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.
Stay or leave? Consider it carefully.
I frequently field questions from new moms who are struggling with the realities of returning to work. They usually go something like this: My daughter just turned three, and I just had my second child. In reviewing our family’s finances, it seems futile for me to return to work when my entire take home…
What are you going to do differently?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. This worn out and tired saying is so often repeated (and, therefore, worn out and tired!) because it is true. The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect on what you’re going to…
What can job seekers expect in 2018?
2017 was a year of change in the job market. The improving economy and market record highs have made for low levels of unemployment. Just a few short years ago, employers held all the cards, but that has changed. In a tight labor market, candidates wield power that they didn’t have until recently. The job…
Checklist for more effective communication
Studies confirm our experience. Two thirds of all presentations are rated as mediocre or worse. How often have you been subjected to a 73 slide PowerPoint deck with dense, illegible slides, and a presenter who reads them to you? Have you been on the receiving end of a memo that is so chock full of…
How Pre-employment Screening Tests Filter Out Top Talent
We all know that recruiting and retaining top talent is a major concern of business leaders. Turnover most interferes with an organization's success. Rampant turnover can negatively impact the employer brand. And, of course, there is the financial cost of turnover. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) estimates that it takes employers the equivalent…
The best advice I can give you
Over the course of my career, I have counseled thousands of people. Some people seek assistance in writing a resume. Some want help crafting a succinct elevator pitch. Many want advice as to how to move their careers forward, and how to achieve their end goal. Almost invariably, I give my clients the same pieces…
Has Your Resume Become Stale?
Are you sending out multiple resumes yet getting no response? Are you applying to positions for which you meet the qualifications, but you’re still not getting requests for interviews? It could be that your resume has gone stale. Just as you’re not looking for a job today using the same techniques and tactics that you…
The Hidden Cost of the New Job
You’ve been searching for months. You’ve been on countless interviews. You’ve had more Skype conversations with strangers than you ever hoped you would. Now you have it. Offer in hand. Congratulations! But, maybe not so fast. Before you accept the new offer, have you run through the costs of changing employers? There are both tangible…
Whatever you do, don’t use a functional resume.
If you are changing careers or fields, or if you have a significant gap in your work history, you might hear the advice to use a functional resume, rather than one that lays out your career experience in a chronological format. If you get this advice, you have my permission to ignore it. In fact,…
Not Getting Interviews? It Could Be Your Resume.
I talk to clients all the time about why they are not getting interviews. Almost invariably, they will insist that there is nothing wrong with their resume. Then I look; in nearly all cases, I see a problem. Remember, when your resume is in front of an actual human being, you have only about 12…