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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.

Candidate, Know Thy Worth
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Candidate, Know Thy Worth

One of the more frustrating aspects of searching for a new role is knowing what kind of compensation rate is fair and equitable. This is because there is a culture of secrecy around compensation information in North America. Job seekers are regularly (and incorrectly) counseled not to ask about salary ranges until the very end of the interview process. Some interviewers even regard such questions about remuneration as rude or overbearing, as if people go to work for reasons other than the primary one of providing for themselves and their families….

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What Salary Are You Seeking?
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What Salary Are You Seeking?

Although most of the questions brought up in a job interview are asked to see if you would work well within the company culture, there are practical questions as well. There has long been a prevailing idea that discussing salary is somehow crass, as if the primary reason people work is something other than being able to support their families and pay their bills. In previous years, it was considered bad form for a candidate to inquire about the salary for the position. Thankfully, times are changing….

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Avoid these mistakes and up your game when you interview
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Avoid these mistakes and up your game when you interview

You’ve heard it before, but let me repeat it: what you say is not nearly as important as how you say it. Once a conversation is over, most people don’t remember what was said, but rather how they feel about that conversation and what kind of impression it left. With this being the case, when you are interviewing, you must focus on your non-verbal communication even more than the words that come out of your mouth. Here are some common areas for improvement when you’re meeting with prospective employers, colleagues, and clients….

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Improve your job search and productivity with focus
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Improve your job search and productivity with focus

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make when looking for a new role is to spend their time randomly chasing down every lead they can find. They will spend hours scouring LinkedIn and other job boards for every opportunity that meshes with their experience and submit applications online into the black hole. They put forth significant time and effort, yet they reap minimal results….

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Maximize the impact of your interviews
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Maximize the impact of your interviews

Congratulations! Your resume made its way through the ATS and its filters and to an actual human being. You had a great conversation with the recruiter; now it’s time to talk to the hiring manager. You know you need to prepare by researching the company and your interviewer and familiarizing yourself with the job description. But, there’s something even more important for which you need to be prepared. Something that many people neglect….

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Here’s what you need to know about reference checking
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Here’s what you need to know about reference checking

Part of the hiring process usually includes reference and background checks. These may be very superficial, or they may be pretty detailed. Many people have misconceptions about how reference checks are conducted, what a potential employer may ask, and what a former employer may say. The most common reference-checking questions are usually these….

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Performance art in hiring
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Performance art in hiring

Hiring is an inherently imperfect process. Employers want to make sure that they make hiring decisions based on skill, competency, and the elusive cultural fit. One of the tactics commonly used by hiring companies to assess the quality and ability of a candidate is to ask candidates to do sample work. This came into vogue about 20 years ago, and from what I hear from my clients, it’s increasing in popularity….

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Overhaul your job search in 2021
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Overhaul your job search in 2021

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, as attested to by celebrations worldwide and the return of annual blooms. It marks a noticeable change in the earth’s position relative to the sun and is seen as an opportunity for new beginnings. With that said, spring is an apt time to overhaul your job search and career management strategies. So, if you’ve been doing the same thing and getting the same results, it’s time to try a new approach….

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RERUN: Considerations if you are returning to a former employer
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RERUN: Considerations if you are returning to a former employer

It is undeniable that the entire culture of work has dramatically changed over the past 35 years. Until the 1980s, it was not uncommon for someone to graduate, go to work at a company, and work in a succession of roles of increasing scope for 40+ years until retirement from the same company. This is all but unheard of today. “Job hopping”—the practice of staying with an employer for a short period and then moving on—is no longer something that arouses suspicion on the part of employers. It is simply the way it is and the way that younger generations approach their careers….

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Help! My job search is going nowhere!
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Help! My job search is going nowhere!

Probably the question that I am asked most frequently is this one: “Why am I not getting interviews/callbacks/offers when I’m putting in all this effort?” I know that job seeking can be frustrating; the process is often lengthier than candidates would like. To make it less frustrating, you need to be strategic and precise in how you execute your search. Most job seekers go about executing their search in ineffective and inefficient ways. Here are some things that might be making your job search more arduous than it needs to be….

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