A Guide to Dealing with Your Feelings While Out of Work

This chapter of What Color Is Your Parachute? covers ten things you can do while you're unemployed to deal with your feelings. Being unemployed is tough!

1. Catch up on your sleep.  When you're depressed, your body feels rundown. Take naps, sleep, and catch up on your sleep. Sleeping during the nighttime could be difficult at this time. When you've caught up on your sleep, you usually turn into a happier more upbeat person. This will also help you to feel better.

2. Take care of your health.  Make sure you are exercising a little bit, drinking water, and eating right.  This will help you feel better. These are common sense, but sometimes we forget and need to be reminded.

3.  Take care of our physical space.  Sometimes our surroundings mirror how we feel.  If our space is a disaster, we may feel terrible.  Tidy up, get organized, and continue to hunt for that job.

4.  Get some fresh-air.  Get outside, take a walk, get some exercise, and get out of the house. When you're out of work you don't leave the house regularly and this could make you feel down. Do it everyday.

5.  Help others. Volunteer. There are plenty of places that need extra hands. I have recently volunteered at a food pantry, and the amount of help they needed was crazy! They were so busy and needed as many people as possible. I'm sure wherever you are, someone nearby could use your help. Maybe even a neighbor.

6. Take mini-adventures.  Pretend you're a tourist in your own city.  Visit museums, zoos, parks, aquariums, etc. Just get out of the house, and get moving around. If you're a foodie, check out what restaurants your local newspaper is featuring.

7. Learn something new. Read up on something you've always wanted to learn.  You now have time to learn about something you're interested in, and maybe even gain a new skill from this.

8. Talk with your friends and family. Talk to your friends and family about your feelings. Someone who will just listen.  It helps to give your thoughts and feelings a voice.

9.  Get physical. The book discusses punching pillows, but any sort of physical activity will do. Maybe pop in a kick-boxing tape? Or Just Dance for Wii? Ha!

10. Keep a gratitude journal. This is a great habit to have.  Everyday, write down things that make you happy, glad, or grateful. Looking back at this will remind of the good things you have, and that being unemployed is only temporary.

How to Start Your Own Business

Whether you have a specific business idea in mind, or you just know that you want to be your own boss, you can start your own business. Starting your own business does not require a lot of money. There is a lot of research involved to start out with. You can create a business by taking a less traditional path.  I have recently read Gary Vaynerchuk's Crush It! which is all about following your dreams, using the internet, "cashing in on your passion" and becoming free of the job you hate.  This chapter of What Color Is Your Parachute? really reminds me of this book.

If you have no clue as to what type of business you'd like to start, then you must take these four steps: Write, Read, Explore, and Get Feedback. This chapter suggests that you must go through The Flower Exercise discussed previously within the book. You must first know Who, before you know What. The Flower Exercise helps determine the Who, which will help guide the focus of the business.

One suggestion to figuring out what type of business to start is to use Daniel Pink's method of writing down 5 things you're good at, and 5 things you love to do, and looking for the overlap. Then ask yourself if anyone will pay you to do those things.

The explore part of this discusses talking to those who have done this before.  Interview others that have started their own businesses to make sure that you can avoid any mistakes that they have made. The first step is finding out what skills, knowledges, and experiences are required from these business owners you will interview.  The second step is making a list of these skills, knowledges, and experiences you have.  Then you must subtract the first list from the second to determine which skills, knowledges, and experiences you must acquire before you begin.  This can be written as A-B=C.

The final step is to gain some feedback from those around you.  You can use resources like www.checkster.com which sends a few friends and family members an email, has them answer a questionnaire anonymously, and then sends you a summarized report of their responses. This may help you understand if you're cut out for this.

Just remember, this is risky, but there is risk in everything. And remember to have a plan B, just in case this does not work out.

The Five Ways to Choose/Change Careers

Chapter 10 of What Color Is Your Parachute? is about changing or choosing your career.  This is the guide to what was discussed earlier in Chapter 8.  This chapter covers the 5 ways to go about this.  

