Read Online What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles, Carol Christen, Jean M. Blomquist - Free Book Online
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an old house that’s been converted into office suites. The surrounding neighborhood has big, leafy trees and a couple of outdoor cafés. Leah’s workplace feels much more comfortable to Eric than the stockbroker’s office. After listening to Leah describe what she does, Eric decides to tell her about the Job Meter, an idea a teacher had explained in a career-planning class. He asks Leah what rating she’d give her job.
“A 9.9,” she flashed back at him. “What do you think of it?”
Eric hesitated, then answered, “Maybe a 5 or 6. My teacher said that a job needs to be at least an 8 to be a good career target.”
Luckily Leah wasn’t insulted. She smiled and asked, “What would have to be different about the job for it to be a 9 or 10 for you?”
“I’m not sure I want to have my own business or lots of people as clients. I think I’d like to use my math to gather information and write reports that would go to a boss or one client. And both you and Steve, the stockbroker I interviewed last week, spend a lot of time meeting new people. I guess that’s to expand your business?”
“Yes. I belong to a service club, a community business group, and a women’s professional organization. I review the annual taxes for the preschool my son goes to, and I’ve volunteered to be the treasurer for the co-op kindergarten he’ll attend next year. I’d like to think I’m more subtle than wearing a button that says, ‘I’m a CPA and I need your business,’ but I’m constantly looking for ways to meet people who may need my services.”
“I don’t think I’d like that part, constantly meeting new people. I’d also like my day to be split between working inside and outdoors.”
Leah thought for a while, then said, “I’ve got clients who do all kinds of different jobs. Give me a week to go through my files. I also need to check with them to ask if I can give you their names. I’ll find some more people for you to talk with about careers that use math.”
“Thanks, Leah. I appreciate your help,” Eric responded. “The more people I talk with, the more likely it is that I’ll find a job that’s a good fit for me.”
Some people can rate a job, evaluate it, and describe how their dream job differs as they interview someone. Others need time to think over what they’ve heard. If you’re the second type, you can call people back. Give them a description of the skills, activities, fields of interest, or working conditions that would make a job a 10 for you. To give the person you interviewed time to think of some good people for you to talk to, you could also include this information in your thank-you note (see below) and tell them you’ll call to ask for their suggestions.
Writing a Thank-You Note
After each information interview, always send a thank-you note. Why? Whenever you meet with people or interview them on the phone or by email, they give you something very valuable—their time, experience, and wisdom. Any gift of value deserves to be acknowledged. The people you interview will appreciate that you recognize the value of their time and life experience. They’ll be impressed too, and most likely will be more inclined to help you again if you should need additional information in the future.
During an interview, be sure to get a business card. For interviewees who don’t have one, ask for their job title, the correct spelling of their name, and the name of the company they work for. Getting this information correct shows that you’ve taken the interview seriously and appreciate the help the person has given you.
Here are some tips on how to write a thank-you note:
• Buy some plainthank-you notes (drugstores and stationery stores carry them) and some stamps.
• Unless your handwriting is very good, type your thank-you note and print it out. You can glue your note inside a card or create a card online to print out. No cutesy Hello Kitty or far-out images. You are writing a note to a
“A 9.9,” she flashed back at him. “What do you think of it?”
Eric hesitated, then answered, “Maybe a 5 or 6. My teacher said that a job needs to be at least an 8 to be a good career target.”
Luckily Leah wasn’t insulted. She smiled and asked, “What would have to be different about the job for it to be a 9 or 10 for you?”
“I’m not sure I want to have my own business or lots of people as clients. I think I’d like to use my math to gather information and write reports that would go to a boss or one client. And both you and Steve, the stockbroker I interviewed last week, spend a lot of time meeting new people. I guess that’s to expand your business?”
“Yes. I belong to a service club, a community business group, and a women’s professional organization. I review the annual taxes for the preschool my son goes to, and I’ve volunteered to be the treasurer for the co-op kindergarten he’ll attend next year. I’d like to think I’m more subtle than wearing a button that says, ‘I’m a CPA and I need your business,’ but I’m constantly looking for ways to meet people who may need my services.”
“I don’t think I’d like that part, constantly meeting new people. I’d also like my day to be split between working inside and outdoors.”
Leah thought for a while, then said, “I’ve got clients who do all kinds of different jobs. Give me a week to go through my files. I also need to check with them to ask if I can give you their names. I’ll find some more people for you to talk with about careers that use math.”
“Thanks, Leah. I appreciate your help,” Eric responded. “The more people I talk with, the more likely it is that I’ll find a job that’s a good fit for me.”
Some people can rate a job, evaluate it, and describe how their dream job differs as they interview someone. Others need time to think over what they’ve heard. If you’re the second type, you can call people back. Give them a description of the skills, activities, fields of interest, or working conditions that would make a job a 10 for you. To give the person you interviewed time to think of some good people for you to talk to, you could also include this information in your thank-you note (see below) and tell them you’ll call to ask for their suggestions.
Writing a Thank-You Note
After each information interview, always send a thank-you note. Why? Whenever you meet with people or interview them on the phone or by email, they give you something very valuable—their time, experience, and wisdom. Any gift of value deserves to be acknowledged. The people you interview will appreciate that you recognize the value of their time and life experience. They’ll be impressed too, and most likely will be more inclined to help you again if you should need additional information in the future.
During an interview, be sure to get a business card. For interviewees who don’t have one, ask for their job title, the correct spelling of their name, and the name of the company they work for. Getting this information correct shows that you’ve taken the interview seriously and appreciate the help the person has given you.
Here are some tips on how to write a thank-you note:
• Buy some plainthank-you notes (drugstores and stationery stores carry them) and some stamps.
• Unless your handwriting is very good, type your thank-you note and print it out. You can glue your note inside a card or create a card online to print out. No cutesy Hello Kitty or far-out images. You are writing a note to a
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