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.
Reclaiming Your Career from Parkinson’s Law
We often confuse being busy with being effective. If we have eight hours to fill, we will fill it with minor details, extra formatting, or unnecessary research to feel like we put in a full day's work. In the modern corporate world, this manifests as endless email threads, over-engineered slide decks, and back-to-back meetings that could have been handled in a single message. We treat our workdays like expanding balloons, stretching tasks until they consume every waking hour, leading to burnout without necessarily driving meaningful results….
From Peer to Boss: The Survival Guide for New Managers
Congratulations! You got the promotion. You’ve traded in your old responsibilities for a shiny new title, a bump in pay, and… a sudden, overwhelming wave of imposter syndrome. First, take a deep breath. What you are feeling is completely normal. Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager is one of the sharpest learning curves in any professional career. To help you navigate the messy, rewarding, and chaotic first few months, here is a practical guide to surviving and thriving in your new role….
Grody to the Max: Your Food Court Style Resumé Is Like Totally Lame.
In the 1980s, mall culture was at its peak. Walking into a suburban American mall in the 1980s wasn’t just a shopping trip—it was an immersive sensory experience. It was the undisputed epicenter of teenage social life, consumer optimism, and suburban monoculture. Storefronts competed for attention with brilliant, custom neon signage. Dark glass, mirrored ceilings, and polished chrome trim reflected the pink, cyan, and electric blue hues glowing from every window. The crowd was a moving showcase of the decade’s fashion: acid-washed denim, oversized blazers with shoulder pads, Member Only jackets, neon windbreakers, and hair sprayed to gravity-defying heights. Walking past the arcade meant hitting a wall of sound: a chaotic mix of electronic bleeps, pixelated explosions, and synthesized speech from games like Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong, all backed by the heavy thud of plastic tokens dropping into metal slots. Walking near a department store anchor meant walking through a cloud of heavy designer perfumes and colognes sprayed by workers at the beauty counters. The communal areas of the mall were blanketed in a haze, and their air carried the stench of cigarette smoke, which, combined with Aqua Net, was the official aroma of the decade….
The Myth of Meritocracy
The term “meritocracy” has undergone a radical and perhaps tragic linguistic evolution. Coined not as a goal to be achieved but as a warning to be avoided, the concept originated in Michael Young’s 1958 satirical novel, The Rise of Meritocracy. Young’s dystopian vision of a future Britain was organized by a rigid social formula: Intelligence + Effort = Merit. In this world, social status was no longer determined by the circumstances of birth or aristocracy, but by objective metrics like IQ. Yet, this shift did not create a more just society; instead, it created a more arrogant one. Young’s primary thesis was that meritocracy is not a solution to inequality, but a more sophisticated way of justifying it….
The Downfall of Betamax and Why “Best” Is Subjective
Our story begins in the early 1970s, when several electronics companies were experimenting with ways to bring video recording into ordinary households. Before videocassette recorders, consumers had little control over television viewing. Programs could only be watched when they aired unless someone had access to expensive professional recording equipment….
Kairos: Use the Force to Land Your Next Job
The ancient Greeks defined three primary modes of persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, which focus on the speaker's credibility, the audience's emotions, and logical facts, respectively. Aristotle argued that a truly effective argument does not rely on just one of these pillars, but rather a balanced integration of all three. Beyond these primary modes, the Greeks emphasized Kairos, the opportune moment to deliver a message. While the three primary pillars provide the substance of an argument, Kairos acts as the glue that ensures an argument succeeds by being delivered in the correct context….
Build Your Job Search Toolkit
Searching for a job is often regarded as a reactive activity. It’s something we scramble to do when circumstances change or opportunities arise. The most effective job seekers don’t rely on last-minute effort or improvisation. They approach the process strategically, with a job search toolkit that enables them to act with clarity, confidence, and cohesion. In today’s highly competitive job market, having a carefully curated job search toolkit isn’t an option. It is a requirement….
‘Tis the Season to Stay Professional During Festive Times
The holiday season brings unique energy to the workplace; year-end deadlines collide with celebrations, schedules shift, and teams try to balance festive cheer with professional expectations. It’s a time filled with opportunities for connection, but also with potential for missteps. Whether you work in person, in a hybrid model, or fully remote, practicing strong holiday-season work etiquette helps maintain professionalism, reinforce team spirit, and ensure everyone feels respected during a time that can be both joyful and stressful….
How to Avoid the Heuristic Trap
In a recent blog post, I discussed heuristic traps and how to identify them. We know that heuristic traps occur when your brain says, “This is the obvious choice,” but in reality, the situation is more complex. But how do you avoid falling into a heuristic trap? This requires awareness, structured decision-making, and heightened critical thinking. Knowing what to watch for helps to reduce falling into the common heuristic traps, such as confirmation bias, the sunk cost fallacy, or the halo effect. Here are some practical tips that can help you….
Navigating the Job Search as a Neurodivergent Candidate
Navigating job interviews can be stressful for anyone—but for neurodivergent individuals, the experience may feel especially challenging. From decoding unspoken social cues to managing sensory overload or masking behaviors, neurodivergent individuals face real challenges in the interview process. Traditional interviews often favor neurotypical thinking and behavior, such as rapid responses, ease with social interactions, and comfort with sensory stimuli. Timed coding tests? Great if you want to measure how fast someone can panic. Whiteboard puzzles? Perfect for proving that you remember algorithms and proofs you haven’t needed since college. Rapid-fire questions? Awesome for people whose brains process language more slowly. This creates barriers to hiring for neurodivergent candidates and enables both unconscious and conscious biases in the hiring process….