DICK BOLLES (more formally known as Richard Nelson Bolles) is known worldwide as “the father of the modern field of Career Counseling and job-hunting” (Bernard Haldane), and has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of conferences, to groups as large as 10,000. His legendary work, What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, is the most popular job-hunting book in the world, and has been on best-seller lists now for almost 40 years. With over 10 million copies in print, it is updated annually, exists in 20 languages, and is used in 26 countries. The U.S. Marines have bought 15,000 copies of thee 2011 edition, to give to every member returning from active duty. It appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for over 5 years, and last year was a #2 BusinessWeek bestseller. The Library of Congress chose it as one of 25 books throughout history that have shaped people's lives.
Dick has trained thousands of careers staff over the past forty years, including those who work for the federal or state governments, those who work for non-profits, and those in private practice. He is the recognized expert in dealing with all target populations, including the unemployed and the disabled. He has a long association with the Hadley School for the Blind.
He has been featured in Business Week, Fortune, Money, Fast Company, U.S. News & World Report, and has appeared on the Today show, CNN, CBS, ABC, PBS, and other popular media. He has been saluted as "a legend" by the American Society for Training and Development, and also by the National Career Development Association.
He was honored with the National Samaritan Award in 2006. Previous honorees include: Karl Menninger, Peter Drucker, Betty Ford, Norman Vincent Peale, and Sir John Templeton. “He is the most recognized job hunting authority on the planet.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
Bolles stresses the importance of managing your own life, and offers intelligent alternative strategies for doing that. He advises workers to inventory their skills, and then choose the industries and places where they most want to work rather than just approaching businesses known to have a vacancy. Ultimately, Bolles knows that people want to have a sense of mission about their work and he provides them with the guidance to plan their own destinies.
In today`s turbulent economy, Bolles`s work is being hailed as more relevant than ever. With a great sense of humor, he offers hope and the most up-to-date strategies for taking control of your life. He teaches new ways of discovering what you have to offer to the world and ways to get a job-hunt or career-change successfully accomplished, faster. He discusses the virtues and limitations of the Internet and insists that everyone --regardless of background, education or ability -- can carve out a better path for themselves in this tumultuous job-market.
Bolles has frequently been described as a kind of "renaissance man," since in addition to his command of the ways of the job-market, he has an academic background in chemical engineering, physics and Biblical studies. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a messenger on Wall Street before attending college. He majored in chemical engineering during two years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then transferred to Harvard University and earned a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in physics. He also holds a master's degree in New Testament studies from the General (Episcopal) Theological Seminary in New York City. He has appeared on ABC TV with Ted Koppel, CBS with Diane Sawyer, and numerous other TV and radio programs. He is a member of Mensa and the Society for Human Resource Management, plus the recipient of two honorary doctorates.
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