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FINDING THE IDEAL JOB. REVIEW OF WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE?

By Barbara Kleppinger

You are out of work.

You hate your job.

You aren’t satisfied with your career.

You are looking for your first job. Where do you start?

If you are like most Americans, you’ll probably send your resume to a lot of companies. You might answer newspaper want ads every Sunday. Or you might go to employment agencies. But experts say you won’t much luck. People find jobs only five to fifteen percent of the time when they use these methods. So, what can you do?

One thing you can do is read Richard Nelson Bolles’s “What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers.” Bolls is an expert in the field of job hunting. He has helped thousands of people find jobs and careers. This book is different from other job-hunting manuals. Bolles doesn’t help you to find just another job. Instead, he helps you find your ideal job: a job that fits who you are, a job that is satisfying you. What kind of job is ideal for you? If you don’t know the answer, Bolles says, you can’t find your ideal job. You need to have a clear picture in your mind of the job you want. The book has many exercises to help you draw this picture.

Bolles says that you must think about three things:

(1) Your skills. What do you like to do? What do you do well? Do you like talking? Helping people? Teaching? Reading and writing? Using computers? Working with your hands? Bolles asks you to think about your skills, not only ‘work skills.’ For example, a mother of four children is probably good at managing people (children!). She may be a good manager.

(2) Job setting. Where do you like to work? Do you like to work outside? At home? In an office? Alone or with others? What kind of people do you like to work with?

(3) Job rewards. How much money do you need? How much money do you want? What else do you want from a job? What would make you feel good about a job?

After Bolles helps you decide on your ideal job, he gives you specific, useful advice on how to find the job. His exercises teach you how to find companies and how to introduce yourself. The chapter on job interviews is full of useful information and suggestions. For example, most people go to interviews asking themselves the question ‘How do I get the company to hire me?’ Bolles thinks this is the wrong question. Instead, he wants you to ask yourself, ‘Do I really want to work for this company?’

There are two small problems with the book. First, Bolles writes too much! He explains some of his ideas over and over again. Second, there is no space to write the answers to the exercises. But these are small problems. “What Color Is Your Parachute?” is the best job-hunting manual available today.

“What Color Is Your Parachute?” was written in quite a time ago. But the information is updated every year. So, if you are looking for a job, or if you have a job but want a new one, remember: Don’t just send out copies of your resume. Don’t just answer want ads. And don’t wait for friends to get you a job. Instead, buy this book and do a job hunt the right way.



4.Reading for main ideas decide if the sentences are true or false.

- What Color Is Your Parachute? is similar to the job-hunting manuals.

- Bolles’s goal is to help people find jobs as quickly as possible.

- According to the book, job hunters should think about their skills, the work setting, and the job rewards they want.

- What Color Is Your Parachute? includes specific advice on finding jobs.

- According to the reviewer, one problem of the book is that it’s too short.

5.Reading for details Write the job-hunting methods listed below in the correct column in the chart.

answer newspaper want ads

ask friends to help find a job

decide what kind of job is ideal

think about job rewards

do exercises

go to an employment agency

decide what kind of place you want to work in

send out lots of resumes

think about your skills

 

What many people do to find a job What Bolles says will help you find a job
   

 

6.Reading between the lines Read each situation and decide, whether, according to Bolles, the person is making a mistake or doing the right thing. Circle your answer. Then discuss it with your classmates.

1. Owen was always a manager. He doesn’t want to be a manager. But he’s not looking for another job because he thinks that he doesn’t know how to do anything else. According to Bolles, Owen is

a. making a mistake.

b. doing the right thing

2. Amy studied to be a teacher. But now she’s not just looking for work as a teacher. Instead, she’s thinking about whether teaching is really the right career for her. According to Bolles, Amy is

a. making a mistake.

b. doing the right thing

3. Bill is in a job interview. He is asking the person who is interviewing him some questions about the company. According to Bolles, Bill is

a. making a mistake.

b. doing the right thing

4. Kathy has a choice between a job that pays very well and a job that seems very interesting. She decides that for her, money is the most important thing. So she chooses the job that pays well. According to Bolles, Kathy is

a. making a mistake.

b. doing the right thing

5. Peter sent his resume to many companies and he answered many want ads. So now he is waiting for someone to call him about a job. According to Bolles, Peter is

a. making a mistake.

b. doing the right thing

 

7.Expanding the topic. Read the stories and complete the sentences that follow

THE IDEAL JOB

Believe it or not, some people get paid – and – well – for doing the things that make them really happy. Here are a few people who have found the job of their dreams.

‘I know all about job-hunting.’ – Betsy

A few years ago, I lost my job as a manager in a factory. I was so unhappy. I was thirty-eight years old, out of work for the 100thtime, and without much hope. Then, one day I was thinking about the question, ‘What do I do best?’ and the answer came to me. I had been out of work many times, so I knew every manual about how to find a job or change a career. I must have been to over 100 interviews in my life, made 1000 phone calls asking for jobs, and sent out a resume to almost 2000 companies. When I looked at my skills were job-hunting skills! So I started my own company, Career Consulting. It’s a business that helps people find jobs. I hired two people to work with me. The three of us work together on everything, but I’m the boss. It’s great. I love the work, and I make a lot of money!

‘I have the funniest job in the world.’ – Amanda

I have been a matchmaker for forty-one years. Because of me, sixty couples are now happily married or engaged. I’m good matchmaker. I have a very good eye for people. And I don’t mean I match people on how they look. I mean I can meet a person he or she is. I get a feeling. And this feeling tells me, ‘Oh, he would be a great husband for Stephanie,’ or ‘Ah, now here is the woman for Timothy.’ I can’t imagine a job that’s more fun. I meet wonderful people. I work for myself. Nobody tells me what to do. I make enough money to live a simple life. And I get so much joy from seeing what happens to my matches. A month ago a couple stopped by on their way home from the hospital with their new baby girl. I’m so happy to think that I helped make that family!

‘I have a job with an incredible view.’ – Donna

Teaching skydiving is so exciting. I love seeing students on their first jump. They are all nervous and excited. When they get on the ground, they can’t wait to call everyone they know and tell them they just jumped out of an airplane. Later, when they learn to turn and fly forward, they realize that they’re not just a flying stone. They realize that they’re like a bird – they can fly!

It wasn’t easy to get this job. I had to have about 1000 jumps and about two years of training. And the salary was only $ 15000 for the first year. But I don’t do it for money. In fact, I don’t need to get paid at all. I love it that much!

 

- Complete the sentences with the correct name from the reading.

1. _____________ made $15000 a year.

2. ___________ helped sixty couples find each other.

3. ___________ was out of work many times.

4. ___________ has had the same job for over forty years.

5. ___________ changed careers.

6. ___________ loves teaching.

 

8.Linking the two readings.

Look at the review of What Color Is Your Parachute? Reread the paragraphs about skills, setting, and rewards and the questions in each paragraph. How would the women in the reading answer the questions? Write answers for each woman.

 

  skills settings rewards
Betsy      
Amanda      
Donna      
You      

 

 


Date: 2016-01-03; view: 1898


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