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.
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….
Why Didn’t I Get the Job?
The myth that the most qualified candidate is the one who gets the job fuels the idea that if you’re not selected, you must have done something wrong or be deficient in a critical area. Despite best hiring practices being widely accessible, the truth is that MOST hiring decisions come down to a gut-level feeling. Considering that most interviewers receive no formal training in conducting interviews, this is unsurprising….
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….
When Failure Becomes Opportunity
In your career, turning failure into success is less about avoiding mistakes and more about how you respond. Treat failure as feedback, not a dead end. Act quickly to correct the course. Heed lessons, document mistakes, and avoid mishaps in the future. Leverage your failure for innovation. Take calculated risks and celebrate learning….
Don’t Fall into a Heuristic Trap
Heuristics are mental shortcuts that our brains use to make decisions quickly. Rather than carefully analyzing a situation, we rely upon past experiences, core beliefs, and patterns to come to a quick conclusion. These solutions may not be optimal, but given the limited time and information available, they are incredibly useful. People use this sort of intelligent guesswork, trial and error, process of elimination, and experience to solve problems or chart a course of action. In a world that is increasingly complex and overloaded with big data, heuristic methods simplify and accelerate decision-making through shortcuts and good-enough calculations. Without leveraging heuristics, our brains would suffer cognitive overload….
The Language of Limitation
Language is one of the most powerful tools a leader possesses. The words chosen shape culture, signal priorities, and influence how people perceive change, risk, and possibility. Effective leaders understand that language is not just a medium for communication—it’s a mechanism for motivation, trust, and alignment. Using words that inspire curiosity creates an environment where people feel empowered to contribute ideas and take ownership of outcomes. Language doesn’t just describe an organization’s culture. It builds it….
Create a Culture of Data Literacy
“Data is the new oil” is an overused metaphor that describes the potential value of data in the modern economy. Like oil or any other commodity, data doesn’t become truly valuable until it is refined and processed. Data on its own is neither good nor bad, but it is undoubtedly useless. It must be collected, cleaned, analyzed, and interpreted before it can be applied to a business problem. In the current oil boom that is the data-driven economy, companies that wish to be disruptive and innovative must intentionally foster and instill a culture of data literacy throughout their organizational DNA….
Common Advice to Job Seekers That Misses the Mark: “Just Start Your Own Business”
The idea that an individual can rise from humble beginnings and achieve greatness and success through determination, hard work, and ingenuity is a deeply ingrained component of the American Dream. Anyone can make it here! All you need is the drive, the gumption, the risk appetite! Look at all these entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley! In this precarious job market, a common piece of advice repeated ad nauseam online, in career journals, and at networking meetings is some version of “You should just start your own business.”….
Be Bold, Brash & Audacious and Stay on the Air
When you stay ready, keep showing up, and hold fast to your standards, you position yourself to seize the moment that can change everything. The world may not believe in your vision at first, but conviction paired with audacious execution can turn even the boldest idea into history….
Ridiculous Demands from Hiring Companies
This job market is tough, and the job descriptions and requirements are becoming more absurd. There seems to be a pervasive attitude among some hiring companies and managers that the best way to source talent is to insult, degrade, belittle, and humiliate candidates via their inane processes and demands. A visit to the /antiwork or /recruitinghell subreddits will enlighten the casual reader on the craziness that is out there. And “crazy” doesn’t even begin to describe some of what’s going on. Companies wanting 10 years of experience with software that’s been around for 5, demanding 5 years of experience for entry-level roles, and insisting that candidates must work unreasonable hours are nothing new. But we have now reached a new level of incongruity. Here are some real-world examples of what is happening out in the trenches….