I’m Finally Ready to Tell This Story

Hi Reader,

A couple of months ago, I landed my face on the six o’clock news.

Within minutes, people started sliding into my messages:

“Saw you on the telly!”

A friend said the story “felt rushed”.

Another was even more generous:

“You spoke really well, but meh. It was basically a plug for trades. Yawn.”

Brutal.

Also, fair.

The interview wasn’t the greatest piece of television ever produced. But the interesting part happened before I went anywhere near a camera.

The pitch came from an interview I did with one of our journalism students. Students were worried AI would wipe out their job prospects before they had even graduated.

Before sending it to Nine, I did the sensible checks. I confirmed I could speak to the media. The student was comfortable with her story being used. Her lecturer knew about the pitch.

So far, so good.

Then the fear department arrived.

This was a terrible idea.

It could go sideways.

It could cost me my job.

Do not speak to the media.

Now, I don’t believe every risk is worth taking. Jumping out of planes and buying crypto because some guy on TikTok owns a rented Lamborghini remain firmly off my list.

But my career has been built on calculated risks.

I check the downside. I get permission. Then, sometimes, I do the uncomfortable thing anyway.

Still, the warnings got into my head.

The story was originally meant for the 4pm news: me sitting on a couch with a few students.

Instead, it was picked up for the 6pm bulletin and promoted heavily.

The story aired.

And yes, it was choppy.

Mostly because it wasn’t quite the story I had pitched.

My pitch was simple: sure, go with the sensationalised frightening claims about AI-driven mass unemployment, then show that the early evidence was already calling BS on them.

Graduate employment was still healthy. The Australian data was not showing an immediate jobs apocalypse.

The message for students was meant to be:

Yes, the labour market is changing.

No, your degree has not suddenly become decorative wallpaper.

And if you are worried, speak to a career professional rather than building your future around a dramatic quote from a tech billionaire.

What aired was big unemployment numbers, a sledge at universities, and a cheerful ending about how we all need to become tradies.

Which made my line — “You don’t need to go to university to be successful” — land awkwardly.

I work for a university.

It sounded less like sensible career advice and more like I had wandered onto campus to personally discourage enrolments.

So, what happened after it aired?

Professionally?

Nothing.

No dramatic meeting.

No cardboard box.

A few academics told me they were proud of me. The internal verdict was that the story “wasn’t ideal”.

But personally, I fell apart.

Not because strangers thought the story was average. I can handle that.

It was because I had been told to bury the story. Leave it alone. Do not speak to the media about it again.

So I didn’t.

I haven’t spoken about what happened behind the scenes because I wasn’t ready to.

There is more to the story than I’m going to share here. But nothing terrible actually happened. Yet the fear mongering flattened me anyway.

And that is what fear does.

It turns one imperfect outcome into evidence you should never take another risk.

Which brings me to last week.

I pitched another television producer.

Her response?

“It’s an instant yes from me.”

That does not mean the segment will happen. Television is television.

But the first interview made the second pitch easier. It showed I could handle a camera and turn up prepared.

The first story was not perfect.

It was proof.

And that is the problem with demanding certainty before taking a professional risk.

You rarely get it.

Sometimes you do the checks, stay in your lane, prepare properly — and still lose control of the final edit.

You get what you get.

But sometimes the imperfect opportunity is the one that makes the next opportunity possible.

Even if it comes with a slightly awkward plug for trades.

~Lisa

Your Q&A

Four Interviews and Now a Two-Hour Test!

Hi Lisa,

I’m interviewing for an IT Security & Compliance Lead role. I’ve just completed my fourth round of interviews and have been told I now need to complete a 2-hr security technical assessment that mimics real-world security scenarios. Can you give me some advice on how to prepare for this type of assessment?

Tom

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Hi Tom,

Four interviews and now a two-hour technical assessment?

At this point, they may as well issue you a staff pass.

If you haven’t done so, before you start revising every cybersecurity concept ever invented, ask the recruiter what you’re walking into:

• Will it be multiple-choice, written scenarios, coding or hands-on exercises?
• Which competencies will it assess?
• Can you use reference materials?
• Will it be timed, webcam-monitored, or completed live?

You’re not being difficult. You’re trying to prepare, and you need this information to practice.

Good luck!

Thanks for writing in.

~Lisa

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This information is for general purposes and doesn’t consider your individual circumstances. It serves educational goals and isn’t formal career advice. Always seek personalised guidance tailored to your needs.

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