Networking Doesn’t Have to Be Cringe - Here’s What to Do Instead with Carrie Johnston of The Comms Connector
Carrie Johnston has spent two decades helping communications professionals land roles they never thought they could get - and now she’s bringing that same “look beyond the resume” lens to her consultancy, The Comms Connector. In this episode, Carrie and Emily unpack what actually moves the needle in comms careers right now: storytelling, writing, networking, and a LinkedIn presence that doesn’t hide behind “people already know me.”
They also get real about AI - why it’s a powerful tool and a fast track to reputation damage if you don’t fact-check - plus what supportive workplaces should look like when life hits hard.
Why the “obvious candidate” isn’t always the best candidate
The two most memorable hires Carrie’s ever made - and why they worked
How comms skills translate into leadership, advocacy, and even CEO paths
The resume truth: facts, measurable wins, and no fluff
Why LinkedIn matters more than your resume (yes, even for CEOs)
The dangerous mindset of “people already know who I am”
AI in comms: where it helps, where it hurts, and why writing tests are coming back
A simple networking habit that compounds fast (and most people still avoid)
Supporting women at work - beyond policies that just “tick a box”
Rapid fire: most underrated career skill, worst interview question, and the LinkedIn trend Carrie loves
Carrie’s message is simple: your career doesn’t move forward because you “deserve it” - it moves when you show your story clearly, sharpen your writing, and stay in motion.
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This episode wouldn’t happen without Rita Williams, our producer, coordinator, and virtual assistant. If you want someone sharp and reliable in your corner, connect with Rita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rita-williams-smma/
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women in business, female founder podcast, communications careers, corporate communications, corporate affairs, PR careers, media relations, crisis communications, issues management, reputation management, LinkedIn personal brand, LinkedIn profile tips, LinkedIn for job seekers, networking advice, career pivot, transferable skills, storytelling in business, writing skills, writing in communications, writing assessment, AI in communications, AI fact checking, misinformation risk, executive communications, communications coaching, resume tips, measurable achievements, career mentor, comms graduate advice, job search strategy, career growth tips, recruitment insights, hiring manager perspective, connecting with people, relationship building, stakeholder management, stakeholder mapping, advocacy roles, journalist to in-house comms, government to corporate, FMCG communications, Taronga Zoo communications, burnout prevention, workplace flexibility, women and leadership, grief support at work, bereavement policy, human-first management, career confidence, professional visibility, comment strategy on LinkedIn, community building, thought leadership, personal narrative, career intuition, building credibility online, comms industry Australia, Sydney careers, women in corporate, job hunting in 2026, career resilience, leadership communication
Transcript:
Emily Jean (00:00)
I put forward someone who had worked most of her career on government, spent seven years with Parliament, New South Wales, and I was chatting with the hiring manager. He actually just said to me very bluntly, Carrie, you need to explain yourself here. I just don't see, you know, I gave my reasons why, and anyway, she came out on top and she's still there nearly five years later.
I spoke to someone yesterday who told me they used AI recently for a case study and they didn't fact check it, they didn't verify it and they sent it to the CEO and the information was wrong. You've got to really be careful. It could lead to issues with reputation and brands. Your LinkedIn is your digital story. It's your narrative. It is your voice. And I'm still hearing people say, I've been doing this for so long. People know who I am. That mindset.
is dangerous. Outside of LinkedIn or maybe even as it applies to LinkedIn, is there one piece of career advice that you give, you find yourself giving often, but people are resistant to hearing? ⁓
Emily Jean (01:04)
welcome to or welcome back to Founders in Jeans. I'm your host, Emily Jean. And before we get into the episode, I just want to say a huge thank you so much for listening to my podcast.
I also wanted to say that if you enjoy the show, feel free to leave a review on Spotify or Apple, wherever you're listening to this, and also to follow us. You can follow us on Spotify, of course. You can follow us on Instagram at Founders in Jeans You can also find me on Instagram at Emily.Jeans.
or you can look me up on LinkedIn. I'm always happy to connect with people on there and I have a lot of good conversations from listeners. Also, you can always leave a bad review for us. I'm totally fine with that. And in fact, I think that's exciting. I would love to know what we can do to improve. So you can also leave comments below and let me know what you enjoyed, what you didn't enjoy. I actually do read every single one.
We also have a newsletter that comes out once a week so you can get all the updates from us. also put in
some weekly business and marketing updates in there, as well as some personal notes from me. You can subscribe to that on my LinkedIn, also through the Instagram and in the show notes below. Anyways, that is all from me. I'm so excited for you to listen to this episode. I hope it's a good one and I'll chat to you soon. Bye.
