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.
Is the customer always right?
Businesses exist for one reason: to solve market and customer problems. If you work in a business, you have customers and clients regardless of whether it’s b2b, b2c, or b2g. A great customer experience (CX) is critical to building brands, driving retention, and scaling revenue. When a business has excellent customer service and CX, its customers will pay a premium price. Think about the difference between the experience of going to Walmart and going to Nordstrom. Both are large, multinational retailers, yet the two shopping experiences could not be more different. Customer service is ingrained in the Nordstrom brand—people who shop there do so because Nordstrom is committed to providing superior experience and service. No one shops at Walmart for these reasons; people shop at Walmart because of price….
Handling bullies in the workplace
I’ve often said that the workplace can be a microcosm of middle school behavior. You have your popular kids, the “star players” who aren’t all that smart, the geeks and nerds, and the bullies. Workplace bullies are more common than you may think. A full 30% of people recently surveyed indicated that they’d been the victims of such behavior. Bullying is a form of harassment—uninvited, undeserved, and unwarranted—and should not be tolerated as with any other form of harassment. However, we all know that what should happen and what does happen in real life can be two different things. Bullies are sneaky and pull their stunts when no one is around to witness them. Also, it can be problematic to get HR and management to understand the extent of the bullying and the impact of this abusive behavior. That’s why everyone should be armed to stand up to such conduct and defuse it….
Ask Deb: What should I do when people interrupt me in meetings?
Hi Deb:
I love working remotely. I really do. But one thing I’ve noticed during the last 2 years is that there are more meetings than ever before. And with those meetings come more interruptions than I have ever experienced in my career. I have tried asking people not to interrupt me and to allow me to speak, but it continues. In fact, it’s getting worse. Do you have any tactics that are effective in stopping interruptions?
Thanks,
Alicia….
What you need to know when you’re considering the impact of the vaccine mandate
Unless you’ve been in an information vacuum for the last two weeks, you’ve undoubtedly heard that the Biden administration is going to require that employers that employ more than 100 people ensure that their employees are either vaccinated for COVID-19 or are undergoing weekly testing. This announcement has met with mixed reviews. On one side, this could be a meaningful way to mitigate the spread and mutation of the virus under whose control we’ve been living for the last (almost) 2 years. On the other side, there are concerns about employer and government overreach and bodily autonomy….
Should we discuss salary and compensation with our peers and colleagues?
This is a very interesting topic and one which has been garnering more attention recently. My short answer to the question is yes; we should start bringing salary transparency to the forefront of the narrative….
Work anywhere, but at what cost?
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge long-held assumptions and redefine the very idea of what work is. Ultimately, this pandemic has revealed that much of which we regarded as “business as usual” was, in actuality, little more than micromanagement….
Avoid these mistakes and up your game when you interview
You’ve heard it before, but let me repeat it: what you say is not nearly as important as how you say it. Once a conversation is over, most people don’t remember what was said, but rather how they feel about that conversation and what kind of impression it left. With this being the case, when you are interviewing, you must focus on your non-verbal communication even more than the words that come out of your mouth. Here are some common areas for improvement when you’re meeting with prospective employers, colleagues, and clients….
Optimize remote working and make it work for everyone
I have written previously about how employees can make remote working arrangements work to their advantage and do so effectively. Now that remote working is the norm, it’s time to revisit the topic and offer advice for both employees and managers….
Improve your job search and productivity with focus
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make when looking for a new role is to spend their time randomly chasing down every lead they can find. They will spend hours scouring LinkedIn and other job boards for every opportunity that meshes with their experience and submit applications online into the black hole. They put forth significant time and effort, yet they reap minimal results….
Ask Deb: What do you think about double-dipping?
I’ve been “double-dipping” for nearly 8 months now. I have two full-time salaries, two comprehensive benefits packages, and two bosses. At first, it wasn’t difficult to maintain the two roles, but the further I get into the second role, the more unwieldy it’s becoming. There are pros and cons to this situation, but I’m feeling overwhelmed. What would you advise?….