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.
Top 10 Outdated Job Search Tips
I’m sure you’ve heard some of these from well-meaning friends and family. What worked back in the era of the 3 martini lunch—or in the era when MTV still played music—doesn’t work today. If you hear any of these bits of advice, you have my permission, and encouragement, to ignore them! Drop your resume off…
How much personal information should I disclose when interviewing?
A reader writes: Dear Deb: I have recently re-entered the job market, after being in my previous position for nearly ten years. One of the reasons that I stayed in that role for so long was that it offered enormous flexibility of schedule. I have a special needs child, and I really need the ability…
Women’s Day Off
October 24, 1975. 90% of the women in Iceland went on strike. No work. No cooking. No shopping. No cleaning. No caring for children. Almost 25,000 women assembled in the capital city of Reykjavik in protest of economic inequality of women. The impact was enormous. It paralyzed the economy, and put the tiny nation of…
Ten Tips for Successfully Negotiating an Offer
This post is part of part of Job Action Day 2016 https://www.jobactionday.com Undoubtedly you’ve heard the adage that everything is negotiable. Whether or not this is true is up for debate, but what is true is that in any situation, it’s worthwhile to explore options. When you’ve been engaged in a job search, it can…
LinkedIN Endorsements vs. Recommendations
Dear Deb: I am trying to build out my LinkedIn profile, so I can make it as complete as it can be. I know you frequently discuss the importance of LinkedIn, so would you be able to answer why I need to have recommendations? Aren’t endorsements the same thing? Signed, Marco Dear Marco: Thank you…
Five Top Reasons to Leave Your Current Employer
We all know that it is very unlikely that anyone is going to stay with the same company for 40 years, collect a watch and a pension, and then go off into a blissful, stress-free retirement. Those days are over, and in the new era of work, it is incumbent upon the individual to take…
Four Things You Need in Order to Evaluate an Offer
Congratulations! You’ve been offered a new position! It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and anticipation of a new venture, but don’t make the mistake of immediate acceptance. Any new offer needs to be evaluated critically, on a number of different factors. Here’s what you need to assess your offer: A written, contingent…
Should You Study the Humanities?
There was recently an article in the Washington Post about college students whose parents forbid them from majoring in liberal arts disciplines. Although it is easy to write this off as overzealous helicopter parenting, it is indicative of a trend over the last thirty years. Undergraduates are eschewing liberal arts degrees in favor of degrees…
The Truth About For-Profit Universities
Dear Deb: I’ve been working full time for 15 years, and have reached what I think is a roadblock in my career. It is clear that in order for me to move to the next level, I need to get my MBA. Honestly, the thought of attending school for years, at night, while I work…
My boss doesn’t know that pickles are actually cucumbers!
Hi Deb: I have an unusual situation with my new manager. In short, she’s both incompetent and not particularly smart. She doesn’t write well at all; I have taken to rewriting much of what she does, because it pains me that she doesn’t know the difference between their, they’re, and there. We are in the…