Making the cut on Time magazine's All-Time 100 Non-Fiction Books, What Color Is Your Parachute has set the standard for career-help books for over forty years.

Richard Bolles keeps up with current issues in the job-hunting and career fields and adds and updates information in the book every year.

What's new in the 2013 edition? According to the publisher:

"Inventions in the book this year include a brand-new transferable skills grid, a novel way to discover what fields you would most like to work in, and a revamped version of [Bolles'] famed self-inventory instrument, the Flower Exercise."

What Color Is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (2013 ed.)

2013 Table of Contents

Preface- I’m Desperate: How Can a Book Help?

The Basics for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
Chapter 1 How to Find Hope
Chapter 2 The Seven Secrets About the Job-Market Today
Chapter 3 The Best and Worst Ways to Look for Jobs
Chapter 4 Life/Work Planning: Designing a Plan of Attack
Chapter 5 You Need to Understand More Fully Who You Are
Chapter 6 Networking and Social Media
Chapter 7 Five Ways to Choose or Change Careers
Chapter 8 Do I Really Need a Resume?
Chapter 9 Sixteen Tips About Interviewing
Chapter 10 How to Deal with Handicaps (Real or Imagined)
Chapter 11 The Six Secrets of Salary Negotiation
Chapter 12 Starting Your Own Business

The Pink Pages
Appendix A Finding Your Mission in Life
Appendix B A Guide to Dealing with Your Feelings While Out of Work
Appendix C A Guide to Choosing a Career Coach or Counselor
Appendix D Sampler List of Coaches

Bolles' supports job-hunters and career-changers with free information and helpful links on his site, JobHuntersBible.com. If you're feeling stuck in your job or are needing support when looking for a new career, you may want to check out What Color Is Your Parachute (2013 ed.).

Calgary Public Library offers information and support for job-hunters and career-changers through our Information Desk and programs. Contact us at busn@calgarypubliclibrary.com or 403-260-2782 for more information, or browse through our Career programs online.

Which university is best for you or your child?

Choosing the right university is a big, serious, expensive decision. But take heart.

The Library's new edition of the Maclean's 2012 Guide to Canadian Universities is a readable, comprehesive overview of 81 schools. Along with updated rankings, the publication offers insights into financial considerations and options such as scholarships and residency.

To further your research, Maclean's On Campus website offers even more information on rankings, campus life and student satisfaction surveys. Their scholarship finder is easy to use, along with blogs and posts that offer insights, including some not-so-serious sidelines. For example, I was drawn into the video featuring Ryerson University's new Quidditch team, of Harry Potter fame.

Worth a read.

Sign up for our NextReads Career and Job Search Newsletter for monthly reading recommendations!

Each month on our Career & Employment blog we highlight new and popular titles of books, ebooks, dvds and other useful career resources. Now we have a better way for you to find out about these items.

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Click here to view our newest edition of our newsletter: Career and Job Search Newsletter (July 2012), for some current recommended reads about resumes, interviews, LinkedIn and more.

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For more suggestions on what to read (or watch or listen to!) and to keep up to date on library programs and news, visit our library blogs and follow us on Facebook (be sure to let us know what you're reading!), Twitter and Pinterest.

Poor Johnny Bunko. He got a proper education and landed a great job but despite excellent planning and years of hard work he's unfulfilled professionally, unsuccessful and—worst of all—completely miserable.

Sound familiar?

Either you've been there (can I see a show of hands?) or, and I hate to be the one to tell you, you will be there at some point in your professional life.

Daniel H. Pink has written a few books on life and career. His The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: the last career guide you'll ever need is a fun-to-read graphic novel containing some of the best career advice I've read in a long while (and I've read countless books and articles on career topics).

When the hapless Johnny separates a set of chopsticks to eat his lunch one day, he is magically visited by a beautiful (if somewhat pushy and foul-mouthed) pixie named Diana. (Yeah, that's right, a pixie.) Diana gives Johnny six more sets of chopsticks and with each set of separated chopsticks she reappears to provide Johnny with another invaluable piece of career advice.

Now I don't know about you, but I'd be thrilled to have a brash pixie appear in a flash of light to guide me forward in my career and life. Since I imagine it's unlikely this will happen any time soon, I'm grateful that Daniel Pink created this book.

Johnny Bunko has been billed as "America’s first business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga – and the last career guide you’ll ever need," and won a American Library Association Great Graphic Novel for Teens award in 2009. It is the perfect career book to give to any young person (don't let on that the book is a book on career advice, just let them think it's a purely fun graphic novel) and, surprisingly, a fantastic book with career advice that would be useful for anyone at any age, any stage in their career, and any level of English language comprehension.

About the advice? While I strongly advise you to read the book to get more details and a surprising amount of insight (plus the book is a fun way to spend ten minutes and may just include other valuable career advice), I'll post the six career lessons below (with my responses in italics):

The Six Lessons of Johnny Bunko

1. There is no plan. Huh? So I've been banging myself over the head for years over not having a stong enough plan for nothing?
2. Think strengths, not weaknesses. I like this one. I’d be happy to think less about my many weaknesses, thank you very much.
3. It's not about you. Okay. I don't like this lesson ONE BIT. (But I know it's true.)
4. Persistence trumps talent. I contribute to the Writer's Nook blog and as we constantly say (truly, ad nauseum): you have to actually write (and keep writing) to be a writer.
5. Make excellent mistakes. Excellent advice about not being a perfectionist.
6. Leave an imprint. Well. A particularly profound lesson. As they ask in the book: "Did I make a difference? Did I contribute something? Did my being here matter?" For me, the most important lesson in the book.

Sound pretty straightforward? These six lessons apply equally well to every aspect of life: Don't take things personally. Work hard at what you love to do. Don't worry about making mistakes. Follow your bliss. Make a difference.

