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.
Performance reviews: outdated, outmoded, and slowly dying
It’s the first quarter of the year. An employee gets an automated email announcing that review time is coming, and the employee must complete the self-review. Then she sits down with her manager to discuss her achievements of the previous 12 months; the manager points out a few areas for improvement and then gives her a 3 on a 1-5 scale. The meeting ends, and the employee and manager never speak of this until the following year….
Building a more inclusive workplace
I recently received this question from a client:
I am in the final rounds of interviews for a new position in my field. The work is exciting, the company is growing, and the compensation is well within my desired range. I am nervous about undergoing a background check. I am concerned that verifying my education is going to raise some issues with them. I am transgender and conferred both my undergraduate and graduate degrees under my previous name, Stephanie. I’m now a man, and I go by Stephen. I dread the thought of having to explain myself to total strangers (yet again) and justify my identity. What should I do?….
Why your employer’s reputation should matter to you
Reputation and brand are critical imperatives for businesses. Companies that make concerted efforts with their brands and reputations reap many benefits, including more revenue opportunities, lowered marketing costs, decreased employee attrition, and public trust. Being associated with such a company through employment helps your brand, too. Here are a few tips to help you with your research….
Bad advice from your college’s career center
The problem with college career centers is that there is a significant disconnect between the advice they tend to dispense and the business climate's reality. In fact, most people who work in college career centers have never worked in a corporate environment. Without direct experience in the corporate workforce, how can they properly advise students, especially undergraduates, on transferring their skills and knowledge to that environment? Here is some of the bad advice regularly dispensed to students. You have my permission to ignore all of it….
The changing definition of “work”
The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented business problem. What happens when your office-based workforce must suddenly work remotely? ….
How will the pandemic affect the future of the workplace?
These are uncertain times, and no one can know what trajectory the COVID-19 virus will take or what level of destruction will be left in its path….
Effective Management During a Time of Crisis
My inbox is flooded with questions about COVID-19, including how employers should be handling the crisis and what employees should expect from their management…..
Do I still need a resume? Spoiler alert: Yes, you do!
“Why do I need a resume when I have a LinkedIn profile, a website, and multiple publications on my research into the moss that grows exclusively on rolling stones?” I field questions like this one All The Time. Some job seekers think that resumes are passé, outdated, outmoded, archaic, or have jumped the shark.…
The difference of a decade
As we begin not just a new year but also a new decade, I’ve been reflecting on the cultural changes that have impacted both job seeking and hiring practices over the last ten years. You may have noticed some of these as well. In 2010, the United States was beginning to emerge from the…
Why women at your workplace don’t report
You’ve seen the stories. You’ve followed the #MeToo movement. You’re an ally of women. You understand. Your company has policies, procedures, precedents. No woman at your workplace would feel anything other than complete and total support. Hmm. Okay. Have you vetted this with the women with whom you work? All the policies and procedures,…