Dave, a hoodie, and a very cranky cockatoo

On a stormy Perth night a few weeks back, Dave took Spud (the dog) for his evening walk.

On the way, they came across a cockatoo looking worse for wear — not flying away, struggling to eat, hanging out far too close to the footpath.

So Dave, channelling his inner Steve Irwin (but armed only with a hoodie), decides to scoop it up and get it to a vet.

The cockatoo… was not impressed.

It thanked him by taking a solid chunk out of his finger.

Cue: emergency vet in Yokine for the bird, and St John’s Osborne Park for Dave.

He walked away with antibiotics, a tetanus shot, a $200 bill, and the satisfaction of doing a good deed

A few weeks later, we got an update.

The cockatoo hadn’t broken any bones, but it did have a concussion and was sent to Perth Zoo for rehab.

So Dave is now looking at volunteering with the wildlife organisation that took it in.

And as he edges closer to 60, we’ve been talking more about what retirement — or rather, the next chapter — could look like.

So where’s the lesson in all this for you?

• Sometimes, a setback isn’t permanent. You might feel grounded, but with the right rehab you can get back in the air.
• Injured ≠ incapable. Too often, professionals (and employers) mistake temporary knocks for permanent limitations.
• Your next chapter doesn’t have to look like the last. It can be completely different — and more meaningful.

So if you’ve recently smacked into a metaphorical window — redundancy, rejection, career knock — maybe you don’t need to clip your wings.

You might just need some rest, the right support, and the courage to try again.

~Lisa

Your Q&A

1000-word ATS limit?

Hi Lisa,

I have an ATS (applicant tracking system) question, and I wanted to check with you. I recently went to an online job search session where the presenter said resumes have a 1000-word limit for ATS.

Have you heard of this before? Do ATS systems actually have a word limit?

Amy

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Hi Amy,

I hate that people keep peddling this nonsense.

Here’s the deal: Resumix — the dinosaur of applicant tracking systems, born in 1988 and retired long ago — did have some word limits.

But today’s ATS?

They’re not sitting there with a red pen counting your every word.

So no, there is no magical 1000-word ceiling where the system spits your resume back out with a “Sorry, try again” stamp.

That’s a myth.

Now, does that mean you should write the next Game of Thrones on your resume? Absolutely not.

Hiring managers aren’t judging you by word count, but by whether they can actually skim and understand your skills without needing a strong coffee and a nap.

So keep it concise, keep it clear, and forget the urban legends.

Thanks for writing in.

~Lisa​