Book People Identify Color Parachute Sold Finding Helps

Richard Nelson Bolles wrote a book called What Color is Your Parachute? in 1970. It was originally "self-published" (published, marketed, and sold by the author, without a publishing company), but "it has since" (since then it has) become a bestseller, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide. A "parachute" is a piece of cloth used to slow down objects falling from the sky, like people who jump out of airplanes, or space shuttles as they return to earth.

The book is a "job-hunting" (the process of finding a new job) guide, with "tips" (suggestions for how to do things) for "networking" (interacting with professionals in your area of interest) and presenting one's own skills, abilities, and experience "in the best light" (in the most favorable way possible). But, perhaps more importantly, the book helps people understand their true interests and identify what type of work with be most "fulfilling" (satisfying).

The book argues that the secret to finding a satisfying job "lies in" (is found in) knowing ourselves. The book helps people identify and understand their passions, desires, strengths, and weaknesses, and then identify how they can apply their skills in different fields and industries.

The book has been updated many times to address the changing "job market" (how people find jobs and how businesses find employees). The newest versions include tips for using "social media" (Internet tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube) in a job search. In 1995, the Library of Congress put the book on a list of the 25 Books that Have "Shaped" (influenced) Readers' Lives.