How to succeed in Australia: Speak up and act confident

This title was summarized by AI from the post below.

Most international grads don’t realise this, but Australia rewards the outspoken, not the qualified. You can be the smartest person in the room. You can have the highest GPA, the toughest degree, the most technical mind. None of it matters if you speak softly and wait your turn. Because in Australia, confidence is competence. Social presence is leadership. And the person who speaks first is almost always seen as the one who knows what they’re doing. This is why so many international grads feel “invisible”. It’s not a skills problem. It’s not a visa problem. It’s not a hiring problem. It’s a behaviour mismatch. You grew up in a culture where you respect the hierarchy, wait to be invited in, and try not to step on toes. Then you arrive in a country where the loudest person gets listened to, the most likeable person gets promoted, and the one who participates without being asked becomes the default leader in the room. If you stay quiet, Aussies don’t see humility. They see absence. And it holds people back more than any technical gap ever will. If you want to compete here, you need to adapt. Not your accent, not your identity. Your presence. Speak earlier. Speak louder. Speak with certainty even when you’re still figuring things out. Australia doesn’t reward the person who knows the most. It rewards the person who acts like they belong. And that is the shift that changes everything.

Honestly speaking, I don't think this is a good thing in the industry. More people should condem this not condone.. Also it might not be the culture but who someone is. Why should someone change who they are, to fit in to a shape that industry made? Moreover, listening is highly underrated skill in the industry. With everyone trying to be the loudest in the room, it generates too much noice and hog the space, so that there is no room for great ideas. I think people who are true experts, they balance this properly. Personally what I have noticed is, people who are loudest are the ones who are in the first peak of Dunning–Kruger effect. If I am a job seeker, I genuinely believe I am better off in a company who values me for my talent and for who I am. And even though its rare, there are some companies like that and also good team leads who enable it.

My advice would be "don't wait for your turn". Whether it is a meeting, a project, a sales lead or whatever. Making the higher ups look good without any effort on their part will always be rewarded. Initiative is king.

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In my experience, intentionally giving people who are more reflective the floor, and asking what they think, allows for better decision-making. Someone's confidence often does not reflect their competence, and acting like it does is a setup for lower quality work on a team

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