Initially, I hesitated about buying WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? because I thought it would be too American in outlook and not practical enough - but I was wrong!
Now I wish I hadn't wasted money on all the other careers books I've bought over the last couple of years.
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? is extremely well-written. You feel as though Richard N. Bolles is writing especially for you. His advice is frank and straightforward, but always encouraging and reassuring - he really seems to understand the jobhunter's 'fragile' state of mind. The author offers spiritual comfort as well, but without ever preaching or becoming bogged down by religion (I found that Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was sanctimonious, on the other hand).
The book was a real source of comfort and inspiration to me when friends had run out of advice and family had run out patience - and I had run out of ideas.
There are lots of excellent exercises to help you work out exactly what you want from life. They are very effective, and not too time consuming - you probably need a weekend or so to work on them. There are also masses of links to free websites which help analyse your skills and so on.
For me, the best part of the book was the news that recruitment agencies, classifed ads in newspapers and the Internet are among the five WORST ways to look for a job!
This book has changed my attitude to job-hunting and has filled me with enthusiasm, as well as providing me with practical ways to channel my enthusiasm. I'm so glad I've discovered WHAT COLOUR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? The only other books I've found to be as useful are the PERFECT CV/PERFECT INTERVIEW etc. range by Max Eggert which are short but extremely helpful.