My 7-year-old is now more organised than most professionals

I cracked again last week.

With parenting. Specifically, the daily management of tasks my 7-year-old needs to do each day.

So, I enlisted help.
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Enter: Joon — a glorified to-do list disguised as a game because, apparently, if there aren’t magical creatures or power-ups involved, nothing gets done.

This will be the fourth “system” I’ve put in place over the years.

For now, it’s working.

The nagging has calmed. I haven’t had to ask “Did you brush your teeth?” 47 times before 8am. He gets XP, I get peace. It’s the closest I’ve come to outsourcing parenting, and honestly, I’m not mad about it.

But this isn’t really about my kid.

It’s about you (or your job campaign, rather).

Because here’s what I know:

I’m constantly telling professionals to track their progress.

Like, every. single. week.

You’re not getting interviews? First thing I ask:

“Do you have a job tracker?”

Cue the awkward silence.

Then it’s my favourite homework assignment:

• Choose a tracker (online, spreadsheet or old-school pen/paper)
• Backdate it with jobs you’ve applied for in the last month or two
• Track what you sent, when, to who, and what happened next

Why?

Because when you can see what’s happening (or not happening), you stop feeling like it’s a giant, soul-crushing black hole.

And just like Joon helps my kid remember to feed the dog and make his bed, a job tracker helps you tell someone like me what you applied for, who ghosted you, and who might actually be worth a nudge.

It’s not sexy. But it’s effective at actively managing your job campaign.

No magic required — though if someone wants to build a Joon-style tracker that throws confetti every time you submit an application, I’m all in.

~Lisa

Your Q&A

I Want to Move Back to Australia

Hi Lisa,

I’m currently the COO of a tech company in Singapore, and I’m exploring a move back to Australia — I worked there years ago but didn’t take up PR. I’ve applied for roles a couple of times over the past year without much luck. The two key barriers I’m facing are:

1. Needing visa sponsorship
2. A now-dormant Australian network

I’m a senior generalist in tech — strong in partnerships and leadership — but I don’t have niche or technical skills that are typically flagged as “in-demand.” What I do bring is deep experience across Southeast and South Asia, and a track record in leading regional teams and scaling operations.

I’ve seen how large organisations handle international recruitment firsthand. At Accenture Melbourne, I joined a Telstra project where dozens of people were relocated due to talent gaps. Later, Meta hired and relocated me across Sri Lanka, India, and then Singapore. So I know the process is possible when there’s a need and volume.

I’m now looking for support with reconnecting to the right people — recruiters, headhunters, talent teams — ideally in larger firms like Accenture, Infosys, TCS, Atlassian, Canva, etc. I’d start virtually from Singapore but am open to a short trip over when timing makes sense. I’m also flexible on role level — happy to step into a mid-level position if it helps me land the move.

Is this something you help clients with?

Thanks,
Yas

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Hi Yas,

I want to be transparent: the kind of support you’re looking for — particularly around building connections with recruiters or talent teams who might be open to international candidates needing sponsorship — is outside the scope of what I offer.

I don’t broker introductions or work with clients on international relocation strategies, especially in cases where there isn’t a clearly defined visa pathway already in play.

You’re right that global hiring can happen, especially when there’s high demand and volume.

But the market in Australia has changed a lot since you were last here (yes, I peeked at your LI profile).

Roles that typically lead to employer-sponsored visas — through big companies such as Accenture or Infosys — are usually tied to specialised technical skills currently in shortage (e.g. cloud architecture, cybersecurity, ERP systems, software engineering, etc.).

Your expertise sits more in strategic partnerships and ecosystem building — valuable work, but not typically the focus of bulk recruitment or offshore hiring efforts.

And while networking is absolutely powerful, it’s not a replacement for a sponsorship-ready skillset. At best, it would be a long-term play — and even then, there’s no guarantee it would lead to an outcome.

I’d encourage you to explore more targeted options:

• Look into executive-level roles in the NT (currently showing on the skills shortlist)
• Speak with a registered migration agent about skilled visa pathways
• Investigate roles with the big 4 consulting firms in Singapore and see if you can carve out an opportunity to move to Australia as an existing employee

I wish you all the best with your plans — but I wouldn’t feel right offering a service that I know won’t give you what you’re really after.

Thanks for Reading

~Lisa​