WCIYP (The Blue Pages: Appendix A)

In the Blue Pages of What Color Is Your Parachute, Appendix A is devoted to understanding and finding your mission in life. Richard Bolles, the author of the book, takes a religious approach to explaining how to find your mission in life, which actually blends quite well with understanding the job-hunting process.

Before jumping into the details surrounding how to find your mission in life and apply it to the job-hunting process, it is first important to pinpoint exactly what a mission in life should entail.
According to Webster's Dictionary, a mission is defined as "a continuing task or responsibility that one is destined or fitted to do or specially called upon to undertake". Two synonyms often associated with mission are calling and vocation, both of which imply the presence of God. In fact, in Appendix A of What Color Is Your Parachute, it is stated that 89% of people in the United States believe in God, further demonstrating that there is a distinct relationship between job-hunting and finding your mission in life.

I personally am Catholic, and found the relation of job-hunting to finding your mission in life to be a rather insightful comparison. This is especially true when the author offers three main parts to finding a mission in life, which I will list below:

1.) "To seek to stand hour by hour in the conscious presence of God, the One from whom your Mission is derived"

2.) "To do what you can, moment by moment, day by day, step by step, to make this world a better place, following the leading and guidance of God's Spirit within you and around you?

3.) "To exercise the Talent that you particularly came to Earth to use-your greatest gift, which you most delight to use, in the place (s) or stetting (s) that God has caused to appeal to you the most, and for those purposes that God most needs to have done in this world"

Clearly, finding a mission in life is an important step in the job-hunting process. It can become an even easier process if you allow your faith to be a driving force for it.

WCIYP (How To Start Your Own Business)

Becoming an entrepreneur is no easy task. You have to posses a certain personality for it in order to be successful. You have to be willing to take risks, be your own boss, and be prepared to fail before you ultimately succeed. Nevertheless, What Color Is Your Parachute offers tips and a thorough explanation on how to start your own business, that is if you have the passion and determination to do so.

To begin, the book suggests that there are four main steps to consider if you plan on starting your own business, which are to write, read, explore, and get feedback.

1.)  Write

Writing in order to determine if starting your own business is a sound idea involves understanding what it is exactly that you enjoy doing. This can be achieved by completing the aforementioned Flower Diagram exercise that I have mentioned in previous blog posts. Upon completing this exercise, you should be able to clearly identify what you like to do and who you are as a person.

2.)  Read

Before you take the step of actually starting a business, be sure to read about the industry that you plan to enter first. By doing so, you will be able to determine if your passion towards a specific brand, product, or idea will actually be successful when launched as a business.

What Color Is Your Parachute recommends the following websites as important to read if you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur:

• Free Agent Nation
• Working Solo
• Small Business Administration
• A Small Business Expert
• Business Owner's Toolkit
• The Business Owner's Idea Cafe
• Nolo's Business, LLCs & Corporations
• Home Businesses 

3.)  Explore

The book offers three areas to consider while exploring how to start a business, and are characterized as "A", "B", and "C".

• "A" involves exploring the skills, knowledge, or experience that is required to make running a business work.
• "B" relates to developing a list of the skills, areas of knowledge, or experience that you have
• "C" is derived by subtracting "B" from "A", and will help you determine the skills that you lack, or need to improve on

4.)  Get Feedback

Asking for and receiving honest feedback about yourself is a critical step in starting a business. For example, if you plan to start a business that is based off of selling goods, but you have no accounting background, then you will likely need to hire someone to help you with the financial aspects of your business. 

WCIYP (The Five Ways To Change/Choose Careers)

Contemplating a career change or actually pursuing one can be an exciting journey. However, being cautious of common obstacles involved with a career change is nearly as crucial to consider. Moreover, the following list identifies eight cautions to be aware of that relate to choosing or changing a career according to What Color Is Your Parachute, and I believe that each offers valuable insight to topics that are often overlooked in the job-hunting process.

1.)  Go For Any Career That Seems Fascinating Or Interesting To You

It is always a good idea to follow your dreams and desires, but make sure to actually interview or question people who are already in the line of work that you plan to pursue, at least to make sure that it is something worth investing ample time into. Also, do not be afraid to ask those in a specific industry the best techniques to secure a position, as it could be very valuable information.

