WCIYP: How to Deal with Any Handicaps You Have

Chapter Nine in What Color is Your Parachute? discusses handicaps and how one should deal with them when it comes to the workforce. When someone pictures the word "handicap", they automatically think of being physically handicapped and nothing more and nothing less. Physical handicaps are one of the many types of handicaps that plague our world today. When someone is turned down a job they might think that they have a handicap that stopped them from achieving their goal. Whether it is not graduating from high school/college, being too thin/fat, being black/white. People can assume anything into a handicap whether it is true or not.

The two key ideas that the author wants the reader to know is that people should not generalize employers and that everyone has handicaps. 99% of the time employers will not generalize you, so it is not fair so you to generalize them. Employers usually look to find positive aspects of your work. They usually look to find things you can do compared to things you can't do. When you think about it, everyone is handicapped in one way or another. There is no one person in the world who is perfect. Everyone is good at something and everyone is bad at something. Handicaps are just negatives that people have that they should look for ways to fix. No one will ever have every skill possible and no one will ever try to. However, if there is a certain task that you are not fully sure with, it does not hurt to practice that task and become more skillful at it. 

However, people should not look for tasks they cannot do. People should be looking at the tasks they already can do. The author gives the reader 246 transferable skills that can help anyone succeed in whatever job they apply for. Some examples include: acting, computing, auditing, recruiting, typing, serving, and giving. There are many skills out there. It is the future employee's job to extract that skill and put it to good use.

WCIYP: You Get to Choose Where You Work

 Chapter 8 of What Color is Your Parachute? is titled "You Get to Choose Where You Work". This does not refer to the fact that someone wants to work internationally or domestically. Location is not the main topic of discussion in this chapter. This refers more to what type of job or job environment a person wants to work at. The author gives the reader five tips on how to reach the best possible said job "location".

The first tip is "First, you need to find out what careers or jobs your flower points to". This refers to the fact that people need to actually sit down and think about what job their flower points to. There are many possible jobs that people can look into. However, their flower should help point them into a certain workforce or place of employment that narrows down their skill set. Readers should choose their top five favorite transferable skills. This refers to verbs. When you are done with this, you are to show this list to your family and ask them for feedback. Jot down everything that these people tell you. Do not throw out any of the information that is given. Whether it is positive criticism or negative criticism, everything can and will help in the long run.

The second tip states, "You need to try on careers before you decide which ones to pursue". The author states that finding a new job is a lot like trying on clothes at a store. People go and try on many different suits and dresses to see what best appeals to them. The same thing happens with jobs. People have to research and "try on" jobs before they apply for them. If they do not do this, they might be stuck in a long term predicament that will end bad for the employer and the employee.

The third tip is that once you find out what job to pursue, you have to find out what kinds of organizations have said job. Places that employ part time or full time, temporary workers or project workers, volunteers or employees, non-profit or profit. These are all types of distinguishing factors that one should consider when looking for a new job. People should not only talk to workers who know about the field, they should also talk to workers who have experienced the work in person.

The fourth tip is that people need to find particular names of places that interest them. People should not be looking just for jobs that have openings. They should also be looking at places that are fully employed but interest them. Lay-offs and quitting happens all the time. If someone is looking at a certain job and makes contact with the person in charge, then they will always be the first person that is called for an opening. People who try and approach companies will always give a better first impression compared to people who act like they are forced to apply.

The fifth and last tip is that people should learn all they can about the place they are applying for before they apply. There are many types of ways that a person can learn more about their potential place of employment. Friends and neighbors can always give you great insight about a company. Older relatives can give you advice and stories that you would not have known by yourself. People who work at the company can also help give you insight. They are the ones that deal with the company everyday and have the most experience regarding the company. The internet also helps people look at companies. There are websites that rate employers and bosses on their work-ability and likability. 

WCIYP: You Need to Understand More Fully Who You Are

Chapter 7 of What Color is Your Parachute? discusses understanding oneself more and thinking about the person that your future employer is going to hire. One can begin the process by asking questions to them self that regard who they are. The main aspect of this process to truly consider who they are. Instead of answering "I am a construction worker", one should say "I am a person who has construction experience" or "I am a person who is skilled in the construction field." I find this to be a great example of how one can better themselves by just thinking deeper into the problem instead of covering just the surface.

The author then goes on to discuss how we are related to flowers in a way. Seven petals each with a certain aspect of our work and lifestyle experience are used as aspects of the flowers. The first petal is "My favorite Knowledges or Fields of Interest". The second petal is "My Preferred Kinds of People to Work With". "What I Can Do and Love to Do" is the third petal. The fourth petal is "My Favorite Working Conditions". The 5th petal is "My Preferred Salary and Level of Responsibility". "My Preferred Places to Live" is the 6th petal. The last petal is "My Goal, My Purpose, or Mission in Life".

The first petal discusses that one can describe who they are by what they know. People should also take into consideration about the favorite knowledges or fields of interests that others have. The second petal is about what kind of people you would most likely work best with. The traits that are suggested to describe said persons is age span, handicaps and geographic location. The third petal discusses what skills that someone possesses and especially if they can transfer these skills into the workforce. Skills like time management, leadership, and being goal oriented can be very useful in any work setting. Favorite working conditions are considered for the fourth petal. Working conditions can include, but are not limited to, small/large company, indoors/outdoors, and windows/no windows. The fifth petal discusses preferred salary and level of responsibility. The salary aspect is obvious but the level of responsibility refers to working alone or with other fellow employees as a team. The sixth petal, which I personally feel like is the most important aspect of the job experience, deals with job location. This can include warm/cold, northern/southern, urban/rural, coastal/mountains, or even domestic/international. The last petal may be the most underrated one. It discusses one's goals, purpose, or mission in life. If a job does not integrate your beliefs and goals then there is no point in even applying.