What Color Is Your Parachute? 2003 Edition Book Review
This paper reviews the 2003 edition of Richard Nelson Bolles's classic career guide, What Color Is Your Parachute? Originally published in 1970, the book has remained a bestseller by helping job seekers identify their greatest talents and pursue meaningful work. This review examines Bolles's core arguments about ineffective job-search methods, his emphasis on self-discovery through worksheets and exercises, his interview advice, and his broader spiritual perspective on career fulfillment. The paper also assesses why the book continues to resonate with career counselors and job hunters alike.
- Introduction: Introduces the book and review's purpose
- Overview of the Book: History, editions, and core mission statement
- Job-Search Strategies and Self-Discovery: Critique of traditional job searches and self-assessment exercises
- Interview Advice and Practical Guidance: Tips on interviewing, preparation, and follow-up
- Why the Book Endures: Reasons for the book's lasting popularity and appeal
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses direct quotations from the source text to substantiate claims, giving the review an evidential foundation rather than relying solely on paraphrase.
- Balances summary with evaluation, noting both what the book includes and why those elements matter to the job seeker.
- Maintains a clear, accessible tone appropriate for a career-focused audience.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of selective quotation: rather than quoting at length, the writer chooses short, representative passages from Bolles that capture the book's tone and central arguments, then briefly contextualizes each within the review's evaluative framework.
Structure breakdown
The review opens with a brief framing of the book's history and reputation, moves through its major content areas (job-search philosophy, self-discovery exercises, and interview preparation), and closes with an assessment of the book's enduring popularity. The structure mirrors the book's own progression from mindset and strategy to practical application.
Introduction
This paper presents a book review of What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles — specifically the 2003 edition — with an analysis of its usefulness in helping individuals make the right career choices.
Overview of the Book
What Color Is Your Parachute? has become a classic in the fields of career choice and career education. Bolles wrote his first edition in 1970, and it has remained on the bestseller list nearly ever since. The 2003 edition is updated for what was then a struggling economy, but still contains the gems of wisdom and insight that have made the book a perennial bestseller.
Bolles completely revised the book for this edition, and while it contains fewer pages than some previous editions, the information packed within could help just about any job hunter in their search for the right employment. Early in the book, Bolles spells out the mission for serious job seekers: "Your mission is one which is uniquely yours, and that is to exercise that talent which you particularly came to Earth to use — your greatest gift, which you most delight to use" (Bolles). The book is filled with inspirational messages like this one, but it also contains a variety of worksheets and exercises to help the job seeker discover more about themselves and their "greatest gifts."
Job-Search Strategies and Self-Discovery
The book discusses the many ways people attempt to find jobs, from the Internet — which Bolles identifies as one of the "five worst ways" to find a job — to networking, refining your ideas about the industry you want to work in, and the importance of perseverance. As Bolles writes, "The key to job-hunting success is hope and perseverance. Many people who are out of work fail to find work simply because they give up too soon" (Bolles).
Bolles offers job seekers alternatives to the traditional job search because he believes that most conventional approaches simply do not work. He argues, "The major difference between successful and unsuccessful job-hunters is not some factor out there such as a tight job market, but the way they go about their job hunt" (Bolles). His approach is distinctive because it urges job seekers to look honestly at themselves and discover what they truly want to do in life — which is precisely what the book's exercises are designed to facilitate. Rather than forcing your existing skills to fit a job you may not want, Bolles shows how to take those skills and redirect them into a different industry and a more fulfilling work life.
This emphasis on self-assessment as a foundation for career planning is one of the book's most enduring contributions, setting it apart from conventional job-search guides that focus primarily on résumé writing and application tactics.
Bibliography
Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute? 2003: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters & Career Changers. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2003.
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