2.) In Moving From One Career To Another, Make Sure That You Preserve Constancy In Your Life As Well As Change, During The Transition

Basically, don't change everything about yourself, especially the values and beliefs that define you as a person. These may include your character, faith, values, or skills.

3.) If You Can, You'll Do Better To Start With Yourself And What You Want, Rather Than With The Job-Market, And What's "Hot"

In other words, adopt the "Parachute Approach" to job-hunting in order to demonstrate your passion towards potential employers. If an employer notices your enthusiasm or drive to succeed, it becomes that much more likely that you can earn a position.

4.) The Best Work, The Best Career, For You, The One That Makes You Happiest And Most Fulfilled

Below is a list of traits that are most commonly associated with happiness in the workplace. Usually the traits involve using or understanding:

• Your favorite transferable skills
• Favorite subjects, fields, or knowledge
• Preferred environment and people
• Preferred working conditions
• Preferred salary
• Preferred goals and values

5.) The More Time And Thought You Can Give To The Choosing Of A New Career, The Better Your Choice Is Going To Be

There is no need to rush into selecting a career path. Take your time, and be sure to find something that you are passionate about. There is nothing worse than taking a job simply to say that you found work. It is better to extend the job-hunting process as opposed to being miserable at a place of work that does not match your skills or interests.

6.) If You Are Young, Or Relatively Young, It's Okay To Make A Mistake, In Your Choice

The only way to learn from your mistakes is to inevitably make them. So, do not fret over the past, but instead learn from your past mistakes to improve on them in the future.

7.) Choosing And Then Finding Employment In A New Career That You Find Really Fancy, Should Feel Like A Fun Task, As Much As Possible

Although the job-hunting process can be frustrating at times, it should ultimately be a fun experience if you are doing it correctly. After all, the whole goal of finding a job is to locate a company that matches your interests, beliefs, or skills.

8.) One Final Caution Here: If You're Just Graduating From High School, Don't Go Get A College Degree In Some Career Field Just Because You Think That This Will Guarantee You A Job! It Will Not

The book stresses this point greatly. Instead of going to college to merely earn a degree that is known to land a job, its is more beneficial to find something that you are passionate about. For me, that passion is marketing. More specifically, I have a strong passion for sports marketing and wish to find a job with a professional sports organization or agency.

WCIYP (The Five Ways To Choose/Change Careers)

According to What Color Is Your Parachute, by Richard N. Bolles, there are five main ways to consider for choosing or changing a career. In order, the five ways include the internet, tests, using the flower exercise, changing a career in two steps, and finding out what the job-market will need. In order to gain a better understanding of each technique, I will list and explain them below in greater detail.

1.)  The Internet

As you may have guessed, the Internet has become arguably the most prominent resource for finding a career or job. There are countless options to choose from online in terms of finding information about a potential job, but O*Net Online is recommend from the book, and I have to admit, it is extremely helpful. The site allows users to search for an occupation by industry, which usually relates to a set of interests. Once an occupation is narrowed down to a particular list of companies, O* Net Online offers a Content Model, in which bundles of information are available for each position. Nevertheless, the Internet is an essential resource to utilize during any job-hunt or career change, as it offers invaluable information that is difficult to locate without the assistance of search engines.

2.) Tests

The type of tests that you take to find a career path are not necessarily similar to the ones that you would take while in school, mainly because they are considered instruments or assessments instead. A large majority of career tests will involve the identification of personality traits, which will pinpoint interests and skills. Personally, I have taken the Myers Briggs test and can safely assert that it does an excellent job at funneling questions to determine what job or industry match my personality traits. All in all, tests can be a helpful tool in the job-hunting process, but are best served as a resource for identifying individual characteristics, as opposed to actually finding a job.

3.) Using The Flower Exercise

I briefly touched on the Flower Exercise that is thoroughly explained in the book in a previous blog post, but it is relevant to revisit for the purpose of choosing or changing a career. In short, the Flower Exercise provides you with the necessary steps to identify and hone transferable skills. Once you identify the skills you are capable of performing, it is then easier to match those skills with the a company or field of interest that you are passionate about. After the Flower Exercise is complete, you will then be able to confidently express your skills and abilities articulately during an interview, which will hopefully allow you to earn a desired job.

