THE JOURNAL

Insights & Strategies.

Executive career positioning, mindset shifts, and recruitment secrets from 25+ years on the inside.

Executive Job Search When Your Industry Is Shrinking

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

Career change from a declining industry for senior leaders. Signs it is time to move, skills that travel, who hires from your sector and a realistic timeline.

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Writing to a CEO When There Is No Vacancy

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

How to write a speculative job application to a CEO when there is no vacancy. When it works, how to research, a short structure and a full example message.

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Executive Relocation: Negotiating the Package and the Family Side

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

What an executive relocation package usually covers, what to ask for, commuting first, the family conversation and moving between Australia and NZ.

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Leaving a Bonus or Unvested Shares Behind: Negotiating a Buyout

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

How to negotiate a sign on bonus or buyout when you would forfeit a bonus or unvested shares. Working out the value, raising it and clawback terms to watch.

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Reading an Executive Contract: Notice, Termination and Change of Control

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

What to check in an executive employment contract. Notice, payment in lieu, termination without cause, change of control and incentives on exit. General guide.

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How to Withdraw From an Executive Search Process

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

How to withdraw from a recruitment process at senior level. Good reasons, timing, telling the search consultant, an example message and keeping the door open.

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How to Decline an Executive Offer Without Burning the Bridge

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

How to decline a job offer at senior level without burning the bridge. Call first, what to say, an example email and how to keep the search firm on side.

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Two Executive Offers at Once: How to Choose and How to Buy Time

Belinda Paris

Published on: 14/10/2026

Two job offers at once at senior level. How to buy time without losing either, compare more than the package, use one offer carefully and decline well.

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Fixed-Term CFO Contracts: Should You Accept One?

Belinda Paris

Published on: 13/10/2026

Should you accept a fixed-term CFO contract? Why companies offer them, the upside and risks, what to negotiate and how it reads on your resume later.

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Taking a Turnaround CFO Role: What to Check Before You Say Yes

Belinda Paris

Published on: 13/10/2026

What to check before accepting a turnaround CFO role. Cash runway, lender and owner support, your real authority, contract protection and your exit plan.

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Remote and Hybrid Finance Roles: How to Find Them and Win Them

Belinda Paris

Published on: 06/10/2026

How to find and win remote and hybrid finance roles in Australia and New Zealand. Where they are advertised, how to search and how to show you work well remotely.

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Restraint of Trade Clauses: What to Check Before You Sign

Belinda Paris

Published on: 06/10/2026

What to check in a restraint of trade clause before you sign a new employment contract in Australia or New Zealand. Plain-language guide for job seekers.

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How to Follow Up on a Job Application (With Email Examples)

Belinda Paris

Published on: 06/10/2026

How and when to follow up on a job application without being pushy. Timing, who to contact and email examples you can adapt for recruiters and employers.

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The Recruiter Screening Call: What They Ask and How to Answer

Belinda Paris

Published on: 06/10/2026

What recruiters ask in a screening call, why they ask it and how to answer so you get put forward. Practical tips from a former recruiter of 20 years.

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Networking at CA ANZ and CPA Events Without Feeling Awkward

Belinda Paris

Published on: 02/10/2026

How finance professionals can network at CA ANZ, CPA Australia and industry events without feeling awkward, and turn contacts into opportunities.

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When Recruiters Go Quiet: What Silence Means in Finance Recruitment

Belinda Paris

Published on: 02/10/2026

What it usually means when a finance recruiter goes quiet, how to follow up and how to protect your job search.

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How Long Does It Take to Find a Finance Manager Role?

Belinda Paris

Published on: 02/10/2026

How long a Finance Manager or Financial Controller job search usually takes in Australia and New Zealand, and what speeds it up.

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Looking for a New Finance Role While Working Full Time

Belinda Paris

Published on: 02/10/2026

How to run a finance job search while working full time, including month end clashes, confidentiality and interview timing.

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Understanding a Finance Manager Offer: Salary Packaging, Bonuses and Super

Belinda Paris

Published on: 02/10/2026

How to read a Finance Manager or Financial Controller offer, including base, super, bonus, salary packaging and conditions.

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Made Redundant as a Finance Manager: Your First 30 Days

Belinda Paris

Published on: 02/10/2026

What Finance Managers and Financial Controllers should do in the first 30 days after a redundancy, from finances to resume to recruiters.

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Reading a Finance Job Ad: What "Hands-On", "Fast-Paced" and "Varied" Really Mean

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

What "hands-on", "fast-paced" and "varied" really mean in a finance job ad, and how to read a Finance Manager ad before you apply.

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How Accounting and Finance Recruiters Screen Finance Manager Applications

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

How accounting and finance recruiters screen accountant, Finance Manager and Financial Controller applications, and what gets you onto the shortlist.

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SEEK, Recruiters or Direct Approach: Where Finance Manager Roles Are Really Filled

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

SEEK, recruiters or direct approach? Where Finance Manager and Financial Controller roles are really filled in Australia and New Zealand.

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Negotiating Your First Financial Controller Offer

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

How to negotiate your first Financial Controller offer, including base, super, bonus and title, without putting the offer at risk.

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Finance Manager Salary: Why Two Finance Managers Can Be Paid $40,000 Apart

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

Why two Finance Managers can be paid $40,000 apart in Australia and New Zealand, and what you can do to move to the upper end of the range.

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Financial Controller Salary in Australia and New Zealand: What Actually Moves the Number

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

Financial Controller salary ranges in Australia and New Zealand for 2026, and the factors that actually move the number up or down.

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Part-Time and Flexible Finance Manager Roles: How to Find Them and Win Them

Belinda Paris

Published on: 01/10/2026

Part-time and flexible Finance Manager roles are out there, but rarely advertised well. How to find them and make a strong case for one.

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Executive Job Market Outlook 2027: Australia and New Zealand

Belinda Paris

Published on: 29/09/2026

The signals senior candidates in Australia and New Zealand should watch in the 2027 executive job market, and how to prepare now.

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Executive Jobs in Tasmania: How a Small Market Works

Belinda Paris

Published on: 29/09/2026

How the senior job market in Tasmania, Australia works, from Hobart and Launceston to key sectors, and how to succeed in a small, connected market.

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Executive Jobs in Canberra Beyond the APS

Belinda Paris

Published on: 29/09/2026

Senior roles in Canberra, Australia beyond the APS, from universities and defence industry to peak bodies, and how to move between sectors.

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