What Color Is Your Parachute? Guide to Rethinking Resumes: Write a Winning Resume and Cover Letter and Land Your Dream Interview

by Richard Nelson Bolles

The first resume book from the  What Color Is Your Parachute?  career guru Richard Bolles.

Resumes get an average of eight seconds of attention before going in the trash—or getting on the shortlist. That’s just one of the findings reported here, as legendary career expert Richard N. Bolles presents new research about resumes in a guide that summarizes everything job-hunters and career-changers need to know about this essential tool.

This timely resource features the latest research on important resume topics such as key words, soft skills, scanning software, social media, and online posting. Bolles argues that on the basis of what we now know, we need to rethink what a resume is—and how it should be written. He details the words that must be avoided, and the words that must be used, on a resume that wins you interviews. 

This slim volume distills a huge amount of information down to its very essence. Armed with tips and shortcuts based on the author’s decades of experience, you can craft a resume and cover letter that will stand out to your dream employers—and increase your chances of getting interviews and landing jobs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Ebooks

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 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

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book for crafting resumes. Lots of tips. Three points I found helpful

#1. Employers are looking for three things when they look at your resume: Competence plus Caring, and for any problems. Resumes are designed to show competence, not caring. So be sure to include 'soft skills' in your resume. Leave off anything questionable until the interview.

#2. A general resume sucks, because employers sift through about 250 of them. If you want to stand out, create a targeted resume which explains how hiring you will benefit the employer.

#3. Cover letters should talk about the organization you are applying for, and less about you.

[Rick Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Friend gifted me this work.

1. How Tamil People think about Career & Marriage?
a. Family decides, what you will become
b. Family says, either x or y (Doctor, Engineer)
c. Degree is mostly for honor, not knowledge to be understood
d. Career is seen with honor, honor comes from title, amount of pay
e. Collective decision about family's daughter, son career choices
f. Another variable, Compare your family's choices with relative, friends [honor]

Marriage

g. Collective decision about family's daughter, son marriage decision
h. Most honorable in the group has highest say in the decision
i. Most honorable comes with being older, being most wealthiest, subjective among peers.

2. So, What do I want others to know from this work?

Wish, this was part of High-school curriculum and undergrad curriculum in Tamil Nadu.
Being from Tamil Nadu, I recall, when I was in Rhode Island, I read this to look into what Americans are saying to their society.

Being an International and foreigner, figuring out what was next was daunting to me.

Some Thoughts:
We usually, chose what to do based on,
1. Friends
2. Family
3. Relatives

Other than that, among PhD in Research Labs in America.

1. They mostly did what their PI stated, "TT job is gold standard"
2. They might look at Alumni
3. For Internationals who are PhDs, their world is limited.

Some outlandish things that stood out to me:

1. Americans got a bachelor's degree in Biology
2. Suddenly, they changed their path in Engineering or something else
3. This was unheard of in Tamil Nadu, India

Some more thoughts:
1. In Tamil Nadu, you get a job, then that is all to life, you stick with it
2. Stay at the job, till you die

This might apply to other asian societies

Deus Vult,
Gottfried

[Kes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how he framed resumes in a very readable way. There are a few points that stood out:

- his point that a resume was a painting - and the question a job seeker should ask should be what impression you're giving.

- the idea is that you want to look like a profit rather than a cost. One of the related points is that you therefore do not put "salary negotiable" in the resume - you do not want to look like a cost.

- hard numbers and percentages in resumes (if possible)

- when writing a cover letter, make it about the company - how your skills could apply to their company or any upcoming projects they have.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great information inside a small book. I thought my resume' was fine the way it was. I made it in MS Office using those blocks of spaces and putting all my info on one page. I learned quite a bit with this book. I even updated my resume' for a job I wanted to apply for. Well, I got an interview and will hear something back next week. I feel so much more confident by using the tips and guidance in this book. I read the authors What Color Is Your Parachute? years ago and saw this in the library. I had to check it out. Now it might be what gets me a job that I will absolutely love.

[Alaase Mahalah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a step by step guide to writing a resume this book is NOT it. Bolles does do an excellent job providing information on resume trends that will make your resume more effective and increase traction. For example, the book differentiates between a general and targeted resume and where to post each for better results.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read that I borrowed from the local library in order to get a sense of resume-writing dos and don’ts. Found a few helpful tidbits and websites so further explore from the book. Written in an easy-to-read conversation style that was entertaining and informative.

[Beth Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most surprising thing I learned in this book is that your resume and cover letters must focus on the employer, not yourself. It’s going to be a lot of fun to write a resume specifically targeted to each potential employer.

[J C0llier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice especially for those who are not tech savvy. Interesting ideas for stylizing and optimizing your efforts in the job market.
Great for any type of job search and any one looking whether novice or veteran (even includes some actual guidance for Veterans).

[BonLivre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet with a lot of good pointers, but probably not the go to for actual resume creation. Use this with other technical sources that are available as Bolles’ observations allow for more critical observations then actual execution.

