Career Confidence

The job market is changing fast.

More people are applying. AI is increasingly being used to filter applications. New roles are emerging. And some incredibly capable women are finding themselves applying for opportunities they could absolutely do, but never even making it to interview.

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✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

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📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

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Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Lou Compagnone:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/

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Connect with Adair Robins:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adair-robins/

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So what actually gets you seen?

In this episode, Georgie Hubbard and Lou Compagnoni are joined by Adair, a transformation and diversity leader who has spent much of her career working across technology and helping more women build and sustain careers in the industry.

Adair shares her own experience of applying for roles and hearing very little back, until someone in her network referred her. Suddenly, the process moved incredibly quickly.

It’s a powerful reminder that in today’s market, your experience matters, your CV matters, but so does who knows you, what they know you for and whether you’ve built relationships before you need them.

The conversation also explores why women are leaving technical careers at a higher rate than men, what AI means for women returning from career breaks, why flexibility still matters, and the growing opportunity for women to step into emerging AI and transformation roles.

In this episode:

Why women are leaving highly technical careers at almost twice the rate of men during mid-career

Why age 40 is such a critical point for women working in technology

What happens when career progression collides with caring responsibilities

Why organisations that want more women need to rethink flexibility, hiring and workplace culture

How quickly technology and AI can change while someone is on parental or carers leave

Why structured reskilling can rebuild confidence after a career break

Why some of the most exciting new AI roles require far more than traditional technical skills

Why brilliant women are still being overlooked for emerging AI leadership opportunities

Why referrals and relationships can dramatically change your job search

Georgie’s experience receiving almost 600 applications for a single role

Why relying solely on job boards is becoming an increasingly difficult strategy

How to network without becoming someone you’re not

Why LinkedIn visibility and personal brand matter more in an AI-driven hiring market

How to use AI to improve your CV without removing the stories, personality and impact that make you different

Why continual learning needs to become part of your career strategy, regardless of your role

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation?

Opportunities come through people, not job boards.

You don’t need hundreds of transactional connections or to spend every night at networking events.

Start with the people already around you. Former managers. Colleagues. Clients. Stakeholders. People you’ve enjoyed working with throughout your career.

Stay connected. Share what you’re working on. Be visible. Help people understand where you’re heading next.

Because your network shouldn’t be something you start building when you suddenly need a job.

It’s career currency you build long before you need to spend it.

With Confidence

Georgie 💜

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Resources mentioned

Back in the Code — Cohort 2
A full-day agentic engineering course taught by some of Australia’s best engineers, designed for parents currently on or recently returned from parental leave.
Melbourne, 24 September: https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_ai_course_cohort2

Back in the Code — Future Cohort Waitlist
Register your interest for future cohorts:
https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_engineering_waitlist_form

Tech Careers Hotline Podcast
Featuring women in tech and their career stories:
https://techcouncil.com.au/tech-careers-hotline-podcast/

Women in Highly Technical Work Report
Tech Council of Australia research on the pipeline and retention of women in highly technical careers:
https://techcouncil.com.au/research/

You don't need to be the loudest voice in the room to build a powerful career. You just need to know what you bring, and make sure the right people can find you.

___________

✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

___________

📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

___________

Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Maryanne Thomas:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryannethomas/

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This episode is for every senior woman who's been keeping her head down doing excellent work and hoping that's enough. For every woman who knows she should be networking but doesn't know where to start. For every woman who's terrified of putting herself out there on LinkedIn because she doesn't want to look like she's showing off.

Maryanne has spent her career jumping before she was ready. From Queensland to Melbourne. From no tech experience to leading transformation programs at Origin Energy and now in retail. From staying invisible to posting on LinkedIn every week, even when it terrified her. From letting her network slip to building it with intention. And from hoping someone would notice her work to making sure the right people know exactly what she brings.

This conversation is about the three things senior women need to focus on right now if they want to stay relevant, visible, and in demand: network, brand, and value. It's about why the old playbook of working hard and waiting to be noticed doesn't work anymore. It's about why networking as a woman doesn't have to look like the male version. And it's about the mindset shift that changes everything: you don't need to be perfect, you just need to start.

Maryanne shares how she's using AI to build her personal brand without losing her voice. Why she moved to 80% work to be there for her daughter starting prep, and how she's teaching her to be willful, not quiet. Why she signed up for cold water swimming in winter to challenge herself. And the one thing she wishes she'd done earlier in her career: build her network before she needed it.

If you've been waiting for permission to start building your visibility, this is it.