The First way To Choose/Change Careers:

The Internet

The book suggests visiting http://www.onetonline.org/search/ and http://www.onetonline.org/find/ These two links will lead you to a site with a great amount of up-to-date information about different careers.  Unfortunately, this site is somewhat limited.  There are however, about 900 different career titles listed.  These careers are sorted by whether this career has a bright outlook, or whether the job is in the green field.  Another option of course is to use the The Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

The Second way to Choose/Change Careers:

Tests

These are not the type of tests you're thinking of, these are more like assessments and instruments. These tests are used to help you find out what industry you belong in or what careers you may be interested in.  You can find these assessments by Googling "career tests" or "personality tests."  The book suggests a few other tests to consider.  The first is The Dewey Color System, the second is Dr. John Holland's Self-Directed Search, and The University of Missouri's Career Interests Game.  

The Third way to Choose/Change Careers:

Using The Flower Exercise

The Flower Exercise was discussed in great detail in Chapter 7.  This is the longest chapter in the book because it leads you through several exercises to help determine your interests and to learn more about yourself.  This flower exercise lays the path to changing careers.  

The Fourth Way to Choose/Change Careers:

Changing a Career in Two Steps

Once you have completed The Flower Exercise, and have successfully determined the direction you're headed then you can use this method.  Moving from one industry to the next is tough, but if you create a two-part path to the next career the move becomes easier.  The example given in the book is about moving from a career as an accountant in the television industry to a career as a reporter about medical developments.  The hardest path would be to jump directly into it.  By becoming a television reporter first, the jump to medical reporter becomes much easier.  The book has diagrams and explains this in much more detail.  

The Fifth Way to Choose/Change Careers:

Finding Out What the Job-Market Will Need

This career move isn't based on what your needs or wishes are, but on the projections of the the job-market needs.  For example, the most common occupation in the U.S. is truck driver, but this will never make it onto a "hot jobs" list.  Use resources like the Occupational Outlook Handbook to find out what the projections for your desired industry are.  The OOH has a feature called "similar occupations" if for some reason you don't qualify for the job you're interested in.  

"You Look Dirty, Wild, and Disreputable, and Smell Really Bad"

These are really the only things holding you back from getting a job.  If you know your talent, someone is looking to hire you.  Chapter 9 of What Color is Your Parachute is all about dealing with any handicaps you may have.  That's the title of the chapter "How to Deal with Any Handicaps You Have."

Employers are divided into two groups:  Those who are interested in hiring you for what you can do, and those who aren't because they're annoyed by what you can't do.  You will meet both.  Once you realize which of these groups they belong to, kindly thank them for their time, and ask if they know anyone interested in someone like you, with the skill set you have.  Even if they made you feel a certain type of way, don't forget the Thank You note!

This chapter also discusses how every single person has a handicap (hidden or obvious).  However, regardless of this handicap you do have transferable skills that are needed.  A handicap, or a dis-ability, only means a lack of ability.  This lack of ability may only pertain to certain areas.  You possess many other skills that are needed.  This chapter has an exercises that has you list what you have do, and what you cannot.  You are to list all the skills you have, and the skills you do not.  Then you must choose your top 5 favorite skills.  Think of a few examples when you used these skills recently.

Just remember to "keep going, day after day, week after week, month after month, if necessary, until you find the other kind of employer: the one who only looks at what you can do, not at what you can't." -What Color Is Your Parachute?

You Get to Choose Where You Work

What Color is Your Parachute? is a job-hunting book.  Each chapter leads you through exercises to help you understand more about yourself.  This will give you the ability to find your dream job. My last blog post discusses the exercises that What Color is Your Parachute? leads you through and the 7 questions they help you answer to understand yourself better.  This book is a great resource for those out of work, those looking to switch careers, and those just beginning to look for work (like me!).  My suggestion is to purchase this book and work through these exercises.

Step 1:  You Need to Find Out What Careers or Jobs Your Flower Points To 
After you've done all the exercises discussed in Chapter 7, there should be a clear path to take regarding the job hunt.  However, it may not be clear for some.  This is when you will begin with the first step.  Take your top 3 of your favorite knowledges and then your top 5 favorite transferable skills.  Show this page to about five friends and family members asking them what career this page suggests to them.  Write everything down that your friends and family suggest.  This will help to find jobs that match your favorite knowledges and skills.

Step 2:  You Need to Try On Careers Before You Decide Which Ones to Pursue
Do you have a LinkedIn?  Because you're going to need it for this step!  In Step 1 you were able to find job titles for the list of skills and knowledges.  Log in to your LinkedIn account and start searching for people with these job titles within your area.  Ask to meet with them for 19 minutes. Listen to them, ask them for names of others in the field.  Get a feel for the career before you completely commit.