Emily Jean (02:35)
Carrie Johnston of the coms connector. Welcome to Founders in Jeans I'm so excited to have you today.
Carrie Johnston (02:43)
I am so happy to be here, Emily, and to finally meet you in person.
Emily Jean (02:48)
I know, we've been connected on LinkedIn. And for those of you who follow me on LinkedIn, you will have definitely seen Carrie in my comments because she is by far my biggest supporter. And I'm so excited to have somebody on who like really, really just likes the things I post. It pleases my ego.
Carrie Johnston (03:06)
Oh, and Emily,
like just the way you keep it real and your voice as not only a woman, but a creator. You're honest, funny, and, and, know, just, yeah, I'm honored to be here and yeah, I'm looking forward to this podcast and
⁓ it's, this is what it's all about helping people, connecting people. And yeah, I look forward to, ⁓ you know, diving into the communications, you know, careers, challenges and, you know, myths, truths, let's just go for it. So you can ask away.
Emily Jean (03:52)
Yeah, yeah.
Great. Well, first of all, for people who don't know you, why don't you give a little bit of a background about yourself?
Carrie Johnston (04:00)
Okay. My name's Carrie Johnston. I recently launched a communications consultancy called the comms connector after, gosh, two decades working in house in mostly corporate roles. I actually started in recruitment agency side.
before moving in-house, I've worked for companies which include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland. I just didn't in MasterChef Australia season two in there. probably, yeah, nine years ago, I joined a boutique corporate affairs agency in Australia.
And really identified, I suppose, my passion has always been in helping people see their potential, realize it and give them tools to, you know, just get where they want to go. And that's what I'm doing now. I was born in the US and I transferred to Sydney University.
in my final year as I studied political science and international and government relations. So that was a long time ago and I've called Sydney home ever since.
Emily Jean (05:14)
So we're both Sydney transplants from America.
Carrie Johnston (05:16)
We are. Yes. Yes.
And I do know where San Luis Obispo is. Yeah. And I said it. Did I say it correctly? Okay, good.
Emily Jean (05:21)
Perfect. Perfect. Good. You're the best guest by far. Yes, you did. You did. Yes.
Yeah. Even my boyfriend gets it wrong. you have described yourself as a connector of people and opportunities. What does that actually mean in your day-to-day work?
Carrie Johnston (05:31)
Yeah.
So no two days are the same, but I spend most of my time listening to people, listening to their pain points, whether it's convincing a hiring manager to just look beyond someone's resume because while they may not look like the obvious match for the job on paper, there's so much more to...
someone's ability and skill set than what's sometimes in front of someone reading a resume. You know, and the next day I might be talking to a job seeker who may not have considered a certain industry or may not have considered how their skills could be applied to something different. And so for me, those kind of meaningful connections, it's not just recruitment, but it's about
positioning people for opportunities. It's about helping them get clarity on what they want and bringing communications professionals together who may not have otherwise met. that to me is what connection's all about. So recruitment's just one part of it. But then there's the coaching people.
And asking the tough questions, know, asking really tough questions sometimes and, and, you know, pushing people to realize, okay, you know, if you want, if you want something, you know, you can do it. It might not be easy. You know, you might upset people along the way. but those are real connections. And, and I, you know, I think.
It's very important as a communications professional to listen, to listen, to listen. And yeah, that's what I do every day. Just listen, listen, listen. And then from there, I put the dots together and can make really exciting things happen between people who...
you know, may not have met without me.
Emily Jean (07:31)
Hmm, yeah. You said that recruitment is a small part and I totally respect and understand that. But you've also been in this field for two decades. What kind of brought you into recruitment in the first place and why have you stayed in it for so long?
Carrie Johnston (07:50)
That's a good question. So my, my dream when I started university and before moving to Australia was to go to Georgetown, do law and work on the Hill as a political advisor, which is not just similar to recruitment. So I found myself staying in Australia.
⁓ I started working for a company. It was, ⁓ an affiliate company that helped international students, with work placements in Sydney. And then once I secured my permanent residency, I was referred to a recruiter, an agency recruiter, just to get some career advice and where could I apply my qualifications.
And she said, have you ever thought about recruitment? And I had no idea. And she said, I think you'd be great. Why don't you come and work for us? And this is going back. Some people will remember back in the day with temp desks. And so the owner of the agency said, look, we have a real gap here. You we really need to get this temp desk.
Emily Jean (08:45)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (08:53)
operating and we need someone to really connect with the temporary staff and the clients. And she set me some targets of how she wanted to see the revenue coming in. And I think I exceeded it by three within a month.
Emily Jean (09:07)
Wow.
Carrie Johnston (09:07)
And I loved it. I just loved the diversity of people that you meet, know, solving, know, helping someone find a job, but also providing, you know, ⁓ companies with solutions. And one of my clients, headhunted me to move in house and I never looked back. I'm, I'm a career recruiter. Yes, I fell into it.
But I've chosen this path because it's what I love. Sometimes you are a politician, sometimes you are a reporter, sometimes you are a negotiator, an influencer, a mediator. It's just got everything that I'm about. Yeah.
Emily Jean (09:48)
Yeah.
You had said earlier that recruitment is the easiest part for you. So is that because it comes naturally to you or because you've been doing it for so long?
Carrie Johnston (10:01)
And when we talk, yeah, so just ⁓ on that, that's a good question. Communications recruitment. I, you know, if someone, if a client came to me and said, can you find me a head of IT? I would say, absolutely not. But I have built my career in communications, in that community, in that sector. And I've, I've got a passion for it, understanding of it.
what the challenges are, how communications professionals can leverage their experience to pursue other career avenues, if that's what they choose to do. And I love the community and I'm very embedded in it. So recruitment, is it easy? No. But for me, it's just such a small part of the actual offering.
Emily Jean (10:39)
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (10:48)
but yeah, when, now, when a client comes to me and says, Carrie, can you help me find head of media relations? I immediately start going, okay, this person reached out. and I just remember, and I've got a very, because I listened to people, what they want, what their motivations are, you know, I can quickly go, okay, I know exactly who I'm going to call.
And that for me is, yeah, that's something I do, you know, with my eyes closed.
Emily Jean (11:15)
Yeah, yeah. I love that. I think it's such an interesting like side of the industry that I don't get to talk to a lot of people about. I want to ask you, and you told me already you have some answers for this. I'm very curious to hear. What is the most surprising or memorable placement that you've ever made?
Carrie Johnston (11:23)
Yeah.
Okay, there are two and I can't split them. and both, okay, you one was about five years ago. So I'll give you an example. I won't say names just in case, but there was a very, very large global food FMCG organization that
Emily Jean (11:38)
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (11:55)
engaged me to find them a senior manager of corporate relations to work on media relations, crisis management, issues management and reputation. And the director that I was ⁓ working with, very, very senior, very well regarded in the market. And I knew he would be looking for, you know, not
Emily Jean (12:05)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (12:19)
he would be looking for someone just beyond the resume, right? And the role, the role was far more complicated in terms of finding the right person because the business had a number of franchisees that had say in how things were managed, you know, because their interests were, you know, their interests were important. So the...
Emily Jean (12:22)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (12:44)
very, very corporate job. And I put forward someone who had worked most of her career in government, spent seven years with Parliament, New South Wales, was in a government department when I approached her about this role. And she's another example on paper, probably had she applied directly would have never got past the application stage. When I
Um, presented my, my recommended list of candidates and I was chatting with the, um, the hiring manager. He actually just said to me very bluntly, Carrie, you need to explain yourself here. I just don't, I just don't see. And so coming back to connecting again, I, um, you know, I gave my reasons why, and you know, she came out on top and she's still there nearly five years later. So that was.
Emily Jean (13:19)
You
Love that.
Carrie Johnston (13:34)
It was just, I loved it. And now it's given her experience that she would have never had. And it's also given her, you know, she has now so many options if she were to ever move on that she would have never had before. And then the second one, which happened just a couple of years ago, I've done a lot of work with Taronga Zoo here in Sydney.
Emily Jean (13:35)
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (13:57)
⁓ and I did speak to them earlier and they didn't mind me mentioning this. as law, I placed Laura on a five years ago in the head of media relations role and she went on Matt leave last year. and they were really struggling to find someone with the, not only the skillset, but the people management and someone who would, you know, really just caretaker team.
Emily Jean (14:18)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (14:19)
and
care to make her role while she was gone. And Taronga had went to market. They just couldn't find someone that just ticked the important boxes. And a day after Laura asked for my help, I met a woman who was 13 years at the ABC as a journalist. Had never worked in a client side role, let alone not for profit government.
And I remember thinking, you are perfect for this job. Like you've got everything that, and even some of the editorial work that she had done at the ABC. She was across some of the stakeholders, know, the ministers that she would need to keep on side the community around Churonga, the issues, the crisis management. And so I.
I called my client and I said, please, please, please trust me and meet, Fiona. And she did and Fiona's still there. Yeah, it was great. It was great. And again, Fiona said to me, Carrie, I would have never ever got now a look in because people do have a stigma. Okay. If you stay somewhere too long or you've, you know, you've come from journalism, um, you know, you won't
know, you won't be successful, you're competing with people who've worked in-house before. Yeah, so that was those two, definitely the most memorable and really, yeah, meant a lot.
Emily Jean (15:42)
Yeah, yeah, I love that.
Such good winds. I'm sure it feels so good to hear. ⁓ So I think for people listening to this who are maybe not in the same field, what do you think makes careers in corporate communications unique compared to other fields?
Carrie Johnston (15:46)
Yeah, it does. Yeah.
I think the skill sets, the skill and the experience that you get in corporate affairs and communications can be applied to so many different areas. I've seen communications professionals go on to work in government relations roles, go on to general management roles.
Emily Jean (16:14)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (16:23)
⁓ go on to CEO roles, if that's what they want advocacy, partnerships, you know, engage community engagement. think. know, communications professionals, you know, can really, you know, break down things in a way that a lot of other professions can't and, and, and, and really help solve,
You know, corporate challenges, manage reputation, elevate brands, and they can do that in so many different ways. So I think it's, I think it's a profession that AI will never replace. think, you know, you know, organizations, companies, they're always going to need people who can advocate for them, who can tell their story, who can, you know, be, you know, thought leadership.
Emily Jean (16:50)
Right.
Carrie Johnston (17:07)
brand recognition and just it's, it's, it's a skillset. have really seen people be able to pivot into different, roles. Unlike any other profession. I think it's, I think, I think it's very interchangeable.
Emily Jean (17:20)
Absolutely, absolutely. My dad in college, he majored in communications, but only because he was playing sports. at the time, he was, I don't know if it was the same when you were at college, but he, like you had to get in line to register for what you wanted your major to be. Yeah, and he said that.
Carrie Johnston (17:40)
Yep, that was me.
Emily Jean (17:43)
communications just have the shortest line. So he was just like, and that's such an athlete, right? And so that's when he majored in in college. but later after he graduated, he was like, I actually think I chose the best major because I could do anything I wanted with it after could go anywhere out. And I think that's really true. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (17:49)
love that.
Yeah, yeah.
And I've really noticed in recent years, people who do their qualifications in communications, really attractive to potential employers, really attractive. Yeah. And so I really enjoy helping
Emily Jean (18:17)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (18:23)
You know, candidates realize, okay, if you, I had, I had a candidate last year who was working for a PR consultancy and she, she was not enjoying it. And she's like, I don't even like public relations. I don't want to talk to journalists all day. I don't want to keep doing this. I said, well, you don't have to. And then she said, well, what else am I going to do? And I said, have you thought about this? Have you thought about this? And so.
Emily Jean (18:40)
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (18:46)
I think realizing, realizing sometimes, okay, what you don't want is just as important as working at what you do want. And so she realized, okay, this is not what I want. So she started putting strategies in place to help her focus on how she could pivot. And she ended up, I saw, I actually saw a job on LinkedIn. wasn't, I wasn't representing the client.
Emily Jean (18:53)
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (19:12)
But I saw it and I sent it to her and said, this would be great for you. And she said, but I've never done that. said, well, yes, you have sort of. And we broke it down. anyway, she ended up getting the job because she put so much thought into it. And she was actually able to present herself in terms of.
Okay, yes, I've worked in the last five years in public relations and this is an advocacy role. However, this is what I bring and this is what experience is relevant. And I think that is so important. I think it's so important and she's thriving, absolutely thriving. Yeah.
Emily Jean (19:51)
I it. Love that.
I think I wanted to ask you, this is not on the outline, but I'm curious, how flexible do you think resumes are? Because I've chatted to a lot of people who they say, well, you know, I've got, I had this role and I was at this place and then I have these things that I worked on. And I think outside of how long you worked there and who you worked for and what your title is,
how you speak about what you did is fairly flexible because you can apply it in a range of different ways. Is that your opinion as well or is that just me wanting to bend the truth a little?
Carrie Johnston (20:28)
I
think the key things for a resume, obviously, your qualifications, what have you done, your key responsibilities and your key achievements, and not just fluff, actually things that can be measured that you can speak to. And it should not be a complete brain. They need to be facts.
Emily Jean (20:44)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (20:53)
you know, things that you can speak about like increased enough your social media, increase, you know, engagement on Instagram, increase followers to this, those kinds of tangibles. ⁓ But not a full, you know, book, an essay on yourself. But you can, but you can, I think that the main things is to not make, you know, you don't have to overcomplicate a resume. It's just, this is me.
Emily Jean (21:02)
Yeah. Yeah.
Right, right, of course.
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (21:18)
This is what I've done. This is where I've been for, you know, this time and this is my current role and these are my achievements. And then, you you haven't asked this, but the LinkedIn is far more important.
Emily Jean (21:31)
Yeah, yeah. Well, we're going to get into LinkedIn. So I'm going to hold off there. Lots to talk about with LinkedIn. So I want to you touched on AI a little bit. I think a lot of communications professionals are really worried about AI. What do you think are the biggest challenges that comms professionals are going to have right now and in the future? And is AI included in that?
Carrie Johnston (21:35)
Okay.
.
Hmm. I think comms professionals, particularly those just getting into the field who relied too much on AI to do their writing are going to find themselves with gaps. It's an enabler. It's not going to replace how you engage with your audience, how you profile a stakeholder.
Emily Jean (22:06)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (22:15)
how you protect reputation of an organization. And I say this, I've had this conversation that many times this week. I mean, it's great, but it's like anything. The information coming out of AI is only as good as the information going in. It's not going to, you can tell automatically, and the good...
you know, companies who are embracing it and adapting and embedding it are the ones that are leading the way. but people have to be careful. Everyone is catching on. my, you know, my experience has been particularly when assessing candidates for, for jobs, know, clients are, you know, requiring that they actually go in and sit the writing assessment because
⁓ that, that skill as a communicator is essential. It doesn't matter what level you are. And I've noticed a decline in people's written communication since AI has really kind of come at the forefront, but that is, that is getting picked up on. It is getting picked up on. And I spoke to someone yesterday who told me that.
Emily Jean (23:17)
for sure.
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (23:26)
They used AI recently for a case study and they didn't fact check it. didn't verify it and they sent it to the CEO.
Emily Jean (23:33)
Right. Right.
Carrie Johnston (23:33)
and the information was wrong.
So you've got to really be careful.
Emily Jean (23:38)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Carrie Johnston (23:40)
You've
got to really be careful. I think AI has, if not used as a tool and an enhancer of your job, it could lead to issues with reputation and brands having to explain the misinformation. So it's really, really important that, but it's not going to replace, you can't have a bot.
Emily Jean (23:48)
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Carrie Johnston (24:03)
sit down with a, with a CEO, to explain, you know, what they're going to be doing in the market. You know, you can't, ⁓ have a bot go to an event and, know, it's never going to replace that connection of people. ⁓ but, at the, at the other end, if you're not using it and you're not getting creative with the tools and, and, and how they can work for you to support you.
Emily Jean (24:16)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (24:28)
you're going to be left behind as well.
Emily Jean (24:30)
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. All good things in good measures or something like that. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (24:35)
Yeah. Yeah.
But I've seen, I've seen people, and companies, individuals who just go, no, no, not doing this, not doing that when it comes to AI, either because they don't see its value, they might be nervous and too afraid to ask, or they just don't think it's, you know, relevant, but it is here and it is, it is going to keep evolving. And
It's yeah, I think it's important. It's not going to do your job for you, but it will be very clear if you're using it to do your job.
Emily Jean (25:06)
Yes, yes, absolutely. So then I want to, for people starting out in their career in communications, where should people be focusing on first? Like where should they be focusing to start growing their career?
Carrie Johnston (25:21)
That's a really good question. It's really important, even at the secondary education, even at school level, particularly those doing HSC who are looking to secure a course at university in communications, to start getting mentors and to ensure that they are up to date with the latest industry bodies.
⁓ following relevant, professionals that are, they, that they can learn from and actually even just upscaling, you know, interview preparation and, going out and having meetings with people. People are very, very, very generous with their time and, and for people starting out,
I mean, I can't think of anyone I know who would not lend half an hour or an hour to a communications graduate or someone thinking of getting into communications. If you're really passionate about what you do, you want to share that. But I think they also, what I hear from a lot of younger people is the pressure there is to just get the best marks, get into the right
Emily Jean (26:16)
Okay.
Carrie Johnston (26:31)
university, get the right degree. So really, really trying to, as much as you can at that early stage, not listen to the noise and get yourself immersed in what's happening in the industry, whether it's following pages on social media and you have to be, you've got to be up to date on what's happening in media.
Emily Jean (26:33)
Mm-hmm.
For sure. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
Carrie Johnston (27:00)
what's going on in the world. Yeah. Yeah.
