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.
Managing Your Career within the Paradox of Productivity
The history of technology is often defined by a frustrating lag between innovation and economic realization. In the late 1980s, the economist Robert Solow famously remarked that the computer age was visible everywhere except in productivity statistics. Today, we are witnessing a digital déjà vu. According to a recent Fortune magazine study that surveyed nearly 6,000 CEOs and executives, approximately 90% of firms report that AI has had no measurable impact on productivity or employment levels over the past three years. For a professional looking to future-proof their career, this productivity paradox is not a sign of AI’s failure, but rather a blueprint for how to remain indispensable in an era of work-slop, which is what happens when people use generative AI to increase their output without applying human oversight….
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….
From Desks to Toolbelts
For decades, the American Dream followed a linear script: graduate high school, secure a four-year degree, and climb the corporate ladder toward a corner office. Skilled trades—plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, and carpentry—were often framed as "Plan B" options for those who weren't cut out for academia. However, as we move through 2026, a cultural and economic shift is underway. Prestige is no longer found in the cubicle or on a Teams call; it is being rediscovered on the job site….
Chasing the White Whale: How Corporate Jargon and the Myth of Perfection Stifle Innovation
The corporate landscape is often described as a “fast-paced, agile environment,” yet anyone who has sat through a 90-minute steering committee meeting knows the reality is frequently the opposite. While technological aspects of business may have accelerated, a secondary, self-imposed weight has begun to grind the gears of industry: corporate jargon. Far from being a harmless linguistic quirk, the proliferation of buzzwords such as synergy, digital ecosystem, and disruptive alignment acts as a cognitive tax. Recent research and organizational observations suggest that excessive jargon is not just a nuisance; it is a primary driver of sluggish decision-making and can serve as a convenient mask for incompetence….
From the Ashes: Women Leaders Who Transformed Tragedy into Justice
This week marks the 115th anniversary of the deadliest industrial accident in the history of New York City. On March 25, 1911, 146 garment workers, most of them young immigrant women and children, died in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Greenwich Village. At the time of the fire, Frances Perkins was having tea with friends at a townhouse around the corner from the factory. When they heard the fire engines and the commotion, they rushed outside and witnessed a horrific scene firsthand. Perkins watched as workers, trapped by locked exit doors and failing fire escapes, began jumping from the factory’s upper floors. She later described the experience as a “searing” moment that changed the course of her life….
Misogyny + HR Hell=Millions Awarded to Employees
We all know that HR is not on the employees’ side. HR is a function that exists to protect the company from risk and liability associated with hiring, managing, and firing employees. HR, although reviled by multiple stakeholders in any organization, is a crucial department that mitigates risk. What happens when a corporate culture that is imbued in institutional misogyny merges with ineffective or unempowered HR? Bad things for the company….
Exchange Analysis Paralysis for a Smarter Job Search Strategy
Today’s job market is overwhelming. The urge to maximize is natural, but it often leads to exhaustion and regret. By adopting a satisficing mindset, you reclaim cognitive bandwidth. Stop chasing the myth of the best; commit to the right criteria, and you turn the job search from an ordeal into a decisive mission. Don't let the infinite scroll keep you hungry—define your standards, close the menu, and order….
Historical Feminization of Jobs and the Devaluation of the Degree
International Women’s Day is a day set aside to acknowledge women’s contributions to history, technology, business, art, and the world. It’s celebrated each year on March 8, and in conjunction with that, I generally write a blog post on the state of the gender pay gap. However, I’d like to highlight a different issue this year. I have noticed rhetoric within public discourse regarding the “usefulness” of a college degree. This argument is that college degrees have low ROI because higher education does a poor job of preparing students for career readiness, and that, given the cost of the degree, the compensation does not justify the expense. These arguments are rooted in the fallacy of incomplete evidence, which occurs when someone selectively highlights data points that confirm their position while ignoring a significant portion of related data that contradicts it. Higher education is not job training. The purpose of higher education is to enhance critical thinking skills and improve expertise in a given subject. And, although entry-level wages may have a negative relationship to the one-time expense of a degree, over the course of 40 years, those who hold bachelor’s degrees will, statistically, outearn those who don’t….
The Staples Baddie Rewrites the Rules of Retail Marketing
A charismatic associate named Kaeden (known online as @blivxx) has done more than just trend on TikTok. She has provided Staples with a masterclass in organic brand revitalization. At a time when legacy retailers struggle to remain relevant to Gen Z, this employee-led movement has fundamentally shifted the brand's perception from that of a dusty office supply closet to a creative destination….
The Black Box Under Fire
The metaphor of the black box is often used to describe a system in which internal systems are invisible or incomprehensible. Such systems allow observers to see only a carefully curated narrative. This term is used in behavioral psychology and cybernetics to describe complex mechanisms, such as the human mind; the inner workings of such mechanisms remain a mystery despite extensive research. The metaphor also applies in the performing arts. A black box theater is a simple, unadorned performance space, typically a large square room with black walls and a flat floor. Unlike traditional theaters, it lacks a permanent stage, proscenium arch, or fixed seating, instead offering a blank canvas for directors and designers. Regardless of the context, with the black box, you only see what the authority wants you to see….