Ask a few questions like these:

• How did you get into this work?
• What do you like the most about it?
• What do you like the least about it?
• Where else could I find people who do this kind of work?
• Do you have any ideas as to who else I could talk to who might know what other careers use the same skills and knowledge?

Step 3:  You Need to Find Out What Kinds of Organizations Have Such Jobs
Think about the kinds of places where one might get hired with this set of skills and knowledges.
Don't think about places you'd like to work.  This is too broad.  The example in the book is about teachers.  Teachers looking for work have options beyond just schools.  They have opportunities in corporate training, workshop sponsors, private research firms, educational consultants, professional and trade societies, state and local councils on higher education, etc.

Step 4:  You Need to Find Names of Particular Places That Interest You
Throughout the book they suggest looking to companies with less than 100 employees.  After you've completed Step 2, you may have a few leads from those who you have interviewed.  You could also use the Yellow Pages and search engines.  Vacancies should not concern you.  Look for companies that interest you and intrigue you.

Step 5:  You Need to Learn as Much as You Can About a Place Before Formally Approaching Them
Before you formally approach a company, educate yourself.  You must do your homework first.
You need to show them that you have something they need.  Find out what they need.

Things you need to know:

• What kind of work they do there
• Their working style
• Corporate culture
• The goals they're trying to achieve
• Obstacles or challenges they're facing

The final piece of advice in this chapter is to send Thank You notes.  Don't forget this!
Something as simple as "I wanted to thank you for talking with me yesterday.  It was very helpful to me.  I much appreciated your taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this.  Best wishes to you." will work!  Sign it, and send it.  Most importantly, make sure you have their name spelled right.

You Need to Understand More Fully Who You Are

Chapter 7 of What Color is Your Parachute is about learning about yourself.  The more you know about yourself, the better you will be able to explain to others what you have to offer.  This chapter guides you through different exercises that help you learn to describe yourself several different ways. This will also help you to approach the several different job markets.

After completing these exercises about yourself, you will be able to use the Parachute Method to find a job. You will know more about yourself, and have the ability to convey this information to your future employers. Using the parachute method is the best way to find your dream job.  You will match your skills to an organization. This results in a perfect fit, both for you and your employer.

These exercises will help you describe what is unique about you.  They will also help you to learn to describe yourself using traits rather than adjectives.  You have this advantage over your competition. These exercises will also help those who are looking for a career-change to understand what path to take.

All the exercises revolve around 7 questions you must ask yourself.  These questions will lead you to realizing what it is you're meant to be doing.

1.  My Favorite Knowledges or Fields of Interest
This first question helps to understand what you know.  This is a better way to describe who you are, by listing what you know, and what your favorite knowledges or fields of interest are.

2.  My Preferred Kinds of People to Work With
Don't think coworkers, think customers.  Who are the people you would like to work with on a day-to-day basis.  Think about age span, problems, handicaps, geographic location, etc.  Think of the people you believe you can serve best, and would like to serve.

3.  What I Can Do and Love to Do (My Favorite Transferable Skills)
Another way to describe who you are is by thinking of what you can do.  What are your sills?  What are your favorite skills that you enjoy using, that can be used for your future job.

4.  My Favorite Working Conditions
The fourth area that will help you understand more about yourself is understanding the type of place you would like to work.  Would you prefer working for a small company or a large one?  Think of all the variables of a workplace.  What are your favorites? This is important because this will enable you to be the most effective while you're at work.

5.  My Preferred Salary and Level of Responsibility
Are you a team player?  Or do you prefer working on your own?  Would you rather be managing and running the show, or supporting?  Think about where you feel the most comfortable and your experience.

6.  My Preferred Place(s) to Live
This one is pretty straight forward.  Where do your best work, and where would you like to live?  The book lists cold/warm, mountains/coast, etc.  There are many possibilities.

7.  My Goal, Purpose, or Mission in Life
If you were to work at your dream organization in your dream position, what would your mission for the company or for yourself be?

This entire chapter is dedicated to leading an you through these exercises and understanding yourself completely.  The book encourages you to work through all the exercises on sheets of paper, and then consolidate everything into a single sheet.  The book suggests a flower with many petals.  The petals represent each part of you.