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In This Episode:

🟣 Why Maryanne has always jumped before she was ready, and how that's shaped her entire career

🟣 From Queensland to Melbourne, from no tech degree to leading digital transformation at Origin Energy

🟣 The three things senior women need to focus on right now: network, brand, and value

🟣 Why Maryanne didn't build her network well enough early on, and what she's doing differently now

🟣 How she's using AI to build her personal brand on LinkedIn, even though social media terrified her

🟣 Why she started posting on LinkedIn this year as her personal challenge, and how it's made her a better storyteller

🟣 The leadership skills that matter most right now: empathy, trust, and the courage to call out what's not working

🟣 Why doing more with less is the reality for every leader right now, and how to navigate that without burning out your team

🟣 How AI is being used in retail to solve inventory problems, and why clean data is the foundation

🟣 Why half of the internet is now created by AI, and what that means for women in tech

🟣 How Maryanne is teaching her six year old daughter to be willful, not quiet, and why that matters

🟣 Why networking as a woman doesn't have to look like the male version, and the WhatsApp group strategy that works

🟣 What Maryanne is doing to stay ahead of the AI era without getting overwhelmed

🟣 The mindset shift from hoping someone will notice your work to making sure the right people know exactly what you bring

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If this episode resonated with you, reach out to Maryanne on LinkedIn. Let her know your biggest takeaway.

The women who get chosen aren't always the most experienced. They're the ones who are visible, connected, and clear on what they bring.

The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you.

Georgie 💜

You don't need to be technical to break into AI. You need to understand what makes you irreplaceable.

___________

✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

___________

📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

___________

Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Connect with Lou Compagnone:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/

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Only 1 in 5 AI leadership roles are held by women. Only 13% of women hold C-suite roles in AI, across 27 countries. We're still chasing our tail on the gender pay gap, still fighting for more women in leadership, and now AI is reshaping the entire workforce with women's voices dangerously underrepresented before the wave has even properly started.

This episode is for every woman who's applied for AI roles and heard nothing back. For every woman who thinks she's too far behind, or not technical enough, or doesn't have the right experience. For every woman who's kept her head down doing excellent work and hoped that would be enough.

It's not enough anymore. The old playbook doesn't work. The women who get chosen for AI roles aren't always the most technical. They're the ones who are visible, connected, and strategic. They understand AI is a people problem, not just a technology problem.

Lou and I catch up after a few weeks apart. She's just back from Stanford, where she completed the AI-Powered Organisation course. I'm back from the UK, where I noticed something striking: AI is everywhere. My parents are using it. My nan is using it. And my brother, a professional golfer with zero technical experience, built himself a website using Claude in three hours flat. He then built one for the new owners of his golf club too, made himself impossible to overlook, and he's now in discussions about a promotion.

This conversation is about what happens when you stop waiting to feel ready and start positioning yourself for what's next. Why the most successful AI agent at Stanford wasn't built by the most technical person in the room. Why hurt people hurt people, and how Lou handles the trolling that comes with being a woman speaking publicly about AI. And the one mindset shift that changes everything. Don't try to become someone else. Add AI to what you already know.

If you've been waiting for permission to start, this is it.

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In This Episode:

🟣 Why only 13% of women hold C-suite roles in AI across 27 countries, and what that means for the future of work

🟣 Lou's experience at Stanford: the AI-Powered Organisation course, and why transformation matters more than technology

🟣 The woman who won the AI agent challenge wasn't the most technical. She was the one who understood the problem.

🟣 Why Lou got trolled online for talking about AI as a transformation role, and how to handle being a woman in the public eye

🟣 Georgie's brother: a pro golfer with zero tech experience who built a website in three hours and positioned himself for a promotion

🟣 Why AI is everywhere in the UK and the US, but Australia is still catching up

🟣 The disconnect between companies hiring for AI roles and not knowing what they actually need

🟣 Why women are finding it harder to break into AI roles, and what you can do about it right now

🟣 How to disrupt yourself before you're disrupted: the one question you need to ask yourself today

🟣 Why technical people are feeling threatened, and what that means for women entering the AI space

🟣 The mindset shift: don't try to become someone else. Add AI to what you already know.

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If this episode gave you a takeaway, tell us about it on LinkedIn. The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you.

With confidence,

Georgie 💜

After 12 years in recruitment, I can tell you this: I have never seen a job market quite like this one. And the women who get chosen aren't the ones waiting for things to settle. They're the ones reading the shift early and positioning themselves before the market does it for them.

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✨ Apply for the 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator ✨

Learn more here 👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

___________

This episode is for every woman who's been applying for roles and hearing nothing back. For every woman who's wondering why her experience isn't translating into interviews. For every woman who's starting to feel like the old playbook doesn't work anymore.

Because it doesn't.

The old way was simple: apply online, send your CV, wait for the call. The new way requires something different. You need to be easy to find. Easy to understand. Easy to remember. And easy to choose.

