I shared fresh stories from last night’s IABC Queensland event where I road-tested my Work Fame concept—no slides, just prompts, energy, and a few spicy truths about standing out.
In this episode
• The serendipity start: rocking up to u&u Recruitment on Queen Street and reuniting with Erica Brush—we played state school netball together at 15 (Met West, Roma!).
• The recruiter reality check:
• 9 out of 10 jobs aren’t advertised—your reputation does the heavy lifting.
• When roles are posted? Hundreds of applicants. You need a pattern interrupt to be seen.
• My quarter-life crisis story: leaving Accenture dreams for a Wicked Campers marketing role (with zero marketing experience).
• The bold move: in 2008, my best friend Camilla and I filmed a two-part mini-doco in a Wicked van, played Volume 1 at her interview and Volume 2 at mine…
• The twist: one job on offer; they hired both of us.
• The takeaway: be memorable on purpose—create assets, don’t just submit applications.Key ideas
• Work Fame > Waiting: If 90% of roles are filled off-market, your visibility is your CV.
• Pattern Interrupt: Show, don’t tell. Bring a demo, a short video, a mock, a pilot.
• Create demand: Sometimes the role you want doesn’t exist—until you make it obvious it should.
• Belong or be bold: Safe blends in. Bold gets callbacks.Try this this week
• Pick one upcoming opportunity (pitch, interview, intro call). Add one memorable artifact: a 60-second loom, a sketched storyboard, a simple landing page, or a one-pager with a before/after. Make them say, “We could use this.”Links & mentions
• IABC Queensland (event host shout-out)
• u&u Recruitment (venue host + Erica, the surprise reunion)
• Wicked Campers story (the two-video gambit that turned one role into two)
*New* You're invited to join Leanne's free community, Work Fame. (https://www.workfa.me/)
Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com
P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help:
1. Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel:Â Let's energise your next event. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9RyOeXZfW4)
2. Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint (https://2hourwork.shop/) .Â
Let's connect on all the channels:
Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannehughes/)
Leanne Hughes on Instagram (https://instagram.com/leannehughes)
Visit my website: leannehughes.com (https://www.leannehughes.com)
Email me: hello@leannehughes.com
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