On his website, Daniel Pink has some free discussion guides for teachers or career practictioners who wish to use to use Johnny Bunko with students or in business settings. This book would be useful for anyone to read as a book of career advice or even as an introduction to graphic novels.

As for me, I plan on taking Diana’s Daniel Pink’s lessons to heart. I may even discreetly put a copy of this book on the coffee table in hopes that my kids will accidentally read it. (And everytime I pull apart a set of chopsticks, a tiny part of me might just be hoping a pixie guru will appear.)

Going Pro : How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer by Scott Bourne

You’ve got the gear, the training, and the technology. You’re ready to make the leap from aspiring to professional photographer. Now what?

Barron's Nursing School Entrance Exams by Corinne Grimes

A multi-part model exam plus many shorter tests in each of this book's chapters will give nursing school applicants orientation and preparation before they take an actual nursing school entrance exam.

Medical-Surgical Nursing by James Edward Keogh

This book contains 375 review questions with answers and concise explanations of all course concepts.

The Fashion Careers Guidebook by Julia Yates

The fashion industry is exciting and glamorous--but very tough to break into. That's all the more reason why ambitious young men and women who hope to succeed in that dynamic business take their first step to success by reading--and re-reading—this book.

MCAT : Medical College Admission Test by Jay Cutt

Completely revised and expanded, this book provides test takers with an in-depth, easy-to-use science review and a set of often-neglected but critical time-management strategies for test taking that cover reading comprehension, essay writing, and scientific problem solving.

Knock 'em Dead 2012 : The Ultimate Job Search Guide by Martin John Yate

For more than 25 years, bestselling author Yate has shown the way for millions of job seekers. Now readers can turn to him for a proven method to put their career on track.

Careers in Sport, Fitness, and Exercise by Shirl J. Hoffman

This book is your guide to landing your dream job in one of today's most exciting, popular, and fastest-growing industries!

The Big Book of Jobs

Whether you’ve recently earned a degree, decided to change careers, or re-entered the workforce after an extended absence, this is the guide you need to make the right decisions—the first time around.

Riding the Alligator, by Pen Densham

Densham, a successful Hollywood writer, director and producer, presents a genial guide to the vagaries of Hollywood screenwriting. He explores the existential desire to write for the movies and how to nurture it; outlines the basic structure and anatomy of a successful screenplay; and describes the process of networking, selling and developing one's work.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Nursing Entrance Exams, by Maryanne Baudo

This book focuses on nursing exams for US residents. It provides preparation for all five nursing entrance exams and includes sample questions in each chapter, and two full-fledged practice exams.

SAT Demystified, by Alexandra Mayzler

This book takes the mystery out of studying for the SAT by walking you step-by-step through the fundamentals of the subject.

Put Your Mindset to Work, by James Reed

In this unstable and highly competitive job market, everyone wants the best advice on how to stand out from the crowd and secure a richly rewarding, well-paying position with long-term potential. But what does it actually take to get and keep the job you want? Ninety-seven percent of employers argue that it goes beyond having the right skills--it's all about the right mindset.

GMAT Premier, 2012

The only state-of-the-art GMAT preparation program guaranteed to raise students’ test scores!

SSAT & ISEE for Private and Independent School Admissions, 2012 by Joanna Cohen

This book provides the perfect mix of strategy and review. This comprehensive study guide provides students with all of the resources they need for test day preparation, and gives advice to parents on helping their children navigate what can be a daunting experience for first-time test takers.

LSAT Logic Games Strategies and Tactics, by Glen Stohr

New from one of Kaplan’s top LSAT instructors-focused strategies, all real LSAT questions, and targeted review to help students master the Logic Games section of the LSAT!

LSAT Logical Reasoning Strategies and Tactics, by Deborah A. Katz

New from one of Kaplan’s top LSAT instructors-focused strategies, all real LSAT questions, and targeted review to help students master the Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT!

The Unwritten Rules, by Beeson, John

Maximize your chances to get promoted to the executive level.

What Color is Your Parachute? Guide to Job-Hunting Online, by Bolles, Mark Emery

This companion to What Color Is Your Parachute?, the best-selling job-hunting book in the world, has been completely rewritten for our changing times and includes hundreds of updated website recommendations and descriptions.

Dig This Gig : Find Your Dream Job-- Or Invent It, by Dodd, Laura

With poignant, enlightening advice from handpicked mentors like two-time "New York Times" bestseller Jeffrey Sachs and broadcast journalist Dan Rather, this collection is an essential contemporary career book for bewildered recent graduates.

LinkedIn For Dummies, by Elad, Joel

Learn to: create a LinkedIn profile that showcases your skills and attracts contacts, find and connect with former colleagues and new contacts, understand LinkedIn etiquette and recruiting solutions, use LinkedIn to find a job, develop sales leads, and market your services.

Green Volunteers: The World Guide to Voluntary Work in Nature Conservation, by Ausenda, Fabio

Interested in nature and conservation? Want to get involved with a conservation project as part of a gap year or career break? Green Volunteers is an easy-to-use resource for anyone interested in working in nature conservation - whether you have any previous experience of conservation work or not.

Med School Rx : Getting In, Getting Through, Getting on With Doctoring, by Hartwig, Walter Carl

Dr. Walter Hartwig, a medical school admissions advisor, has helped thousands of students over the years, and now he shares this wisdom in this unique book.

The Google résumé, by McDowell, Gayle Laakmann

This book is the only book available on how to win a coveted spot at Google, Microsoft, Apple, or other top tech firms. Gayle Laakmann McDowell worked in Google Engineering for three years, where she served on the hiring committee and interviewed over 120 candidates.