What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success

by Richard Nelson Bolles

One risk stands above all the others: that they hire you and you don’t work out.

You won’t be able to do the job: that you lack the necessary skills or experience,

You’ll stay around for only a few weeks or at most a few months, until you find a better job.

You won’t get along with the other workers there,

You will do only the minimum that you can get away with, rather than the maximum that the boss was hoping for.

hoping for the maximum productivity from each new hire.

You will turn out to have a disastrous character flaw not evident in the interview,

Are punctual, arriving at work on time or better yet, early, and stay until quitting time or even leave late.

self-disciplined, well-organized, highly motivated, and good at managing their time. Can handle people well. Can use language effectively.

“Can you offer me this job?” If, after hearing all about this job at this place, you decide you’d really like to have it, you can ask for it. The worst thing the employer can say is “No,” or “We need some time to think about all the interviews we’re conducting.” Be prepared for the employer to say no.

“What is the next step in the hiring process?” or “When may I expect to hear from you?”

“Might I ask what would be the latest I can expect to hear from you?” The employer will probably give you their best guess,

“May I contact you after that date, if for any reason you haven’t gotten back to me by that time?” Some employers resent this question. But most employers appreciate your offering them what is in essence a safety net.