Blog
Debra Wheatman, President of Careers Done Write, provides expert insight to the job search process that puts your career in gear with tips for interviewing, networking, job search strategies and how to create a winning resume and cover letter.
Ask Deb: How to Explain an Employment Gap
It is not unusual for someone to have a career path that is not linear. Breaks in employment happen for reasons that are none of an employer’s business—an illness, caring for a family member, a mental health crisis, or simply a protracted job search. Again, none of these things have anything to do with the job at hand. A break from work does not mean that you suddenly lose all of your valuable skills and can no longer solve problems. This outdated, archaic idea is absurd….
Beware of Job Scammers
A job scam is a fraudulent work offer intended to mislead people seeking legitimate employment. Often, the objective of scammers is to deceive job seekers into giving money, divulging personal information, or providing free labor. When looking for a new job, distinguishing between a scam and a valid opportunity can keep you safe and spare you a great deal of hassle….
Ask Deb: How Many Rounds Are Too Many?
Dear Deb:
I have been laid off for over 6 months and am beginning to feel a bit hopeless. Compounding my feelings is that I have been getting multiple interviews, yet no offers. The interview processes that I’ve encountered are nothing like anything I’ve seen before in my career.
I recently went through 7—yes 7—rounds of interviews for a role for which I was more than qualified. The first round was with the recruiter. Second round with the hiring manager. Third round with other members of the team. Fourth round was a panel interview for which I had to prepare a presentation. Fifth round was with the hiring manager again. Sixth round was one of the hiring manager’s peers. Seventh was with the CEO, who did not know who I was or why we were meeting and thought I was already hired….
The First American Woman CEO
The 2018 film The Post tells the story of attempts by journalists to publish the Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force’s report, now colloquially known as the Pentagon Papers. One of the film’s main characters, played by Meryl Streep, was Katharine Graham. Katharine Graham began working at the Post in 1938 as a beat reporter. Her father, Eugene Meyer, was the publisher of the paper, who, upon retirement, handed over the newspaper to Philip Graham, his son-in-law, and Katharine’s husband. Upon Philip’s death in 1963, Katharine assumed leadership of the Post and stepped into the role of company President and Publisher. Expectations of her were extremely low, as you might imagine, given the time. Publishing and journalism were male-dominated fields, and Katharine feared that she was unsuited for the job….
Save Us from the Mansplaining
Mansplaining is alive and well and can be seen everywhere, from the driving range to X (formerly Twitter). Every woman has endured mansplaining at some point. It’s as if these men just can’t help themselves or restrain their mouths. The portmanteau describes the act of a man’s unsolicited explaining, generally to a woman, something he thinks he knows more about than she does — occasionally at anesthetizing length — whether he knows anything or not….
Are You Asking the Right Questions?
Much of the career advice out there focuses on interview preparation for candidates, specifically on how best to formulate answers to typical questions. But just as important—maybe even more important—are your questions during the interview….
Ten Pioneering American Women You Have Never Heard About
Founded in 1910 by feminist Clara Zetkin, International Women’s Day is a day to recognize women’s contributions to industry and society and their work outside of the home. Many women who have impacted American history are well known, such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. However, too many pioneering women have been left out of the conversation for too long.
How well do you know the history of women’s contributions in the US? Are any of these names familiar?….
Is Your Team Quietly Screaming? Unmasking the Abilene Paradox in Your Workplace
We hear and engage in fallacies every day. They often form the keystones of our arguments. These logical fallacies are leaps of logic that lead us to an unsupported conclusion. People may unintentionally commit a logical fallacy due to poor reasoning or intentionally to manipulate others. Common logical fallacies include the red herring, ad hominem, causation/correlation, straw man, and the anecdotal evidence fallacy. However, there is one particularly insidious fallacy that we want to take extra care to avoid, and that is the one known as the Abilene Paradox….
Quantify to Qualify: Leveraging Metrics to Make Your Resume Stand Out
There is truth in that tired business adage that “what gets measured gets done.” If you want to stand out among the crowd, you must ensure that you include metrics on your resume. The average amount of time spent “reading” a resume is a disheartening 7.2 seconds. That’s right—when a recruiter looks at your resume, she scans it for keywords and superstar accomplishments. If you want to grab the recruiter’s attention, adding metrics to your resume is one way to do so quickly….
Signs that It May Be Time to Move On
Dread going to work? Worried you’re going to lose your job? Feeling burned out or left out at the office? How do you know when the trouble is just a little blip you’ll soon get past, or when it’s time to dust off your resume and start perusing job postings? Check out these signs that you might want to consider leaving your job….