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.
Prospective Employers: Information on a Need-to-Know Basis
The Great Resignation and the ensuing candidates’ market have exposed how broken the hiring process is. Employers opine on why they can’t find any qualified candidates while candidates wade through systems and processes that can best be described as Kafkaesque. And, despite there being far more open positions than there are candidates, employers continue to approach hiring as if it is an unequal relationship in which they call all the shots. Nothing could be further from the truth….
The Myth of Cultural Fit
It is no secret that hiring is broken. The current system works against recruiting, hiring, and retaining talent. From candidate experiences with clunky ATS systems, hiring managers ill-trained in conducting interviews, to the seemingly endless rounds of interviews, it is surprising that anyone gets hired. Another factor that impedes hiring is the idea of “cultural fit.” While it is undoubtedly essential to determine whether there is a cultural fit on both the part of the company and the candidate, many people on both sides of the desk get this wrong….
Myth Busters: Employer Edition
Last week I devoted my blog to dispelling some common myths to which job seekers still cling. This week, I turn my sights to the other side of the desk. And let me tell you, employers, you’ve got work to do. Your recruiting processes are broken; your hiring managers don’t know how to conduct an interview; they are indecisive. On top of all that, you seem to have a distorted perspective regarding sourcing and retaining talent. Here are some top examples….
Debunking Myths: Candidate Edition
You know that job-seeking today radically differs from 25 or 30 years ago. Many people continue to hold on to outdated ideas and perceptions that are simply false. You may be getting bad, outdated advice on how to look for a new role from well-meaning but ill-informed family and friends. Here is my top 10 list of job-seeking/career management myths that you have my permission to ignore!….
Counteroffers: Why You Should Not Accept Them
In this candidate’s job market, it is not unusual for people to be juggling multiple job offers at once. It is also not unusual for candidates to be presented with counteroffers when they give notice that they are leaving their current company. While a counteroffer may be tempting at the moment, I advise my clients not to entertain them….
Ask Deb: Should I Take This Job?
Hi Deb:
I’ve been at my current company for 4 years. I was not actively looking to leave, but I was contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIN about a job at a competitor of ours. Long story short, I went through the interview process and now have an offer in hand. The compensation package includes a base salary that would be a 30% increase. However, there are several things about this company that give me pause.
I think I have the answer to my dilemma—I’m leaning toward declining--but I wanted to run it by you before I made a decision….
Recruiting Is Broken, and It’s Repelling Candidates
These last few weeks, there have been many alarmist stories on social media and in traditional media about impending layoffs and recession. Inflation is kicking up, and with it, so are the prices of consumer goods. However, unemployment remains historically low, and it is still a candidate’s market. Many companies of all sizes in all sectors have open roles that they’ve been unable to fill. I’ve had hiring managers ask me why recruiting in this market is so hard. After all, in such a hot market, shouldn’t there be a flood of qualified applicants for an open req? Yes, but also no.
Resign the Right Way
We are in the midst of the hottest candidate market in history. This has been colloquially termed “The Great Resignation.” Over the last 12 months, I have come to realize that many people don’t know how to resign or what the best approach is. The best way to resign is to do so briefly and directly. Mr. Nixon had a massive scandal and a public relations crisis hanging over his head. But his actual resignation was brilliant. In fewer words than the limits of a Tweet, he resigned from the most powerful job in the world. If the President of the United States can resign his position without going into gory details of his reasoning, so can you. My top-line advice for resigning is to keep it simple, but here are some more specific tips….
Practical Advice for New Grads
It’s that time of year again—colleges and universities are unleashing thousands of new graduates, many of whom will be entering the workforce. I recently wrote about what Gen Z wants out of their careers. Because college career counseling centers often dispense outdated, impractical, bad advice, I thought it wise to revisit the topic of What New Grads Need to Know….
How to Know if the Hiring Manager Is a Jerk
Having a great boss can create an environment in which people don’t only grow in their roles but expand. Having a bad boss can ruin everything and make you dread going to work. Bad bosses cause stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and the Sunday blues. Low engagement is a problem across virtually every organization, primarily due to bad management. Bad managers run the gamut from those who don’t delegate work to those who are outright toxic human beings; bad managers exist in 100% of companies….