People Are Still Finding Their Dream Jobs

From the Wall Street Journal | By SUE SHELLENBARGER

No one has been writing best-selling career-advice books longer than Richard Bolles, author of the "What Color Is Your Parachute" series. (1975 was the only skipped year since the series was launched in 1970.)

Associated Press
Richard Bolles seen with the 2006 edition of his book.

The 40th anniversary edition, released last month, sticks to the same core message, that every job search must start by identifying the skills you most enjoy using and figuring out where you want to use them. But it also offers new information on using social media and coping with stress and depression caused by a prolonged job search.

In a recent telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Bolles reflected on changes in the job market and how looking for a job is different … and not so different from the 1970s. Edited excerpts follow.

WSJ: How has career advice changed since you started writing in 1970?

Mr. Bolles: The substance of job-hunting is little changed. But the [way you go about it] has changed a lot. In the past, you had to really scratch your head to figure out who you knew. Now, LinkedIn makes it so simple. The other change is, in the past you had a resume, and you controlled the information your prospective employer could find about you. Now, employers can do an Internet search and find every bit of information about you, without your controlling or organizing it.


1970s: An early edition


40th anniversary edition

WSJ: In this job market, is it still wise to even try to do what you love? Or is it better to tailor yourself to what is available?

Mr. Bolles: The question reflects the current street wisdom, and I don't agree with it. People wonder, 'Why should I spend time figuring out my vision if I'm not going to find that job?' [But], if you are looking for your vision, you will give infinitely more energy and enthusiasm to your job hunt. I think it's more essential than ever that people figure out their dream, because it will give them the energy for the long haul – the 37 weeks now that it takes on average to find something.

And people are still finding their dream jobs, or jobs that partly reflect their dreams. Picture a Venn diagram. One circle represents the job you would most love to find in the whole world. The other circle represents the job you are actually going to find. For a good fit, the two must overlap. They aren't going to be completely the same, and you are going to have to settle for less than your vision, at least initially. But you need to make sure the overlap captures the priorities you care about most.

WSJ: How has the average jobseeker changed?

Mr. Bolles: Today, people get oppressed by how much is out of their control. They stop thinking about what is within their control, so they lose hope. Even if 95% of your circumstances are out of your control, 5% are still within your control. There is always something you can do to improve your situation.

WSJ: Are more things out of our control today, compared with the past?

Mr. Bolles: Yes, during this post-recessionary period. But what is also different now is there is much wider and more rapid distribution of bad news, due to the Internet and the 24/7 TV news programs. You used to be able to live in some ignorance about how widespread the obstacles were. But now the media talks endlessly about how bad things are.


The 1989 edition of the book...


...And the 1996 edition

WSJ: What mistakes do you see job-hunters making over and over?

Mr. Bolles: They go by conventional wisdom. They tell someone they're out of a job and that person says, 'Go look on the Internet.' They spend a month looking on the Internet and get nothing. Only an estimated 4% to 10% of the people who look for jobs that way have any success. Similarly, posting or mailing your resume to employers, or answering ads in professional or trade journals related to your field, only succeeds an estimated 7% of the time.

WSJ: What works better?

Mr. Bolles: You can increase your likelihood of success several times over by asking for job leads from family, friends, neighbors or career-center staff, especially at your local community college or the high school or college where you graduated.

You can also improve your odds by calling or visiting any employer that interests you and asking if they are hiring for the type of position you can do well.

Joining a job-hunters' group improves your chances even more, assuming you meet daily with your job-search partners in the group, make phone calls in the morning, then visit prospective employers in the afternoon. Such groups provide both a network and help identifying leads.

Write to Sue Shellenbarger at Sue.Shellenbarger@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
In a previous version of this article, one of Mr. Bolles's answers was appended to the wrong question.