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.
Should I Go to HR?
I have an issue with my manager right now. He is verbally abusive to me and my coworkers. I have documented instances of his abuse, and I want to go to HR, but I am afraid that he will retaliate against me if he knows that I reported him. How can I ensure that what I say to HR remains confidential?….
It’s Time to End Unpaid Internships
Internships should be learning experiences designed to expose students to a company’s people, products, and processes. They are intended, ostensibly, to give students a taste of what it’s like to be a part of the workforce. Well, a key part of being in the workforce is being compensated! Labor should always have dignity, which requires a decent wage payment. I am not against volunteerism; that’s great. However, organizations that have resources and ask people to work in real jobs for no money should be ashamed of themselves. Exchanging labor for “experience” only on a resume is the definition of exploitation....
Hustle Culture: Cultural Hegemony in Action
In the early 20th century, Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci was dissatisfied with the failures of the revolution in European countries and sought to explain why the revolution wasn’t taking place in these advanced capitalist countries. He developed the concept of cultural hegemony as an explanation. This concept posits that through the institutions of society—schools, media, religious organizations—the ruling class enforces its moral, political, and social values onto the rest of society. Through hegemony, the apparatus of the state keeps its subjects repressed and suppresses revolution and dissent without the use of violence or force.
#TLDR: The group that maintains control over the institutions controls the rest of society....
The Inception of Collaboration Tools
Setting: A corporate America conference room, complete with whiteboard and glass walls.
Characters: Developers/Engineers; Clueless Boss; Users (silent role)
Scene: An average day at MacroBurst, maker of widely used business software known for its extremely non-intuitive, frustrating pseudo-solutions….
Follow-Up on Bad Boss, “Mr. Jones”
I shared a client’s story about her horrible boss, Mr. Jones, a few months ago. I just received an update, and I thought you might be intrigued….
Return to Office Mandates Work Against Working Women
The fact is that the pre-pandemic, primarily in-office working style worked for one segment of the workforce: men. Despite more college-educated women being in the workforce than at any time in history, the share of domestic labor women perform has increased. Domestic labor women perform is worth half a trillion dollars, yet, by design, it has no value in the free market. The system relies on free and cheap domestic labor, most of which women perform, and those in power want to keep the status quo….
Bad CEO Behavior Continues: Work from Home Edition
This month’s contender for Worst CEO Behavior is Raul Vargas, CEO of Farmers Insurance Group. Mr. Vargas is the company’s new CEO, and one of his first orders of business was to reverse his predecessor’s stance on remote work. Employees hired as full-time remote employees now have until September to present themselves in the office thrice weekly. What’s driving this decision? Collaboration. And innovation….
How to Manage Office Politics
Office politics are unavoidable; people bring their unique needs, thoughts, fears, and ambitions to work. Despite people’s claims of hating office politics, like the gossip mill, it continues to flourish. Office politics are the unwritten rules that determine who gets what, when, and how — a promotion, a budget for a project-- and who doesn’t. We dislike office politics so much because our fate depends on these unwritten rules. But there are ways that you can successfully navigate office politics….
How to have better internal meetings
Let’s be honest. Few things can be less exciting than the prospect of an internal meeting. You dread creating the request and sending the invitation, and those receiving it dread adding another meeting to their calendars. Meeting culture has become so pervasive that internal meetings are now the #1 barrier to productivity. One client told me that her company is looking to mandate one meeting-free day per week so that people can focus on their work! I don’t think that’s the solution to the problem either, because the problem is that most internal meetings are inefficient and unnecessary….
Should we discuss salary and compensation with our peers and colleagues?
This is a very interesting topic and one which has been garnering more attention recently. My short answer to the question is yes; we should start bringing salary transparency to the forefront of the narrative….