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.
Most Egregious of 2022: Employer Edition
It’s the end of the year and time for me to do my annual retrospectives. This one is dedicated to the most awful things I’ve heard about employers during this year. Remember, I talk to a LOT of people, so these are from a variety of industries and fields. It would be impossible for me to make this up. I’m just not that creative….
Testing, Testing: Does This Help You Hire?
You may have noticed that aptitude and personality tests are becoming more commonplace in recruiting. While I don’t have a problem with personality tests (Predictive Index is pretty good), I find the aptitude tests to be a complete waste of everyone’s time….
Bias in Hiring is REAL
I’m sure you’ve heard that the most important thing for you, as a job seeker, to do is to present yourself as the most qualified candidate. After all, the most qualified candidate is the one who gets the job, right? Not by a long shot. Every day, eminently qualified candidates are told “no thanks” for a variety of reasons that have exactly zero to do with past achievements, quality of work, education, or performance….
Do Things Differently to Get Better Results!
I was speaking with a client about an issue she has in her current position. Her manager has an aggressive revenue goal to meet this year, but he doesn’t want to go out and meet with any customers or prospects. My client is concerned that her manager’s reluctance to get out and engage the market directly is going to result in the revenue goal not being met. She is wise to realize this because if the revenue goal is missed, it can have unpleasant consequences for her and her boss….
Veterans: Transition Military Experience into a Civilian Job
In the US, we just celebrated Veterans Day. This got me thinking about the challenges former military personnel face when translating their military experience to the civilian job market. Undoubtedly, military experience is valuable. But it can be difficult for a civilian employer to grasp how it can translate into the private sector. It is the jobseeker’s responsibility to convey their qualifications in terms prospective employers will understand….
A Hiring Company’s Lament
Hiring Company: We can’t find any qualified candidates for our open roles. Why doesn’t anyone apply to work at our company?
Candidates: Your application system requires us to create an account, record a one-way video, and enter all of the information that’s already on the resume….
How to Handle a Rude Interviewer
What is the best way to handle a rude interviewer? The interview process should be a free-flowing discussion between two parties on ways to solve a business problem. Unfortunately, there are many bad managers out there and many, many people who have not received training on how to interview. This behavior does not merely sour candidates on certain companies, but it will impact the company’s brand….
Ask Deb: How Do I Ensure My First 90 Days Are Successful?
Hi Deb:
I am starting a new job next month and need some advice. I have been at my current company for 6 years. It was my first job out of college, and I had become very comfortable working there. However, at the prompting of an internal mentor, I began looking around outside of my company a few months ago. I am excited about the new role, but I’m also nervous about it. My only “corporate” experience has been with one company and team. I entered this company as an entry-level hire, and the learning curve was steep. I am a bit concerned about learning a new role and culture, not to mention learning to work with an entirely different team and manager.
Can you give me some basic advice on how to proceed in a new role?….
Are You Asking the Right Questions?
Much of the career advice out there focuses on interview preparation for candidates, specifically on how best to formulate answers to typical questions. But the questions you pose during the interview are just as important—maybe even more important….
Is Women’s Career Advice a Form of Gaslighting?
Most women’s career advice revolves around balancing work with family obligations, being assertive, and how to act to be taken seriously. All of these put the onus of fixing the problem on the women. What’s even more insidious is the implication here, which is that women are the ones who have caused workplace inequality. That is dangerous, dubious, and wrong….