4.) Changing A Career In Two Steps

In order to successfully choose or change a career, it is vital to grasp that a job consists of two components: a title and a field. Basically, a title is a symbol for what you do at a job on a daily basis, whereas a field represents where you complete your work at a job. Being able to distinguish between the two career components provides lucidity in the form of paving a clear path to locating an occupation. For instance, if you have worked as an accountant for ten years, and wish to become a marketer, it is important to define what kind of experience you have in relation to marketing in the event that an interviewer questions you about it.

5.) Finding Out What The Job-Market Will Need

The final way to change a career involves using projections to find out what the job-market will need in the near future.

 According to a list from Forbes, the following industries are expected to have the most openings, or at least are projected to:

• Software Developers
• Accountants and Auditors
• Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Specialists
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Sales Representatives 
• Mechanical Engineers
• Industrial Engineers

WCIYP (How To Deal With Any Handicaps You Have)

One of the most common handicaps a job-hunter will experience is shyness. That's right, shyness is arguably the most profound obstacle an individual will have to overcome in the job-hunting process. Although some people will not admit it, almost everyone becomes nervous or shy at some point in the job-hunting process. An ideal way to overcome shyness, at least according to What Color Is Your Parachute, is to use enthusiasm as a cure. For example, I am passionate about sports. To limit my shyness during an interview, I may bring up how sports are a major passion of mine. Fortunately, I am seeking a job in the sports marketing industry, so not only will my enthusiasm about sports be appropriate to discuss, but it could also help me appear less shy during an interview.

Another alternative to overcoming shyness is through the implementation of the PIE method. In the method, the "P" stands for pleasure. During the "P' phase, you should practice interviewing people you are comfortable talking to, such as family or friends. Once you feel comfortable talking about a career with someone, it is time to advance to the "I" stage, which stands for informational interviewing. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, informational interviewing usually involves reaching out to a bridge-person who can possibly offer advice or a connection to a company that you wish to work for. After sufficient interviewing has been done, and you are comfortable speaking with strangers about your career aspirations, then the final stage "E" can be approached. The "E" phase of the PIE method involves an actual employment interview with an individual who has the power to hire you. 

For a visual perspective on the PIE method I explained above, please view the following images:

Overall, it is important to understand tactics to overcome shyness in order to succeed during an interview. Also, anyone involved in a job-hunt should be able to distinguish the difference between self-esteem and egotism. It is alright to be confident in yourself, but is a completely different story to be self-centered. Employers will surely make assumptions about you based on your personality during an interview, so it is critical to display the best version of yourself in order to prove that you can add value to the company you are interviewing for. 

WCIYP (How To Deal With Any Handicaps You Have)

As you venture on the job-hunting process, you may come to the realization that you lack the ability to perform certain skills. According to What Color Is Your Parachute, the lack of such skills are considered to be disabilities. Hence, it is critical to determine what skills you possess and articulate them to potential employers. The book goes on to argue that everyone is handicapped in some sense, as no one person can perform all tasks or skills in the world. A key distinction between owning a skill or failing to have the ability to perform it is the understanding how the perspective of a job-hunter differs than that of an employer. Often, job-hunters do not have the ability to carry out some skills. Although this is common among many individuals, employers are often prejudice if someone falls into a certain category.

For example, the book credits employers for falling subject to the following prejudices regarding job-hunters:

1.) Out Of Work Too Long

2.) Age

3.) Returning Veterans

4.) Ex-Offenders

5.) Former Patients

6.) Others

Although some of the prejudices listed above could clearly limit someone from earning a job, it is arguable that employers are simply looking out for the sake of their company. Still, it is important to understand the difference between a disability and prejudice in order to deal with any struggles you might encounter in the job-hunting journey.

One way to determine what you can or cannot do is to look at a list of transferable skills, as it will allow you to pinpoint what you are capable of. In fact, the following image offers 246 skills that employers often look for in an applicant. I strongly recommend sifting through the list and noting the skills that you believe you own. I actually completed the exercise myself and found it surprisingly rewarding, since I was able to list and articulate my transferable skills upon completion.

Here then, is the aforementioned list that any job-hunter should consider glancing at: