What Color Is Your Parachute?

Puntos clave

• Empieza a buscar trabajo conociéndote a fondo, no mirando ofertas
• Tus habilidades transferibles asoman en las historias de lo que disfrutaste haciendo bien
• Casi todos los empleos se consiguen a través de contactos: habla con personas antes de enviar currículums
• Investiga el puesto y la empresa mediante charlas breves con gente de dentro
• Una entrevista es una charla de ida y vuelta; del sueldo solo se habla cuando ya te quieren

Dentro de este bit

1. Dos formas de buscar empleo

   Richard Bolles first wrote this book in 1970 and updated it almost every year for the rest of his life. Its staying power comes from one simple contrast.

2. El ejercicio de la flor

   The heart of the book is a self-inventory Bolles draws as a flower with seven petals. Each petal answers one question about you: the kinds of people you work best with, the physical setting you prefer, the values or purpose you want your work to serve, the fields of knowledge you enjoy, your favourite transferable skills, the working conditions that suit you, and the level of pay and responsibility you need.

3. Tus historias esconden tus habilidades

   Most people underrate themselves because they think of skills as job titles or certificates. Bolles separates three kinds.

4. Los empleos se consiguen a través de contactos

   Bolles points out that employers hire in roughly the reverse order that job seekers search. Seekers start with advertisements and agencies.

5. Entrevistas en dos direcciones

   Before any formal interview, Bolles recommends informational interviews: short conversations with people who already do the work, asking how they got there and what a typical week involves. You learn the field, test your assumptions, and build the contacts that lead to real openings.

6. Ponlo en práctica

   This week, write three short stories about times you did something well and enjoyed it, then underline every skill verb you find. Start a rough version of the flower with the two petals you are most sure about, such as the people you like working with and the setting you prefer.