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.
What Salary Are You Seeking?
Although most of the questions in a job interview are designed to see if you would work well within the company culture, there are also practical questions. There has long been a pervading idea that discussing salary is somehow crass, as if the primary reason people work is something other than being able to support their families and pay their bills. In previous years, it was considered bad form for a candidate to inquire about the salary for the position. Thankfully, this has changed….
Ask Deb: How Do I Learn to Embrace Conflict?
A strategy of conflict avoidance will not serve you, your employees, your clients, or your partners well. If you actively avoid confrontation, you must reassess and reframe your thinking. Rather than seeing conflict or disagreement as an assault on your values, consider it an opportunity to put your values into practice….
Return to Office Mandates Work Against Working Women
The fact is that the pre-pandemic, primarily in-office working style worked for one segment of the workforce: men. Despite more college-educated women being in the workforce than at any time in history, the share of domestic labor women perform has increased. Domestic labor women perform is worth half a trillion dollars, yet, by design, it has no value in the free market. The system relies on free and cheap domestic labor, most of which women perform, and those in power want to keep the status quo….
Bad CEO Behavior Continues: Work from Home Edition
This month’s contender for Worst CEO Behavior is Raul Vargas, CEO of Farmers Insurance Group. Mr. Vargas is the company’s new CEO, and one of his first orders of business was to reverse his predecessor’s stance on remote work. Employees hired as full-time remote employees now have until September to present themselves in the office thrice weekly. What’s driving this decision? Collaboration. And innovation….
Use Resume Metrics to Improve Your Job Search
I have said it many times, but it bears repeating: a resume is a marketing tool. As such, it’s important to understand your audience. Far too many job seekers operate under the assumption that a resume should list the tasks associated with your previous roles. Nothing could be further than the truth. For a resume to be effective, it needs to highlight your achievements. Those achievements should be quantified whenever possible….
How to Manage Office Politics
Office politics are unavoidable; people bring their unique needs, thoughts, fears, and ambitions to work. Despite people’s claims of hating office politics, like the gossip mill, it continues to flourish. Office politics are the unwritten rules that determine who gets what, when, and how — a promotion, a budget for a project-- and who doesn’t. We dislike office politics so much because our fate depends on these unwritten rules. But there are ways that you can successfully navigate office politics….
3 Interview Questions You Must Know How to Answer
Job interviews are stressful. Even in the most friendly, non-confrontational interview setting, it still feels like your education, experience, and even your very character are all being called into question, and if you suffer from interview anxiety, are shy, or get nervous easily, you could come off as unfriendly, inexperienced, and not suitable for the team. The best way to overcome interview jitters is to practice, practice, practice….
Increasing Self-Confidence in the Workplace
One thing that I have learned from my years of working closely with people is that one of the biggest assets, not just in your career but in life, is self-confidence. In particular, developing confidence in the workplace is not easy. It requires work, time, and dedication. If you struggle with gaining confidence in the workplace, here are some tips….
Making the Lateral Move
You have been working hard, tracking your accomplishments, and promoting your brand within your organization — all the right moves to obtaining that promotion you know you deserve. However, instead of receiving the promotion, your boss calls you in for a chat and informs you that they are considering you for a newly opened position – a role within a different part of the organization yet with the same or similar title and pay grade. It would be a lateral move….
Likes, Comments, and Shares
LinkedIn launched in the early 2000s and fundamentally changed how people network. What began as a professional networking site became a social media platform. Whereas people previously only posted or shared updates of a professional nature, such as starting a new position, it has become a place where people come to brain dump. There are now “content creators” who regularly post on LinkedIn. Some of this is helpful, some of it cringey….