Lois

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About Lois Keay-Smith

Lois is a career counsellor, coach and facilitator with over 18 years' experience in leading groups and individuals through the process of career discovery. Consulting to leaders in sport, corporate and for-purpose organisations, she loves nothing more than helping you light a fire and have a passion for your work. Lois is Masters qualified (Career Development), Author of "Make Your Move" and a Churchill Fellowship recipient (2019) for career reinventions after cancer.

Thinking of who you help, helps you.

Each day, I would record a stock report on radio when I worked for ASX as a Corporate Relations Officer, in the early nineties. Often, I would also do the midday live cross to ABC Regional Radio, reading out a long list of share prices. I would get a little nervous doing this, as it [...]

2021-02-26T10:03:07+08:00February, 25th 2021|

Panel “Pin-Ups”- Top Tips for Interview Success

In my role as a career transition coach as a career coach and mentor, I’m often helping people in career transition gear themselves up for job searching and interviews. For some, an interview hasn’t been attended for many years, or a panel interview is a new experience. As you rise in seniority or apply for [...]

2021-02-12T15:53:33+08:00February, 12th 2021|

Throwing mud at the career wall..?

I find sometimes when clients are looking for a new role, or even exploring a new career, there's a sense that if they metaphorically throw enough mud at the wall, some of it just might stick. In the search for a new career, this can translate into sending in a dizzying amount of applications (some [...]

2023-04-05T14:50:58+08:00November, 15th 2020|

There’s always a clean, new page, waiting for you.

Cleaning out my cupboards recently, I came across a pile of old notebooks. The ones that have mostly inane scribbles of ideas in them - hmm, surely nothing much of value there so could probably toss them?! But then again, there might be some private stuff in there so perhaps I should rip off the [...]

2021-01-29T09:02:29+08:00November, 15th 2020|

Too many are feeling “….unappreciated, Al !”

A favourite action film of mine, “Die Hard” with Bruce Willis, has a litany of great one-liners. One in particular that makes me chuckle is when John McClane is talking to Sgt Al Powell, the Twinkie eating policeman, outside in the grounds of the Nakatomi building. He expresses over the 2-way radio that he is [...]

2018-06-21T15:00:20+08:00June, 4th 2018|

When push comes to shove – career transition

When I worked with professional rugby players as a career consultant, there was an understanding by the players that in the not too distant future (from mere months, to possibly over a decade) there would be a need to transition to a new career. My work with people who find themselves in a jobless situation [...]

2018-06-21T14:59:22+08:00May, 21st 2018|

Plan, or Pipedream?

When I chat to people about the concept of finding and following their passions, some are dubious or downright indignant – “but you need to work to eat, not run around having fun!” (or words to that effect).  There are also often comments about it being “hard work” or that you have to be “very lucky” [...]

2018-06-21T16:24:20+08:00March, 14th 2018|

Pushing Out the Comfort Zones

One step at a time... In developing your career, often development is synonymous with growth – and growth, with discomfort.  Just like youthful “growing pains”, any personal growth can be uncomfortable and force us to endure new experiences that are unknown or simply go against the grain of our upbringing and perhaps individual personality. The thing [...]

2018-06-21T16:20:50+08:00March, 6th 2018|

Asking for Directions

Have you ever been on holiday in another country, or for that matter, just been outside your familiar home territory and then realised that you are well and truly lost? Whether you didn’t have a map with you, or just had no clue as to your position on the map, you finally concede that you [...]

2018-07-12T12:58:37+08:00February, 28th 2018|

Pitch Yourself – at Interview

Congratulations! If you have been called for an interview for a job, it means that you have passed the first hurdle. ”On paper” (your CV and application letter) it appears that you satisfy the criteria for the role. The purpose of the interview is to meet in person (or over the phone, or Skype / [...]

2018-07-12T12:40:54+08:00January, 2nd 2018|