Whether you are new to the job market or an experienced professional looking to make a change or advance your career, it can help to hear from someone who has been in your shoes. It is even better if the person has also been on the other side of the job interview table, the one asking the questions and making hiring decisions.
It is usually not every day you have the chance to connect with someone with such a background and hear how YOU can successfully achieve your personal career goals. Think of Career Lantern as your opportunity to do just that, even if it is in an online, virtual sort of way.
About Me
My name is Don Whiteside. I may not be famous or a celebrity CEO, but I do have something a lot of other career authors probably don’t: 30 years of real-world, hands-on career-related experience. As a seasoned and successful management professional, I have read countless cover letters and applications, personally conducted hundreds of actual job interviews, assisted other managers by serving on interview panels, made hiring decisions, and managed various employee development programs. My academic credentials include an MBA degree and serving as an adjunct instructor at two colleges on three different campuses. I have worked in several entirely different fields and hold various certifications and licenses. Throughout my career, I have been deeply involved with various types of technology.
Plus, just as importantly, like you, I have also been a job applicant while pursuing my own career goals. I, too, have suffered through writing and submitting cover letters, resumes, and online applications. Admittedly, I have been on job interviews where things went great for me, and other times… well, not so much.
So Why Create Career Lantern?
Quite simply, Career Lantern is my attempt to give back. My thought was perhaps someone might benefit if I share the career-related observations and insight acquired over the years. Maybe this effort will help others achieve their own personal career goals and aspirations. I sure wish I had known more of this stuff back when I first started out!
The bottom line is this: I have witnessed far too many individuals make all kinds of unnecessary mistakes while pursuing their careers. Be smart. Save yourself some grief and learn from the mistakes of others instead of merely repeating them. If you are thinking, “That’s OK, I already know all this,” then odds are you really don’t.
Plain talk on nuts-and-bolts career topics is mostly what you will find here. While I try to inform readers on a wide variety of topics, Career Lantern does not focus on theories, abstract concepts, or research.
I sincerely hope the information shared on Career Lantern will help you avoid much of the disappointment and frustration which many others, including myself, have sometimes encountered along the road to career success.
Good luck in pursuing your career goals!
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