What Color Is Your Parachute? Summary

First published in 1970 and updated annually, Richard N. Bolles’s What Color Is Your Parachute? is among the most enduring job-hunting and career-change guides ever written. Bolles, a former Episcopal minister who died in 2017, built the book around the idea that successful career searching begins with self-knowledge rather than resumes. Its central metaphor is the “flower” or “petal” exercise, in which readers diagram their ideal work by mapping overlapping petals: skills, interests, people environments, working conditions, level of responsibility, salary, and geography, then look for the intersection where all of them meet. Bolles insists on identifying transferable, “functional” skills, and his signature “What do you want to do?” is answered through this self-inventory rather than by matching job titles. The book is famous for its “informational interview” method—talking with people already doing the work to learn about fields—and for the “two-step” job hunt, in which applicants target specific organizations and people instead of replying to posted openings. Bolles devotes substantial space to the hidden job market, arguing that most positions are never advertised and are filled through personal contacts. Later editions added the “Parachute Process,” the “seven stories” exercise for extracting skills from past experience, and guidance on negotiating salary and choosing a mission-driven life. He also emphasizes that the job search is a spiritual as well as practical journey, and each edition includes updated labor-market data and a “Yellow Pages” of further resources. The result is less a collection of tips than a structured method for aligning work with identity.