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.
Meetings Be Damned!
One significant negative has arisen from the dominance of remote work, and that is the culture of endless meetings. I hear from clients who have so many meetings, recurring meetings, standing meetings, optional meetings, and required meetings that their calendars are booked all day, each day. They feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of meetings and are stressed at not having time to do actual work.
Career Strategies for the New Year
I know that we are all bombarded with “new year, new you” messages everywhere during this final week of December. We all know that New Year's resolutions are notoriously difficult to maintain and that most of them fall by the wayside by mid-February. So I’m not going to advise you to make monumental shifts in your career management strategy. I do want to point out that you are the CEO of your own career, and as such, it’s incumbent upon you to manage your career just as you would any team or project. Here is what I suggest for 2023….
Not Invited to Interview after Cognitive Assessment: Follow Up
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a client who had taken a cognitive test as part of a preliminary screening for a role for which he was more than qualified and how subsequent to that assessment, he was eliminated from consideration without there ever being an actual conversation between him and anyone at the hiring company. Thanks to you, my readers, and the advice/input you gave, he decided to follow up with them. Here’s how it went….
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….