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.
Men vs. Women: Who is More Competitive at Work?
During my career, I have reported to, worked with, supervised, and competed with both men and women. Having experienced the full spectrum of personality types, I have encountered extremely competitive men and women. The prevailing thought seems to be that men are competitive in the sense that they take greater risks and compete for high-reward…
Should Recent College Grads Care about Finding out what’s on Their Record?
Thank you to Michael Klazema for his guest post on "Should Recent College Grads Care about Finding out what’s on Their Record?" So you just graduated from college and you’re launching headfirst into the job search, ambition burning in your belly and plenty of prospects on your mind. You fill out dozens, if not hundreds…
Excluded from a Client Meeting
Dear Deb: My boss announced at the weekly department meeting that one of our top clients is coming for a visit. He said that all account executives should come to the conference room and introduce themselves. They are serving coffee and pastries. Then he tells me and another person that he knows we are swamped…
Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Overcoming a Bad Performance Review
There are times when an employee nervously enters the performance review anticipating bad news; he has seen the signs. Other times, employees are completely blind-sided and shocked to receive a poor or below-satisfactory evaluation. Either way, it stings. Before you get defensive and catapult a situation from bad to worse, take a deep breath and…
Resume Help: Results Sell!
Today we are examining the resume of an accomplished technical project manager. He has led multi-million dollar software implementations for the Department of Defense and led the development of a back-end system that processes two to three million financial transactions daily. He’s the kind of manager that would be an asset to any employer. However,…
How to Present Yourself for High-paying Jobs
Dear Deb: Is it OK to list my salary requirements in my cover letter? I am a consultant seeking positions and the minimum salary that I a willing to entertain is $120,000. I really don’t want to waste my time interviewing only to find out that the salary offered is much lower than I will…
Build Your Professional Brand in Three Steps
What is your professional brand? Are you the finance guy, the consulting guru, the turnaround CEO, or the hedge fund manager who retired at 30? If you can narrow down your career to three words, I would say you are winning. For the rest of us, however, we may have a number of skills that…
Reason for Leaving on Resume?
Hi Deb: What should I say if I am asked why I left a position? I quit because I hated my boss and I could afford to take time off work to be a stay-at-home mom for a year. Now, I need to get back to work and start earning money. I don’t want to…
5 Tips on Improving Your Professional Profile
February is almost over, which means that the end of the first quarter is right around the corner. If you are positioning yourself for a promotion this year or considering a job switch, here are five things you can start doing today to increase your professional profile and make yourself more attractive to new managers…
Thank You Letter Help: A Second Chance to Sell Yourself
A thank you letter should be a part of your job search routine. Erin follows this advice and sends a thank you letter immediately following every interview. The problem is that her thank you letter is so weak. She merely thanks the interviewer and she does not take advantage of the chance to pitch herself…