Whether you’re new to Australia, or have lived here your whole life, it’s critical to understand what an Australian resume should look like if you’re seeking a job here. You only have to do a quick internet search to discover so much conflicting advice on how to write a resume. This is because resume requirements differ depending on the country.

Back in 2014 I left my executive job in Sydney to relocate to the United States for 6 months to attend to a family crisis. The time away gave me a chance to reflect on where I might take my career next, and mostly how my next role would not be out of desperation. I wanted to achieve a better work life balance.

Reading through job ads, preparing your resume, writing cover letters and applications, and going through interviews can take an enormous amount of time and energy. Not to mention you’re often squeezing all these activities in around your day job, family and life. And while it’s not realistic to expect every application to be successful, the deafening silence or knockbacks after submitting numerous applications can really deplete your self esteem and confidence.

This month I am celebrating FIVE years of running my own business as a career coach. My husband and I have been debating what this landmark is called, and I’ve landed on the term Bizaversary!!

It breaks my heart that no matter how many female clients I talk to, none of them are prepared when it comes to negotiating their salary with potential employers. The inevitable response when I ask them about salary expectations is that they will just cross their fingers and hope for the best.

Did you know that it’s been statistically proven that 65-70% of jobs are acquired through someone you know? This means that there are so many unadvertised jobs, just waiting for you.

I hope you got a chance to read at least some of the stories that we published earlier this month (8 in total). To my surprise, we had a HUGE response (21k views and growing!). And honestly, this was nothing to do with me, but more related to the shock of what some of these women had to endure.

This is my friend, Olga, who was born in Ukraine when it was still part of the USSR, and she emigrated to Australia with her family when she was 7 years old.

This is the final story in an 8-part series for International Women's Day I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have helped "Break The Bias".

Today I have interviewed the loveliest couple, Archana and Yogi, my dear friends who took part in an arranged marriage. They described the process to me and also shared their wishes for their own kids. Please join me in thanking Archana and Yogi for sharing their raw story.

This is story #7 in an 8-part series for International Women's Day I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have broken the bias.

I interviewed Magdalena Tausch, who moved from Romania to Germany as a child and suffered distress because her teachers did not think she was 'good enough for school'. Please help me cheer on Magdalena for courageously sharing her very vulnerable story.⁠

This is story #6 in an 8 part series for International Women's Day I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have broken the bias.⁠

These are my friends, Carly and Lenka, a SAME SEX couple raising two gorgeous boys, aged 3 and 7. Lenka is from the UK and Carly is from Canada, but they don’t have an extended family network here in Australia.

This is story #5 of an 8 part series for International Woman's Day where I've featured powerful stories of women who Break the Bias.

This is my friend, Gill, who is South African born, and emigrated to Australia with her husband and 2 small children 21 years ago. She has held many executive roles in both S Africa and Australia. When she left her successful executive career in S Africa, she had to start all over and rebuild her career in Australia.

This is story #4 in an 8 part series for International Women's Day I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have broken the bias.

This is my friend, Mireille, and she owns her own interior design business in Sydney. She’s also a TAFE Design Teacher in Western Sydney.

This is story #3 in an 8 part series for International Women's Day I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have broken the bias.

This is my friend, Raelee, a female Group Director, who has held a number of executive HR positions over the last 20 years. She’s worked in Construction, Oil, Mining, FMCG, Telecommunications most of which are male-dominated industries.

This is story #2 in an 8 part series for International Women's Day that I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have helped "BreakTheBias".

This is my dear friend, Belinda, and she’s as down to earth as they come, what you see is what you get. But as an Australian born Chinese (I have since learnt that’s an A.B.C), conscious and unconscious bias comes in many forms.

This is story #1 in an 8 part series for International Women's Day I'm writing, featuring powerful stories of women who have broken the bias.

Did you know that this year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Break the Bias”? The theme imagines a gender equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

Over the next 8 days in the lead up to International Women’s Day (March 8th), I’m introducing a personal story each day, from one of my friends who has faced bias – in the form of misogyny, racism, sexual discrimination, or just plain negative stereotypes that they fought against.