Job Hunting: The Traditional Way Vs. The Parachute Way

There are two ways to hunt for a job.  The traditional way, and the parachute way.  The traditional way is the way that it's always been done.  The traditional method isn't too time consuming.  You create your resume, and send it out to everyone.  If this doesn't work, you look at the ads online and offline for vacancies, and then you continue to send out resumes.

The second way to hunt for a job is the parachute way.  You do not begin searching on the job-market, you begin with yourself.  Instead of sending out countless resumes, you understand yourself better, what you love to do, and find an organization that matches you.  The way you approach this organization is through a person, not through a resume.  This method is much different than the traditional way, but you will be a better fit for the company you seek out.

This method is the key to finding your dream job.

Some of the worst and most ineffective ways to look for a job are the traditional ways.  For example, searching for an employer's job posting is effective only 4% of the time.  This isn't as effective as asking for job-leads or knocking on the door of the employer.  These methods work more than one-third of the time.  Going directly to the employer and knocking on the door is more effective with smaller businesses.

Another traditional method is posting or mailing your resume to employers.  We all know this method. Unfortunately, it is effective 7% of the time at getting you only an interview.  What Color is Your Parachute encourages the Parachute Method.  This is the most effective method of getting hired, and you will be employed at a place that you have specifically sought out that matches who you are and what you love to do most.  Never wait for a vacancy, always approach them first.

Overall, the most important lesson I learned in this chapter was to Never Give Up.  

How to Answer the Age-Old Question: "Tell Me About Yourself"

The number one question you should expect in an interview is "Tell me about yourself."  When answering this question, keep these four points in mind:

1. This question is a test to see how well you answer open-ended questions.  
2. Do not answer this question with, "Well, what do you want to know?"  This is an employer's least favorite response. 
3. Employers are looking for your professional history, skills, experience related to the job.  This is not where you talk about your hobbies or where you grew up.  
4. This is your elevator speech.  An elevator speech is a brief, persuasive speech about yourself to spark your interviewer's interest; the response should last no longer than a short elevator ride (20-30 seconds). 

You should also have the answers to these questions at your finger tips:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What do you know about this company?
• why are you applying for this job?
• How would you describe yourself?
• What are your major strengths?
• What are your greatest weaknesses?
• What type of work do you like to do best?
• What are your interests outside of work?
• What accomplishment gave you the greatest satisfaction?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• Why were you fired (if you were)?
• Where do you see yourself five years from now?
• What are your goals in life?
• How much did you make at your last job?

These are the five basic questions you need to pay attention to.  These questions make take various forms, but these are the five roots for the majority of the questions you may be asked in an interview.  If you aren't asked these directly, make sure to stress your answers to these questions, because this is the information the interviewer needs.   

"Why are you here?"

"What can you do for us?

"What kind of person are you?"

"What exactly distinguishes you from nineteen or nine hundred other people who are applying for this job?"

"Can I afford you?"

You should also have questions for the organization you're interviewing for!  They are similar to those you will be asked.

"What does this job involve?"

"What are the skills a top employee in this job would have to have?"

"Are these the kinds of people I would like to work with, or not?"

"If we like each other, and we both want to work together, can I persuade them there is something unique about me, that makes me different from nineteen or nine hundred other people who are applying for this job?"

"Can I persuade them to hire me at a salary I need or want?"

Great You've Been Offered the Job! Let's Talk About Salary Negotiation

There are six things to remember when negotiating your salary.  Don't expect the employer to give you a fair wage.  They're running a business!  Their entire motive is to make money, so if they can pay you less they will.  

First:  Discuss salary at the end of the interviewing process, only if they have actually offered you the job. 

If the interviewer asks prematurely, "What kind of salary are you looking for?"

Here are 3 responses you should be prepared with:

1. "Until you decide you absolutely want me for the job, and I also believe I'm fit to do this job then, then any further discussion of salary is a little premature."
2. If the employer wants to know what salary you are looking for within the first two minutes, this is not a good situation to be in.  In this situation you could say "I'll be glad to answer that, please tell me a little more about what this job involves?"
3. Your final option is to give a range, perhaps you could say "I'm looking for a salary in the range of $35,000 to $45,000 a year"

Only discuss salary after these condition have been fulfilled:

• The employer has gotten to know you at your best.  This way, you will stand out above other applicants.
• When you have gotten to know them completely.  You feel absolutely certain this is where you want to work.
• You understand what the job entails.
• The employer believes you match their job requirements.
• They have conveyed the feeling, "We need to have you here."

