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 ten mistakes you don’t know you’re making when applying online
The resume black hole. The abyss. The void. The applicant tracking system (ATS) creates all kinds of stress and irritation for job seekers. Candidates almost universally loathe the experience. The ATS requires them to copy and paste sections from their resume into tiny boxes and answer questions that could be easily discussed in a…
Tales from the trenches…#StupidInterviewQuestions
We love to compare notes about the most inane and perplexing behavior out there in the workplace. After all, the workplace is a microcosm of society, with all of society’s personalities and quirks represented. This is the first installment of a new series called “Tales from the trenches,” in which I share a particularly…
Investing in training is an investment in your business
The people who make up a company are the face of that organization. Far too often, only members of the executive team receive formal training to ensure that they convey the core values. The rest of the rank and file will wing it when asked about the company’s mission and culture. Most employees are…
Corporate Bro, yo!
Corporate Bro culture has been getting a lot of press, especially with the ensuing #MeToo movement. One of the best illustrations of corporate Bro culture this blog post, which is a female engineer’s reflections on a long, strange year she spent at ride-sharing company Uber. This blistering missive describes antics you would expect (but…
Are you hiring for cultural fit? You might want to rethink that.
Companies that love to brag about their distinct and defining cultures often cite culture as a significant recruiting tool. In turn, their hiring managers often regard the nebulous “cultural fit” as the most essential factor in evaluating candidates. But is this a good way to hire? Not always. What tends to happen is that…
Everything you love to hate about performance reviews
The performance review. Universally reviled by all involved, this annual exercise is one that causes managers and employees to recoil in horror. Managers hate writing performance reviews and holding meetings. Employees dread the annual discussion of what could be done better. While some companies have, in recent years, moved to eliminate the formal, annual…
Are you managing by the clock, or are you managing for results?
So, I recently fell into the black hole of Quora, the Q&A site. I was in the Chief Executive Officers sub-Quora (I’m not really sure what it’s called, but you get the idea), and there were a variety of riffs on this theme: “My Employees Only Work Normal Business Hours—What Do I Do About…
Top ten pieces of old, outdated career advice that you should ignore
Over the last 30 years, the job market has fundamentally changed. The advent of the internet and the ensuing Information Age, along with a complete revision of the postwar employment contract has placed the onus of managing one’s career on the individual, rather than on the company. But with this responsibility comes a heightened…
Lazy hiring to the extreme
If you follow my blog, you know that one of my pet peeves is #LazyRecruiting and its cousin #LazyHiring. Lazy hiring/recruiting is rampant in any job market. When it’s an employer’s market, it takes the form of hiring companies kicking back, and having job seekers do all the work. In a candidate’s market, like…
Sexist Comments—Your Submissions
I recently asked my social media followers to tell me about times in which they encountered or were the recipients of sexist language and comments in the workplace. As suspected, the archaic sentiments surrounding gender roles and stereotypes are alive and well. Here is a sample of the feedback I received. Shortly after graduating…