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.
How to deal with the annual self-appraisal
It’s the fourth quarter of the year. That means that salespeople are scrambling to get deals signed, finance people are getting ready to close out the year, and that the dreaded self-appraisal is upon us. The self-appraisal is a common performance management practice. Ostensibly, an employee’s self-appraisal and rating should give the manager valuable…
Tell the story of you
Humans are a social species, and language is at the crux of all human interaction. We use language to tell stories, which, in turn, share knowledge. Stories tell audiences about events in a way that the audience has an emotional reaction to them—sadness, anger, joy, inspiration, indignation, confusion. A story creates an exchange between…
Tales from the trenches…HR and Management Incompetency Edition
This is my second installment of a new series called “Tales from the trenches,” in which I share a particularly fascinating (and usually rife with stupidity) story I’ve heard. I do not work in a large corporate environment, but many of my clients do. This means that although I am not involved in the…
It’s a shame: Social media & the job seeker
In my work as a career coach, I talk to a lot of people. A lot. When I’m working with job seekers, I often counsel them to review their social media accounts and think critically about the content within the context of “would this be appropriate in a professional setting.” Of course, personal social…
10 Characteristics of a Good Leader
A leader can make the difference between success and failure. A good leader has a futuristic vision and knows how to turn ideas into real-world success stories. Unfortunately, there are many managers out there who are poor leaders. This is largely because of the time-honored practice of promoting people into management solely on the…
7 Keys to LinkedIn Success
If you’re in the market for a new job, or if you are at all concerned about your professional brand (and you should be), you need to have a presence on LinkedIn. Maybe you set your LinkedIn profile up years ago and then promptly forgot about it. Or, perhaps you copied and pasted your…
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…