[Douglas Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the other parachute career building books, but I like this one and will be checking the others out. Some of the info is outdated but with the nature of the internet that's to be expected. It's all practical advice that can be used to polish your resume and cover letter.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good career advice!

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not very helpful—no sample resumes are included and the book is from 2014.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read and good notes about how things have changed in modern times regarding job searches.

[Justin Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a few decent ideas out of this.

[Suzanne LaPierre · Rating 2 out of 5]

The conversational tone may appeal to some people, but I found the sentence fragments and poor grammar annoying and felt there is way too much fluff for such a thin book. However, the author's point about disabilities - that everyone has things they can do well and others they can't - was a good point. I much prefer the book Modernize Your Resume by Enelow & Kursmark, which is not as short but gives many detailed samples. I also prefer the book Get That Job! The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview by Thea Kelley. The Parachute offshoot books seem to be resting on the laurels of the original when it comes to valuable content.

[Shannon]

Targeted Resume, or tailor-made resumes, targeting an individual employer, your resume should focus on "their needs, their goals, their challenges [...] talking about yourself only insofar as it shows that you are hopefully a good fir with those things.

If they've posted a vacancy, you begin with the key words they used, in describing who they're looking for, and then in your resume you allude to each of these words, one by one, citing how you match that key word,. [...]

In the end, your resume here mentions only the experience, skills, and knowledge you have that are relevant to a job at that place," (p. 43).

Empty Claims or Concrete Evidence?
Prove your abilities with numbers, percentages, illustrations, or substantiation. (p. 46)

"How do you write your resume so it conveys the fact that if they'd hire you, you'd represent a profit for them, and not merely a cost?" (p. 50).

"You represent a profit. Keep that always in your mind," (p. 53).

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A confidence booster

This book is full of valuable facts and pointers on how to construct a resume and cover letter. Unfortunately, the author does not include a resume template but he does point you in the right direction to find some online. The value in this book is found in the many tips the author shares about the employers point of view and how to construct a resume/cover letter to help appeal to their view points.

Furthermore, I was able to read this entire book and take notes in less than two and a half hours. As a result, I can now edit my resume/cover letter with greater confidence. I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to edit and have a better all-around understanding of the significance of the resume/cover letter.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short volume from the creator of the (in)famous "What Color is Your Parachute" job guide provides a short and concise guide to creating useable resumes for modern times. Unlike many books that are highly prescriptive the book reexamines commonly held views about resumes to focus on what is required now and what is most likely to work.

One of the most clear distinctions that the book makes is between a resume targeted for one particular job and one meant for more general purposes. This is aa useful distinction, since in the modern context a single resume is not likely to be sufficient for most job seekers.

The book also has useful information on how to properly construct cover letters and how to target resumes to the correct audiences.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word that comes to mind when reading this book is "modern." It reads like a really great online resource and that is a huge compliment for a nonfiction book on this topic. So many books out there about resumes are text-heavy with little practical advice. This book gets to the point. It also cuts through the preaching that some job advisors feel the need to give. It reminds me of lifehack articles that people are so fond of nowadays. I hope to see more nonfiction titles in this vein.

[Jim Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember encountering and being impressed by the original "What Color Is Your Parachute?" during my first professional job search in the late 70's. Having been exposed to job-finding, resumes, and marketing ever since, I was eager to read this updated version of Bolles' resume-specific book. It includes some great strategy and tactics, incorporating social media - now my primary interest - as it must in this day and age.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with resume focused books is that the resumes & cover letters is that they have a shelf-life as hiring policies change. They also focus more on the form rather than the why one writes the resume and cover letter.

While the book may have dated information, it is; as one would expect from a book by Bolles; an informative book that makes the reader think about what they hope to gain from the resume and cover letter.

[Rosanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! It was an eye-opener. I thought my written resume was all businesses would look at. But this book reminded me it's not. Businesses looked at social media and job sites. After reading this book, I made sure to update all of my social media and job sites to a career worthy reading. I look forward to the positive responses.

[Degan Walters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful for the petal exercise alone but the rest if it ranges from outdated to offensive. How to start your own business is worth more than a slim chapter after a job seeker has exhausted all options and incorporating religion into a book about resumes is awful.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sound, practical, current advice. Not at all religious. Keeping your resume up to date as you go along instead of only when you need to is so helpful.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great information. Exercises to challenge you to expand your thinking of your goals. No templates but tons of advice on using keywords and making them relevant to todays job market

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of useful information for job researching and resume writing!
I like Chapter 2 and 4 the most.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a thick or complicated book, but in my opinion definitely worth the ten bucks I paid for it.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much has changed since my Career Counselor days. Nice quick resume refresher. Definitely recommend if you're hunting or if you just need to spruce up the resume. ;)

[MinhTu Thomas Hoang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good advices here and there. But overall, outdated.