Second:  The entire goal of salary negotiation is to discover the most an employer is willing to pay to get you.

Employers will always start the bidding process much lower than they are willing to go. Their goal is to save money, and your goal is to bring home the most money for the work you will be doing.  

Third:  During the salary negotiation, let the employer mention the first salary figure.  

What Color is Your Parachute? doesn't explain the reasoning behind this, but my guess is purely out of curiosity from the employer.  If you're asked to name a figure, simply respond with "Well, you and your company have created this position, so I'm sure you have a figure in mind, and I'd be interested to learn what that figure is."

Fourth:  Remember to do careful research on typical salaries for this field and this particular organization you are interviewing for.  

Salary Research Online:

• http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/index.php
• http://www.salary.com/
• http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
• http://stats.bls.gov/oes/oes_emp.htm
• http://www.myplan.com/
• http://www.salaryexpert.com/

Salary Research Offline:

Apply at an organization where you're not too interested in working at, but the job description is similar to one you're looking for.  You can decline any offer at any time, so this is harmless.  Or, you can even go to this particular company and ask around.  Another option, if you're out of a job, is to find work through a temp. agency.  You can work various jobs and learn about different organizations and the corresponding salaries associated with these jobs. 

Fifth:  Research the range the employer has in mind, then define an equivalent range for yourself regarding the employer's range.  

This research is a little extensive, but will be well worth it.  First you must find out the salary for the position below you makes, and then the salary for the position above you makes. This will give you a range of figures to use a guide.  You can use LinkedIn to help you find employees, ex-employees, friends, family, anyone with a little information about this particular organization you're interested in, or one similar in another city or region.  

If you want to do even more research, you can!  "Governmental agencies have civil service positions paralleling those is private industry" (WCIYP). These pay ranges and job descriptions are available to the public.  You can find this information in your nearest city, county, regional, state, or federal civil service office.  Find the job description nearest to the job you're looking for, and then find the corresponding starting salaries.  

Sixth:  Know how to close the salary negotiation.

When the interview, the discussion of the job, the finding out if they like you and you like them, the salary negotiation, and the discussion of benefits has concluded, then your job is to get everything is writing.  You should get everything they're offering summarized in writing, typed, and signed.  Sometimes everything that has been discussed in this process gets "forgotten."  It's important that this "letter of agreement" or "employment contract."  You can ask for this, and if they won't give it to you, be cautious!  

Don't Believe Everything You Hear About the Job Market

There Are Over Eight Million Vacancies Available Each Month
The job hunt has changed dramatically, but it really hasn’t changed much at all.  Are you confused?  This is because of two words:  essence and behavior.  On the surface, the behavior has changed.  The way we job hunt has been influenced by technology, the internet, computers, smartphones, and other digital changes made to the environment. Today, we will sit with our laptop searching for a job, instead of a newspaper and a pen. However, in essence, job hunting is the same.  In essence, the question asked is “Do you like me?”

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

“Good-paying jobs are still scarce.  I cannot afford to be picky.  There are very few vacancies out there.”  This is completely false!  The media chooses to focus on the negative.  When the unemployment rate is discussed they are focusing on only one side of the story.  The media chooses to report on the jobs added, not the net number of jobs available!  To find this information visit www.bls.gov/cps and then compare it to the data available at www.bls.gov/jlt By comparing the Current Population Survey and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, we can get a more accurate estimate of jobs available.  

Things to Remember:

• Job-hunting is an art
• Job-hunting is mysterious
• There is no “right way” or “wrong way” to hunt for a job
• Job-hunting is a full-time job

"There's a new resume in town, and it's called Google."

Google Is Your New Resume
There are 4 important things you MUST do about your Google resume

Previously, the only way an organization could obtain information about a candidate was through your paper resume.  The candidate could edit and remove whatever information they didn't want their future employer to see.  Today, an organization can Google your name and obtain a ridiculous amount of information about you.  A large number of employers (91%) are using Google to visit job hunter's social media pages.  These employers (69%) are using Google to weed out unwanted candidates based on what they find.  

