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.
My Husband Cheated on Me, and I Posted about It on LinkedIn
Scroll through LinkedIn, and you will find a mix of rampant virtue signaling, cringeworthy titles, and stories that are more appropriate for Facebook. Your feed is probably rife with motivational nonsense, corporate shilling, and abject narcissism disguised as positivity and healthy self-celebration. Or, it’s a forum for “humblebragging,” with people being “honored” or being nominated for some unknown award, receiving a promotion, or starting a new job. When did this happen? LinkedIn used to be a place for serious and useful content that related to career management and for sharing best practices in your field or industry.
Here are a few examples of egregious, inappropriate content that has been published on LinkedIn….
Equity vs. Equality: Musings on International Women’s Day
Simply hiring more women will not solve the problem of inequity. Companies must embrace equity as a strategic imperative. Although women comprise more than 50% of the workforce, there persists a dearth of women in positions of leadership. Within the US labor force, college-educated women outnumber college-educated men, yet the more education they obtain, the greater the pay disparity between them and their male counterparts. And, while the shift to hybrid and flexible working practices has given women greater access to work, especially working mothers, equity does not necessarily follow….
New Data on the Pay Gap Is Out, and It Doesn’t Look Good
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, just released its report on the gender pay gap in the United States, and the news is grim. According to the research published on March 1, the pay gap between men and women is nearly identical to what it was twenty years ago. There have been many efforts to ameliorate this problem—from pay transparency laws to increased scrutiny of earnings disparity among employees doing the same job—but the problem persists….
Imposter Syndrome: It Puts You There Where Things Are Hollow
What do an Academy Award-winning actor, an iconic musician, a Nobel laureate, and a Supreme Court justice have in common? Each of them has struggled with imposter syndrome. That can’t be true. Can it? ….
Ask Deb: My Job Was My Entire Personality. Now What?
I was laid off from my executive position last June and have been actively networking, consulting, and searching for a full-time role. The problem is that when people ask me what I do, I feel like I no longer have a good response. I used to say that I was a vice president for a major financial services company, where I led product and platform development for our investment management line of business. I admit that I am now embarrassed when I’m asked about what I do or when I meet someone new. I have nothing to say anymore….
Interview Red Flags
Getting a new job can be an exciting and wonderful thing. Sometimes, in our haste to make a jump or to get back into the workforce, we ignore obvious signs that the workplace into which we are entering may be toxic. Here are some red flags that my clients have shared with me over the years. All of these are clear indicators of a potentially toxic culture….
Building Executive Presence
You may have heard the term “executive presence.” Perhaps it was mentioned within the context of your professional development, or maybe you heard about it from a colleague or peer. But what is executive presence, and why does it matter? Executive presence is about your ability to inspire confidence, which is crucial to your career. Your team wants to know that you’re the leader they want to follow, your peers want to see that you’re capable and reliable, and, most importantly, senior leaders want to know that you have the potential to achieve great things. The fact is that once you reach a certain level, results alone do not cut it. Do you want to lead a team to achieve success on highly visible initiatives? Do you want a seat at the table (literally) where important decisions are made? Do you want to improve your management style and inspire your team to believe in your vision? Then you need executive presence….
I Heard It Through the Grapevine: Part 2
As I promised you last week, this is a follow-up to what I hear on “the street,” but this time, the stuff that’s not so good. Here we go….
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
As you know, I have counseled thousands of job seekers and people looking to manage their careers. I sometimes speak with hundreds of people each month. Although I advise my clients on strategies to optimize their job searches and advance their careers, I am not the one out there doing the work, networking, and meeting potential employers. Fortunately, my clients love to share their stories with me; I, in turn, aggregate, analyze, and share the trends I hear and see with you. Here are some of the good things that I’ve heard about lately….
Modernize Your Resume for the New Year
There is no shortage of resume advice out there and certainly no shortage of self-proclaimed resume experts and career coaches. This can make it challenging to know what should and should not be on your resume to make you stand out in today’s market. To answer the question I know is on the tip of your tongue: yes, you still need a resume. Even if you have a LinkedIn profile, a website, and a digital portfolio, a resume is still standard practice across industries. I’ve been at this for a long time and have worked with thousands of clients; I will share my top tips for ensuring that your resume is aligned with what hiring managers and recruiters seek….