In this episode, I break down exactly what's working in the market right now. Why applying online isn't enough. Why your LinkedIn profile needs to be searchable, not just presentable. Why your CV needs to be tailored to every single role, not just updated. And why your network is the most valuable career asset you have, whether you're actively looking or not.

I also share the new rules that matter: get explicitly clear on what you want, position yourself for those roles, package yourself correctly on LinkedIn and your CV, activate your network before you need it, and show up visibly so the right people can find you.

This isn't about doing more. It's about doing the right things strategically. And if you've been keeping your head down doing excellent work and hoping that's enough, this episode will show you exactly what's missing.

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📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com

___________

Connect with Georgie:

🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/

🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard

♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

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Chapters

00:00 The market has changed, and what that means for you

00:23 Why this episode is unfiltered

01:25 Three weeks in the UK, family, and the value of stepping away

03:06 What women have been saying since Georgie got back

03:41 Twelve years recruiting, and a market she has never seen before

04:16 Inside organisations right now: hiring on pause, AI investment, slower decisions

06:34 What used to work, and why it stopped working

06:50 Why your application is not reaching a human

08:33 Rule one: get explicitly clear on what you want next

10:17 Rule two: position yourself for the role you want, not the one you have had

11:22 Rule three: a CV tailored to the job, not your entire history

12:17 Rule four: activate your network before you need it

13:19 Rule five: visibility, and the shift from SEO to AEO

15:16 Easy to find, easy to understand, easy to remember, easy to choose

15:40 The CV test: so what? What changed because you were there?

17:12 LinkedIn is prime real estate: headline, about, skills, activity

19:01 One coffee a week, and why you should never ignore a recruiter

20:01 Nobody is thinking about your post as much as you are

20:45 Interviews: you can always tell who prepared

23:00 Do not wait until you are desperate

23:44 What happens inside Bold Moves

26:20 Final thought, and what is coming next on the podcast

What you'll take away

The market changed, and it is not your fault. Fewer roles, more competition, and organisations taking far longer to decide.

Clarity comes first. You cannot position yourself for something you have not named. Most women can list what they do not want. Far fewer can say what they do.

Your LinkedIn is optimised for the roles you want, not the roles you have had. If it reflects your past, you will keep attracting your past.

Every line on your CV has to answer "so what?" Responsibilities are what everyone lists. Outcomes are what get you shortlisted.

Build the relationship before you need it. One coffee a week with a recruiter, an old colleague or a former manager.

Visibility is an investment, not showing off. AI models pull from LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit and Wikipedia. Being findable now is what makes you findable later.

with confidence

Georgie 💜

AI certifications from Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Harvard and 20 other providers, 36 of them completely free, with a certificate you can put on your LinkedIn.

Get the full list → https://www.georgiehubbard.com/ai-courses

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Georgie and Lou are taking a short break from AI Ready Women. Georgie's back in the UK with family and Lou is travelling for work, and they'll be back on the mic together again soon. Rather than go quiet, they've left you the library. Georgie sends to senior women who know they need to get current on AI and have no idea where to start.

Don't start with 45. Start with three.

Georgie's shortlist — about seven hours all in:

1. Generative AI Explained (NVIDIA) — one hour, no code, free digital badge at the end. The fastest way to stop feeling behind.

2. Career Essentials in Generative AI (Microsoft & LinkedIn) — three to four hours. This certificate posts straight to your LinkedIn profile, where recruiters are actually looking.

3. AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations (Anthropic) — three hours. Built for women who lead teams rather than build things. How to make AI decisions, not how to write code.

One honest note: 36 of the 45 are completely free with a certificate. The rest are free to study but charge for the certificate — they're marked on the page.

Why this matters more than it sounds like it should

This isn't about becoming a data scientist.

After 12 years inside recruitment, the pattern Georgie sees is this: the women who get approached for the roles that matter are not the most technical women in the room. They're the most legible ones, the women whose profile makes it obvious, in seconds, that they've kept up.

A named certificate does that before anyone has read a single line of your experience.

So pick one. Start it this week. Let confidence catch up.

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🎓 The AI course library — 45 certifications, 36 free

👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/ai-courses

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✨ Bold Move Career Accelerator — eight weeks, small cohort, for senior women ready to make the move rather than read about it

👉 https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

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📚 The Bold Move (the book)

👉 https://www.theboldmovebook.com

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One thing before you go.

If this series has been useful, the single best thing you can do while we're away is send this episode to one woman who's been putting off getting to grips with AI. Not a list. One woman. You'll know who she is.

Back soon, with some phenomenal guests lined up.

Georgie 💜