author does help prepare the reader with a smaller set of tips that interviewers could ask you along with questions you could ask the interviewers. Also, there are tips on what you should do before, during, and after the interview.

I recommend reviewing through the book before purchase.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read with solid tips. Nothing innovative, but solid common sense. I was not disappointed in this book — in some ways, it's reassuring to take there time to realize hey, I know this already. I'm pretty set!

The language is super concise and easy to digest. I'll probably look into the related Parachute titles.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

good tips about salary negotiation and also about approaching the interview as 2-way conversation, keeping in mind the things that both you and employer want to discover. Also an interesting perspective on "handicaps".

[Von-Kyoung Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic interview prep book

This book presents basic job interview preparations. I found that it offers useful information on job search and interview. However, this book brings brief, general information only. Good for starters.

[Karen Grothe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slender volume seems just the book to help one prepare for job interviews - it alleviates one's fears and brings up good points to think about ahead of interviews. It's easily read in one or two sittings.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interview Ready

It was good. I know employers love when interviewees ask question. I think some more questions should have been offered.

There’s mention of salary, but not negotiating PTO which can be important to people.

[Cynthia Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the reframing of interviews done in this book. It makes sense that it is a two way interview and you are also trying to decide if you want to work for this company. It gave great ideas on thank you notes and salary negotiation. Quick, worthwhile read.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful, calmed my nerves about interviewing. Now, let's see if it landed me a job.

[Amy Oechsner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of insight. Great book!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parachute guy's guide to interviews. Mostly common sense but some helpful stuff to keep in mind.

[Jon Prescription · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid tips for interviewing

Knew most of what was said in this, but it's a solid summary. It's still amazing to me how many people don't know how to it review properly.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short. I wanted short, and I got it. Some good ideas.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief and thorough review. Could use more on the current popular interview processes, group, multiple, tech tests etc.

[BonLivre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, short and sweet but packed with great advice like the other handbook in this series. Some of the tips seemed pretty logical, but it was a great set of reminders during a busy time.

[Paulina Durán]

Good tips :) Does help you set a better mood for job interviews if you're starting to feel discouraged.

[Alyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. I liked that it was short and I found it really helpful to navigate the interview process. I would recommend to job hunters.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short book, with useful advice and a direct tone. Worth a read if you have an interview coming up.

[Sarah Snider · Rating 4 out of 5]

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