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.
What we learned from the crazy train that has been 2020
There’s no way around it. This year has been one for the history books. This has been a trying year for sure, the most difficult on record for many, if not most of us. But there have been many important lessons we have learned about managing our careers and our lives this past year….
Become a great listener and people will LOVE talking to you
You may have noticed that many, if not most, people are not very skilled communicators. This puts the onus on you, as the listener, to untangle the meaning of what is being conveyed. This can be difficult and arduous. Even if the speaker is clear and cogent, there may be concepts that are still hard to grasp. We tend to think of listening as a passive activity, but nothing could be further from the truth. Good listeners know they must listen intently and actively and ask questions when they need clarification. Here are some tips to help you become a great listener….
8 Tips for Effectively Networking During the Holiday Season
The end of the year is typically filled with parties, gatherings, and social engagements, making it the perfect time for networking. This year, COVID has upended the usual holiday practice of getting together in person and wishing each other well. However, there is still ample opportunity to build and nurture your network. Here are some tips on how to do so effectively….
Five Easy Things You Can Do to Feel and Appear More Confident
Do you struggle with your confidence? Do you feel like an imposter? Do you wonder if the people around you think you don’t know what you’re talking about? Relax. I’ve got you. We all feel this way from time to time, particularly when we are in stressful situations, such as giving a presentation to a large group or expressing an unpopular opinion. Here are five easy tips to help you feel more confident and improve others’ perceptions of you….
Maximize the impact of your year-end job searching
Now that the holiday season is officially upon us, I am thinking about a question I’m frequently asked this time of year. Many readers want to know if they should suspend their job searches until mid-January because, as we all know, lots of typical business processes slow down during this time of year. My answer is always the same, and it’s a resounding, “No!” The end of the year can be one of the best times to look for a new role, and here’s why….
Three tips for writing a cover letter that will get noticed
You want to write a cover letter that will be read by the person to whom you send it. This sounds simple enough, but many of my clients have no idea where to begin. So here are my top 3 tips on writing a cover letter that will get you noticed….
Is it too late to start over?
Life is a series of changes, not a constant along a continuum. Conventional wisdom posits that it is too late to change careers in your 50s. There are multiple examples of people making extraordinary advancements and changes in their careers in their 40s, 50s, and beyond. For women, in particular, having, or wanting, to redefine oneself in midlife is not uncommon at all….
Humanize your job search to drive real results
Is your cover letter addressed “To Whom It May Concern”? Does your LinkedIn profile read like a list of skills rather than a description of you? When you meet with potential hiring managers, are you stiff, formal, and “just the facts”? If you said yes to any of these, you are doing it wrong. I know this is what you have been taught, but it is not the way to influence a decision. You see, when you are a job seeker, you are promoting yourself and there is a human being at the other end of your message. People do not always respond to facts. Facts and data do not always convince people. If they did, swaths of people would not believe that the earth is flat! People are emotional creatures; oftentimes, they make decisions based on feelings rather than empirical evidence. Sometimes they make decisions in conjunction with evidence, but a “gut reaction” almost always wins….
Ask Deb: Help! I hate my new job!
I recently started a new job within my industry. I was so excited by the opportunity and I left a job I liked to pursue it. I am sad to say that, 6 weeks in, I have come to realize that this was a colossal mistake. I absolutely hate it. The culture is toxic, my manager is an extreme micromanager, and the job itself is nothing like what I was led to believe. The executive leadership is abysmal, and is focused on maintaining the status quo rather than fixing any part of this broken system. I feel like there is no way that I can possibly succeed in this role.…
Bad advice from your college’s career center
The problem with college career centers is that there is a significant disconnect between the advice they tend to dispense and the business climate's reality. In fact, most people who work in college career centers have never worked in a corporate environment. Without direct experience in the corporate workforce, how can they properly advise students, especially undergraduates, on transferring their skills and knowledge to that environment? Here is some of the bad advice regularly dispensed to students. You have my permission to ignore all of it….