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.
Deb’s FAQ for Job Seekers
I get a lot of questions about job seeking and interviewing from my clients and my readers. As you can imagine, the same few questions come up frequently, so I thought it was time that I did a FAQ for quick answers to some of my commonly fielded questions. Here you go! Do I…
How to Say No
It seems simple enough. Someone asks you to do something that you don’t want to do, or can’t take on at the moment. You should say no. But you don’t. All too often, we waffle. This is especially true of women, who have been socialized to be helpful and agreeable, often to the detriment of…
13 Reasons Why I Didn’t Consume Your Content
Are you looking for answers regarding why your intended audience is not reading your content? Here are “13 Reasons Why.” It’s not optimized for search. You didn’t use keywords, and your UX is garbage. I couldn’t find your content. Your content is all about you, your products, your services. I’m not interested in…
Keep It Simple
I recently had to have some work done on my car. When I picked it up, the mechanic told me what problems he found and what he did to fix them. He didn’t go into a lengthy discussion about how the air conditioning system works or the benefits of which particular parts he chose to…
Ode to a Catered Lunch
The cart is wheeled in All turn to look Sandwiches! Turkey, roast beef, grilled vegetables Speaker droning on Slide after slide But all attention is fixed on the buffet Finally! We break for lunch The line moves slowly Each sandwich scrutinized, the drones search for the perfect one No tuna? Too much mayo on…
High Pressure Hiring
Both job seekers and recruiters know that over the course of the last few years, the job market has gone from a buyer’s market to a seller’s one. The talent shortage is intensifying. Employers are finding it more and more difficult to fill open positions with top candidates. Time-to-fill rates are getting higher. Line managers…
Bad Credit and Background Checks
You know that job searching, particularly when unemployed, can be a long, slow, painful process. Imagine that you’ve been out of work for more than a year, and you’ve finally received a verbal offer, which is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. You start to sweat. . .you’re worried because your once-stellar…
Another example of the broken recruiting system
This recently happened to my client. She applied online through a company’s ATS, for a position for which she was perfectly matched. She had little faith that anyone would ever see her application and assumed that she sent it off down a black hole. A few weeks later, she received a text message from…
Tips for managing your boss
It’s important to do your job and to do it well. But that is only one component of your career success. Obviously, it’s a critical one, but also important is your ability to work well with others, to be seen as a resource that can be depended upon, and one that isn’t talked about very…
Because people are strange. That’s why.
In my line of work, I field many questions about human behavior, as if I have some special insight into how people think and act. I talk to many people in varied industries, and from these conversations, I can glean some universal truths about human behavior. The first is that most people are insecure and…