Tips & tricks
Small habits, steady progress
What tends to work for people changing careers, plus things to listen to and watch when you need perspective or a push.
For job seekers
Habits that move the needle
Your 100 people
List 100 people who know and respect your work: ex-colleagues, clients, managers, friends. Most roles come through people, so this list is your best job board.
5 calls a day
Five short calls or messages each working day to people on your list. Ask for advice and ideas, not a job.
3 coffees a week
Three real conversations a week. Go in curious: what's changing in their world, and who else should you talk to?
Quality over volume
Five tailored applications beat fifty generic ones. Mirror the language of the ad and lead with relevant results.
Always ask for one more name
End every conversation with: "Who else do you think I should speak to?"
Follow up within 24 hours
A short thank-you with one thing you took from the chat keeps you memorable.
Keep a wins file
Note small wins and good feedback as they happen. It fuels interview answers and steadies you on rough weeks.
Treat it like a job, with an end time
Set working hours for the search, then stop. Rest is part of the plan.
Keep a tracker
Set up a simple tracker in Excel (or Google Sheets) or a Trello board. Log each application, call and coffee with the date, contact, status and next step, and keep a list of your 100 people. Check it weekly against your goals.
Get experience
Try the work before you leap
Shadow someone for a day
Ask someone in your target role if you can shadow them for a day or sit in on a few meetings. You'll learn more than any job ad tells you.
Offer a short, free project
Like a mini internship: offer 2–4 weeks on a clearly scoped piece of work. Agree the goal, hours and end date up front, and ask for a reference at the end.
Skilled volunteering
Put your professional skills to work for a charity: strategy, marketing, finance, HR or tech. It builds recent, relevant experience and new contacts.
Join a board or committee
Not-for-profit boards and committees value business skills and are a respected way to build governance and leadership experience.
Skilled volunteering & pro bono
SEEK Volunteer
Thousands of roles, including skilled, remote and board positions. Filter by your skills.
Explore Skilled & pro bonoAustralian Business Volunteers
Use business expertise to mentor and advise communities in Australia and the Pacific.
Explore Remote projectsVollie
Scoped 4–8 week remote projects for Australian charities, matched to your skills.
Explore Board & committee rolesGovernance Institute
Current voluntary governance roles such as treasurer, director and committee member.
Explore For-purpose sectorPro Bono Australia
News and a jobs board for the not-for-profit sector, a good scan for paid and volunteer roles.
Explore Global, onlineCatchafire
Short skills-based projects and one-hour calls with non-profits, done remotely.
ExploreReskill
LinkedIn Learning pathways
- Search the paths for your suggested role titles (e.g. "project manager", "instructional designer") and pick one path, not five.
- Ask your local library: many offer free LinkedIn Learning with a library card. LinkedIn also runs a free trial.
- Add finished certificates to your LinkedIn profile and mention the skills, not just the course, in applications.
All LinkedIn Learning paths
Curated sets of courses for specific roles and skills, with a certificate at the end.
View path Microsoft & LinkedIn · about 4 hoursCareer Essentials in Generative AI
A practical, non-technical start on using AI tools at work. Useful in almost any new role.
View path LinkedIn Learning pathProfessional Soft Skills
Emotional intelligence, plain writing, critical thinking and teamwork that hiring managers value.
View pathWant a path matched to a role? Ask the career toolkit or the guide on your results.
Listen
Podcasts for the commute or a walk
Squiggly Careers
Weekly, practical ideas for building a career that doesn't run in a straight line.
Listen Emma & Sarah SmithInterview Boss
Australian sisters on CVs, cover letters, interviews and negotiating offers.
Listen Harvard Business ReviewHBR IdeaCast
Short conversations with leading thinkers on work, management and change.
Listen Muriel Wilkins, HBRCoaching Real Leaders
Real, anonymous coaching sessions on confidence, transitions and tough calls.
Listen AFR BOSS, Sally Patten15 Minutes with the Boss
Australian CEOs on setbacks, habits and career advice, in about 15 minutes.
ListenReset
Calm and sleep
Look after yourself
Wellbeing on the way
Knock-backs and long searches wear anyone down. Talking it through helps, and so do the basics: sleep, movement, food and people.
Hit a snake? Talk it through
A private, steady chat for low days, plus practical coping tips.
13YARN
24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, run by mob, for mob.
Beyond Blue
Free counselling by phone or webchat, plus guidance on anxiety and depression.
ReachOut Australia
Practical, judgement-free help and peer forums, especially for younger adults.
In danger right now? Call 000.
Watch
TED talks worth your 20 minutes
The power of vulnerability
Why courage and connection start with letting yourself be seen.
Watch Simon SinekHow great leaders inspire action
Start with why: a useful lens for choosing your next role.
Watch Susan DavidThe gift and power of emotional courage
How to handle difficult feelings without being run by them.
Watch Angela Lee DuckworthGrit: the power of passion and perseverance
Why sticking with it often matters more than talent.
Watch Kelly McGonigalHow to make stress your friend
Changing how you see stress can change how it affects you.
Watch Larry SmithWhy you will fail to have a great career
A blunt, funny push to stop making excuses and chase work you care about.
WatchWayfinder isn't affiliated with any of these. Having a rough week? Support for low days.