Emily Jean (27:03)
So you help with resumes and LinkedIn glow ups and coaching, a lot of things. Where do you see most professionals go wrong when they're telling their story? LinkedIn, let's talk about it.
Carrie Johnston (27:08)
Yeah.
LinkedIn is,
yeah, I'm about to do a post on this today. I've had that many conversations this week. ⁓ get to it, Carrie. I know I need to update it. It's not even an option anymore, Emily. It doesn't matter if you are early, mid career. It doesn't matter if you are a CEO.
Emily Jean (27:29)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (27:37)
Your LinkedIn is your digital story. It's your narrative. is your voice. And I know I go straight to someone's LinkedIn, even before opening a resume. I guarantee that if you're not visible, and I'm not saying you've got to be on their posting, you know, that's, that's fine, but you, you need to have a story and you need to have your offering and
Emily Jean (27:48)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (28:00)
I mean, imagine even people not looking for jobs. You if I was, if I was on LinkedIn and I was looking for a coach or someone to, I don't know, I would, that's the first place I would go. And how do they, what do they stand for? How do they present themselves? it is, it's, it's, and I'm still hearing people say, I've been doing this for so long. You know, people know who I am. That,
Emily Jean (28:19)
Right.
Carrie Johnston (28:23)
That mindset is dangerous. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Emily Jean (28:26)
Right, 100%. I completely agree.
Outside of LinkedIn or maybe even as it applies to LinkedIn, is there one piece of career advice that you give, you find yourself giving often, but people are resistant to hearing?
Carrie Johnston (28:40)
⁓ resistant to hearing. That's a really good question. Well, aside from the LinkedIn.
Yet people can be reluctant to network.
Yeah, I don't have time. it is essential if you are job seeking, you've got to, you've got to actually spend time every day doing something. And I tell, you know, I give that advice all of the time and it's not always people, people say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, but do they do it? No. And the people that have been, it doesn't have to be, it could just be one email. It could be one LinkedIn connection.
Emily Jean (28:50)
sure.
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (29:13)
It could be, you know, following a couple of companies on LinkedIn. just doesn't have to be time intensive, but you've got to be, doing something every day. And people don't often, listen to that or want to hear it. and I guarantee those that are doing that are the ones that are keeping current.
Emily Jean (29:24)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
I that. I think that is very good advice and very, very true. Very true. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (29:42)
It's so true. I
bumped into someone today who, ⁓ he very, very senior in marketing and his role was, ⁓ unfortunately made redundant a few months ago and he's doing everything, like everything possible, but he is doing something once a day, no excuses, no matter what. And he's just picked up an amazing, ⁓ consultancy contract role.
with a very, very prominent media figure in Australia because he connected with someone on LinkedIn that connected him with this person. It works and it's not, but it's not everyone's, not everyone gets it. And some people don't want to hear it.
Emily Jean (30:23)
think a lot of people think that is really overwhelming. And to that I would say, you can spend 30 minutes sending five DMs a day. And by the end of the month, guaranteed you will have at least one response, but likely a lot more than that. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (30:40)
Yeah.
Yeah. I spend hours a day on it. I mean, it is the nature of what I do, even from an educational, from a curiosity, and I think the content on LinkedIn has evolved in a more human, I don't know, there's always someone, I've just enjoyed.
Emily Jean (30:51)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (31:05)
reading about, you know, other people's stories of success, even the hard stuff. It's, it's, it's, and you know what? It's, it's, the reach of it is, is, incredible. you know, and I find myself having to turn it off because I'm just fascinated by so many of the creators on there and I'm getting my inspiration. ⁓
Emily Jean (31:16)
Yeah. yeah.
Yep.
Carrie Johnston (31:30)
I get new ideas all the time. and I think if you can, as a job seeker in comms, if you can approach it with that mentality, not just, okay, I've got to look for a job and go on LinkedIn and apply for jobs, but actually use it as a resource as, as, as information will help you with that job search mindset.
Emily Jean (31:46)
Yeah.
Right, right, getting curious. Yeah. So on the flip side, looking at this less from an employee and now I want to talk more about businesses. How do you think businesses can better support women in communication roles beyond just kind of surface level policies? I know that's a bit of a switch there.
Carrie Johnston (31:51)
I'm getting curious. Yeah.
Yeah, that's a very good question. I mean, I think, wow, very good question.