Things that can get you rejected:

• Bad grammar
• Gross misspellings on Facebook or LinkedIn
• Anything indicating you lied on your resume
• Badmouthing of previous employers
• Any signs of racism, prejudice, or screwy opinions
• Anything indicating alcohol or drug abuse
• Inappropriate content

The first step is to Edit your Google resume.  Google your name and fix what you find.  If your embarrassing Myspace page from high school is still up and running, delete it!  Or at the very least, disable it.  After you have Googled yourself, go over everything Google has pulled up and make adjustments.  Remember to check ALL your social sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.  Pretend to be a private detective and remove all the embarrassing items and things from your past you may regret. 

The second step is to Fill In.  Fill out your LinkedIn profile completely and leave no blanks. Remember to keep your LinkedIn up-to-date as well.  Having an outdated profile looks very unprofessional.  (Note:  WCIYP mentions Twitter and Plaxo as being important profiles to fill out also.  If your Twitter page isn't very professional or related to your field of work, skip it.  I wasn't sure what Plaxo was, but I googled and found this page.)

The third important step is to Expand your internet presence.  There are several ways to do this by using forums, blogs, twitter, videos, etc.  LinkedIn has many professional groups to join.  If you intend on doing this, participate.  If you do not, you may be removed from the group.  The goal with forums is to be seen as a specialist in your field.  Employers will see that you are knowledgeable and an expert in your field.  

Blogs are another great way to expand your internet presence.  If you already have a blog, but the topic isn't related to your field I suggest starting a new one.  I wrote an article about blogging here.  The article covers what blogging is, why it's so important, and a few SEO best practices for blogging.  

Twitter is important because employers will search through hashtags.  If you know what they're looking for they may be able to find you if you're speaking the same language.  If they're looking for specific hashtags that you have used on Twitter, they can find you.  Some savvy employers may use Google to search through Twitter hashtags, others may use Twitter itself to do so.  

Hashtags Come to Google Search Results  This article discusses searching through hashtags within the Google Search Results page.  

Videos are another way to expand your presence.  Many employers want to see you, not just read you.  Recording a video of yourself and posting it to YouTube is a great way for employers to see you.  The video should be related to your field of work, otherwise skip it.  

Here is a great example of using video.  This is a video of an optometrist teaching how to insert scleral lenses.  

The final thing to do to your Google resume is to Add your old type resume somewhere on the internet where Google will find it.  LinkedIn is a great place to add your resume.  You can also send it to an interested employer. 

"Employers and Job-Hunters Speak Two Entirely Different Languages"

"Assume that the employer's world is like a foreign country; you must learn their language, and their customs, before you visit."

Employers and job-hunters are not speaking the same language (not literally).  They have different understandings of the same words.  For example, an individual may not be hired by an organization because he lacked "skills" but what the organization meant is that he lacked "experience."

The job market is a hiring game to you, but an elimination game to the employer.
An average employer receives between 118 and 250 resumes and applications, but have the intention of only interviewing about 5 candidates.

You want the employer to be taking initiative toward finding you.
If you have this mentality, you are wrong.  You should be working hard toward finding them. The employer prefers when you take the initiative.

You want your past performance to be all that gets weighed.
There is more to consider than just your past performance (summarized on your written resume) when it comes to hiring someone.  They also consider your behavior from their first interaction with you.  Many other factors come into play here.

You want the employer to acknowledge that they have received your resume. 
Typically, only 45% of employers do this.

You want the employer to hunt for you the same way you are hunting for them.  
There are two words to consider here:  Risk and Time.  Risk is the main value The employer wants to hire with the least amount of risk, and the job hunter wants to spend the least amount of time job-hunting.  The way job-hunters and employers look for one another are the exact opposite!  Employers want the least risk, because it will save them the most money.  An estimated $55,000 can be lost on a bad hire, so the employer is always being cautious.

However, do not fear.  View these as challenges to overcome.  The way we used to search for jobs no longer works, but we have the opportunity to adapt to the new job-hunting ways. "In today's world he or she who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do that job best; but, the one who knows most about how to get hired."  —Richard Lathrop

This Fall, I will be reading through one of the All-TIME 100 Best Nonfiction Books entitled What Color Is Your Parachute? 2016 Edition and posting as I work my way through chapter by chapter.  I will be blogging about what I found most interesting and most helpful. If you would like to be updated when I post, enter your email into the side bar where it says "Follow by Email."