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 Know if the Hiring Manager Is a Jerk
Having a great boss can create an environment in which people don’t only grow in their roles but expand. Having a bad boss can ruin everything and make you dread going to work. Bad bosses cause stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and the Sunday blues. Low engagement is a problem across virtually every organization, primarily due to bad management. Bad managers run the gamut from those who don’t delegate work to those who are outright toxic human beings; bad managers exist in 100% of companies….
Data Literacy: What It Is and Why It’s Important
At this point in history, the Information Age is still in its infancy. The very idea of work and what that means is being challenged and redefined. Work itself is transforming from an outcome or result into a process. As the evolution continues, having a good grasp of data will be vital for survival. Understanding data and turning it into something useful will not just be a “nice to have;” it will be a critical imperative. Without the skills and tools to understand it, data is useless….
Gaslighting in the Workplace
Some people are toxic; they become abusive managers, scheming co-workers, and vicious competitors. They manipulate their victims into believing that they are to blame for something or that they are just being “too sensitive.” One of their favorite tools is gaslighting. Gaslighting is a covert form of mental abuse. It involves the abuser creating a false narrative presented to the victim as truth, making the victim question their judgment and perception of reality. Examples of this are “jokes” made at the victim’s expense, telling the victim that something did not happen, or discrediting the victim. Here are some examples of how this translates into the workplace….
Keep Up With the Times, Career Edition
If you watch Miami Vice now, you need to suspend reality to get on board. And that is perfectly okay. As much as we know it would never work in practice, those of us “of a certain age” also understand that it was perfectly reasonable that architect Mike Brady designed a home for his blended family in which six children shared one bathroom. We do not question it. At all.
You may wonder what any of this nostalgia has to do with your career? Glad you asked. Here’s the thing. We can quickly and easily point out elements of the culture that have not stood the test of time, but we are often loath to let go of these when they are endemic to our personal and professional lives. Here are a few examples….
The Importance of Branding for the Solopreneur
Solopreneurs, those of us who run our businesses independently, without partners or W-2 employees, can find it challenging to source business, do the work, and promote ourselves and our services all at the same time. We are laser-focused on producing and delivering the products and services that we offer. Frequently it can be overwhelming to devote the effort necessary to branding and marketing ourselves. The irony, of course, is that those of us who have the least time and resources to devote to this process are the ones who need it the most….
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Language matters; it is a critical component of communication. We all know people who just seem to be exceptionally gifted with the spoken and written word. They always seem to use the perfect words at the right time, conveying messages clearly and succinctly. Part of this skill is tapping into a large and varied vocabulary. I’m not necessarily talking about “big” words, although those have their place and purpose. But every day, plain, clear words are just as important. The problem is that many people misunderstand language and misuse words. This will make you appear less credible than you are. If you want a quick and easy way to up your game and get people to take you more seriously, be sure you’re using these words correctly and in the proper context….
Your New Year Career Resolution
As we close out the first week of 2022, some of us may already be lamenting that we’ve broken our New Year’s resolutions. Plans to get healthy are sidetracked by indulgence in food and wine; decisions about keeping an organized workspace become buried under the clutter on our desks. The problem with most New Year’s resolutions is that we see them as all or nothing. Either we are 100% compliant, or we are total failures. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Making a resolution is about deciding to change a behavior, and that’s something that happens gradually over time. Here are 5 tips to making your career resolutions for 2022 stick….
Things to do differently in 2022 to better manage your career
As 2021 winds down, it is only natural that we look to 2022 with renewed optimism and hope. The New Year is always a time designated for getting out of old routines and looking toward the future. We’ve all heard the adage that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insanity. There is truth in that statement. As the end of the year approaches, evaluate how you’ve managed your career and what you can do differently. Change can be scary, overwhelming, and daunting. But it’s the only way to improve. If you continued to exercise your muscles by executing the same movements and lifting the same weight, your strength and endurance would never improve. Your career is like a muscle. Without exercise, you run the risk of stagnation, at best, and atrophy at worst….
Is subtle sexism holding you back in your career?
We all know a sexist comment when we hear it. Or do we? Sure, particularly egregious ones like “I’ll have my girl run it over to you” are easy to spot and remind us of something from Mad Men. But far more common are instances of subtle, casual sexism that constantly undermine women’s credibility and hold them back….
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….