It's a tricky one, Emily, because it's, I think employers should support employees regardless of male, female. But I do think more awareness needs, there needs to be more awareness from employers about the stages. Okay, let's, if we're going to be stereotypical, now women who balance career.
and then family, but don't want to compromise their careers because they have kids or be overlooked for promotions because they have kids. I think, I do think employers need, and I think perhaps there should be some programs established to actually support organizations. Actually, you've given me an idea.
to actually sit down with employers and say, okay, this is the reality. Women have children and it may act like they have it all together, but they don't. If I look at me, I had a period where I was, how could you not see, I think sometimes just sitting people down and asking, are you okay? think, you know.
Ew, it's a really hard question. It's hard because you can't, you know, I think employers, even with the best intentions, who offer flexibility and okay, it might not be company policy, but a manager will say, okay, you can have every other, you know, nine day fortnight. You can leave early to pick up your kids. Um, that's great. I mean, that should just be the normal anyway, but,
Emily Jean (33:19)
It's hard, it's hard to because...
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (33:42)
Also, a lot of women hide it. They don't talk about it. So it's sort of a, it has to be two ways. think employers who really value their employees and do check in on them. think any welfare check for anyone is so important. But I also do think that the responsibility
Emily Jean (33:48)
Right, right.
Carrie Johnston (34:04)
has to also be on the employee to recognize the signs before you hit burnout and really ask yourself, okay, what's working? do I need for my employer? But you need employers to be responsive to that and not penalize women for things out of their control. Menopause, it happens to everyone.
Emily Jean (34:15)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (34:28)
And yeah, I think it's both. It's both. the advice I give to my coaching clients is you don't have to broadcast things that you're going through, but you do need to speak up and not let yourself drown and not let yourself suffer in silence. And if your employer
doesn't kind of meet you halfway and kind of support that, well, then you're probably with the wrong employer.
Emily Jean (34:52)
Yeah, I think it's exactly kind of what you were saying, but it's a difficult question because we don't have a lot of examples, ⁓ good examples on either end. I feel like we don't have very many businesses that are actively supporting women in their roles. We also don't have a lot of women who are actively seeking more help in those roles, loudly. ⁓
Carrie Johnston (35:00)
No.
No.
This is
a very good, you've got me, this is a very, very, very interesting topic, Emily, and one, yeah, one I want to think about after we wrap this up because it is very much the responsibility of employers and employees.
Emily Jean (35:20)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (35:33)
okay, if you've had a really traumatic experience, let's say I heard a company putting in a policy, if a baby was born, know, unresponsive, know, those parents would be given extra leave. And then, know, those are wonderful initiatives, but that just...
Emily Jean (35:50)
Mm-hmm.
Carrie Johnston (35:52)
you know, where, where does the support after that? That's probably more important is, is, you know, supporting people through things that they may not really be comfortable sharing with their colleagues and with their team members. And, and so how do we get people talking about that? You know, in a way that's, you know, honest and, and also how.
Emily Jean (36:02)
Right. Right.
Carrie Johnston (36:14)
But I do think, I say to people, if your employer is unwilling to work with you and to support you through whatever it is you're going through, then you probably have to ask, is it time to think about something else? Yeah.
Emily Jean (36:27)
100%.
Carrie Johnston (36:30)
My dad passed away three years ago.
Emily Jean (36:32)
I'm so sorry.
Carrie Johnston (36:33)
And thank you. And I grieve him every day and some like, like his, the anniversary of his passing is next month. His birthday was last week. And I find myself thinking about him, feeling him more, more now than ever. And that's three years. Okay. So I think sometimes these policies are put in place to tick a box. Okay. We'll tick that off.
Emily Jean (36:41)
Mm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yes.
Carrie Johnston (36:56)
You know, we've got the, we've got the bereavement policy, we know we've covered off, you know, parental leave. We've covered, it's, it's, I'd rather not have it. And I, and I'd rather see employers, you know, work with individuals who are experiencing loss like that in a way that they feel they can come back to work in whatever capacity.
that works for them. I mean, if I think about when my dad passed, my employer at the time, was, Carrie, do what you need to do. Do what you need to do. Don't feel any pressure. We're here to help. I got on a plane and went to the US and I stayed there for a month. No questions.
Emily Jean (37:21)
Yeah. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (37:41)
know, you know, what's, what's happening. and they knew, like, I knew that if I wanted to start working remotely while I was there, I could, and if I didn't, fine. That's what it should be like. And I don't think I would have got through, you know, the months and even the year that followed had I been, okay, you can have three days leave and then we forget about it.
Emily Jean (37:49)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep.
