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.
Get out of your comfort zone.
I was speaking with a client about an issue she has in her current position. Her manager has an aggressive revenue goal to meet this year, but he doesn’t want to leave the office. My client is concerned that her manager’s reluctance to get out and engage the market directly is going to result in…
Must job searching be a full-time job?
At some point in their careers, many people will find themselves on the wrong side of a conversation with HR and will be victims of a layoff. This is a traumatic event, to be sure, and friends and family are likely to offer some well-meaning, but misguided, advice. One such piece of worn out advice…
Working hard and being eager don’t cut it anymore
I recently had a very telling conversation. I was speaking with a man at a networking event. Let’s call him David, for the sake of this story. David regaled me with the story of his professional life. He graduated from an Ivy League university in the late 1970s, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Upon…
Don’t bake cookies for the office.
I recently worked with a mid-career attorney, who, after ten years at the same firm, wanted to make a switch over to the corporate sector. During our conversation, she casually mentioned that, on a weekly basis, she bakes cookies for the office. As you can imagine, I was horrified. I asked her why on earth…
Unconscious Biases in the Hiring Process
Although most of us believe that we are ethical and unbiased, and that we can make objective assessments to reach fair and rational conclusions, this is nearly impossible. Scientists postulate that when the brain is overloaded with information, it creates shortcuts to process that information, and uses past experiences to draw assumptions. Hidden, or unconscious,…
Building Brand Awareness
You know you need to build a professional brand to effectively market yourself in your career. But how do you build awareness of your brand? Branding is one of those things that we like to make really difficult. It doesn’t have to be; it’s actually quite simple. Let’s start with what branding is not. It…
Cult of Meeting Culture
Collaboration. Teamwork. Group brainstorming. Knowledge sharing. All are great ideas that can help spur innovation. However, the execution of these concepts generally takes on a much less inspiring form--the Meeting. You know that when you see a meeting invitation pop up, your first thought is not, "Wow, what an excellent opportunity to collaborate with other…
Productivity Versus Being Busy
Super busy. Crazy busy. Overloaded. A to-do list that’s a mile long. Busyness has become a cult in Western culture. Maybe that’s because humans are hardwired with a bias toward action. Maybe it’s because it feels satisfying to cross items off that to-do list. Or maybe it’s because we operate under a self-imposed feeling that…
Maximize Your Job Search
Most people today have used job sites to land a careerâtheyâre the place to find the most up-to-date and relevant positions available. However, all job sites have their own strengths and weaknessesâand one can often find themselves overwhelmed with the number of actual sites, job boards, and countless postings. The best sites can help you…
Decoding the Job Ads
If you’ve spent any significant amount of time reading through job ads, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that many of them are rife with buzzwords and jargon. When these words are used over and over, they meld together and become meaningless. Reading through a job description can be an exercise in both futility and confusion. Here are…