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.

The State of the Gender Pay Gap
Although women have seen gains in education over the last five decades, they continue to face a significant wage gap. Among workers, women outnumber men in the college-educated labor force and are more likely to obtain a graduate degree than men. Even so, women are paid less than men at every education level by an average of 17%….

Why DEI Matters for Everyone
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are on the chopping block, which should concern everyone. One by one, DEI programs at some of the country’s biggest companies began falling apart in 2024, and efforts to reverse DEI initiatives are ramping up in 2025. Major companies, including Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Ford, Toyota, Meta, and Amazon, heeded the calls and dialed back their DEI programs, particularly after social media-driven campaigns by conservative influencers. This means ending racial training programs for staff and evaluations designed to boost supplier diversity and withdrawing from the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index….

New Challenges for Civil Servants
On January 28, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent nearly all of its 3 million employees an email offering deferred resignations and warning that they may be laid off or reassigned if they choose to stay. The goal is to cut 75% of the federal workforce to improve government efficiency. The offer is available to all federal workers except for postal and military service members and “those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.” This attempt to cut federal workers regardless of their titles has sparked alarm for its potential impact on the range of services these agencies provide….

Career Trends for 2025
I know we are all bombarded with “new year, new you” messages everywhere during these first weeks of the new year. We all know that New Year’s resolutions are notoriously difficult to maintain and that most of them fall by the wayside by mid-February. So, I won’t advise you to make monumental shifts in your career management strategy. I want to point out that you are the CEO of your career, so it’s incumbent upon you to manage your career just as you would any team or project. In line with that, here are some trends to keep on top of for 2025….