The frustrating part about that as well is if you are lucky to live long enough, everybody will experience that sooner or later. Everyone will experience a loss of a parent or a sibling or a friend, whatever it may be. So when those policies are not put in place to...
be reflective of that personal experience that everyone is going to go through. It's really frustrating. It's like heartbreaking. It really is. Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (38:29)
It's heartbreaking.
It's heartbreaking. And there are companies who do have policies here. I've spoken to people who've worked for organizations who have such conditions, but then whose managers will say, know what, you just do what you need to do. So I do think there are, companies might have policies, but
Emily Jean (38:44)
Mm.
Carrie Johnston (38:50)
What's most important is who you're working with and the team that you're working for. And, you know, okay, the policy says this, but, you know, this is traumatic and, you know, you need to do what you need to do. And those are the things that I would advise people to look for when they're looking at, you know, not just the employer, but look at who, who you're to be working with. But yeah, there's
That for me is, yeah, it's so important. Everyone, there is no timeline on grief. it's a very, yeah, it's not linear for anyone.
Emily Jean (39:20)
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely. So I want to do some rapid fires with you to wrap up. I know we haven't even begun to touch on everything. But yeah, are you OK with rapid fire?
Carrie Johnston (39:32)
Absolutely. we, yes, there's so much we can, we can explore, but go for it, Emily.
Emily Jean (39:37)
Okay, perfect. Okay, first question. What is the most underrated career skill?
Carrie Johnston (39:44)
writing.
Emily Jean (39:45)
⁓ good answer. Good answer.
Carrie Johnston (39:48)
Writing. Writing.
Everyone thinks they can do it. And writing, definitely.
Emily Jean (39:54)
Love it. Second question, what is the worst interview question ever?
Carrie Johnston (39:58)
I've got a good one. A candidate that I put up for a job was going for an interview with a restaurant chain and was asked, if you were a menu item, what would you be and why?
Emily Jean (40:10)
Okay.
I'm to think of a pie to answer that myself.
Carrie Johnston (40:13)
I-I-I- Me too! That-that-that-I just thought- O-okay? ⁓
Emily Jean (40:15)
Yeah. ⁓
That one
would stump me for sure. Okay. Okay. Well, good answer. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. What is one LinkedIn trend you secretly love?
Carrie Johnston (40:23)
It's a good one, isn't it?
I love when people comment on others posts. I think that is just so underrated.
Emily Jean (40:36)
Agreed. Agreed. There's so much community in the LinkedIn comments.
Carrie Johnston (40:39)
It is, and it just, you know, everything from, you know, insightful to funny to brave. I love it. I love it. That's my, think, yeah, the commenting on other people's posts is, is, is yeah, really underrated.
Emily Jean (40:49)
Yeah. Yeah.
That is a really good answer. What is one piece of career advice you would give to your younger self?
Carrie Johnston (41:02)
that you don't have to have it all figured out and to block out the noise and follow your intuition and follow your gut and not let, you know, not try to please everyone.
Emily Jean (41:06)
Mm.
Love it. Perfect. Last question. Do you have a book or a resource or a course that you can recommend to budding entrepreneurs?
Carrie Johnston (41:27)
good question.
Well, I'm a month in, so I'll have to come back to you on that. Yeah.
Emily Jean (41:32)
Okay, no worries. I'll take that answer.
Carrie, I'm so glad and so excited I got to have you on. I feel like this is to be such a good episode. People are really going to be excited to hear this. Where can people find you and where can they join your platform, connect with you, all those things?
Carrie Johnston (41:49)
So I have my main platform is LinkedIn. So Carrie Johnston, the comms connector. I do have a LinkedIn company page. My email address, my mobile number. I love a phone call. Send me a LinkedIn website and Instagram are following, but I just haven't had time.
Emily Jean (41:53)
Mm-hmm.
That's fine. That's normal. LinkedIn's where you should be anyway.
Carrie Johnston (42:13)
Yeah.
Yeah. but no, that's LinkedIn definitely is the way to go. Thanks, Emily.
Emily Jean (42:19)
Okay, okay, perfect.
Well, thank you, Carrie. I'm so excited. I gotta have you on. And obviously all of that will be linked in the show notes. But yeah, this has been such a good conversation.
Carrie Johnston (42:30)
This
has been really, really, really good. again, you've given me so much to think about and this is what it's all about. Asking questions, having real conversations and this is what people appreciate. And I really, I'm so grateful for the chance to sit down with you and
Emily Jean (42:38)
Yeah.
Carrie Johnston (42:49)
talk about this because it's really important and this means, yeah, this means a lot. So it's been fun.
