Welcome to 5 Minutes With… a new monthly feature where I'll be asking ambitious women who are Successful on Paper about how work has shaped their life and what they'd change about it. And it only seems fair to go first.
From becoming a Director within the first five years of her career and managing a multi-million pound portfolio at one of the Big Four advertising agencies, to starting a portfolio career, Priyanka has come a long way since picking up Cosmo for tips on going from desk to dinner.
When she's not working, she's usually on a plane somewhere around Europe or, this autumn, working her way round every farm shop nearby.
What do you say when someone asks what you do?
Oooh, such a good question because this is a trap! Haha.
My name is Priyanka and I am the founder of Successful on Paper where I write about how work impacts the lives of ambitious women across life, wellness and our identity.
Why is it a trap?
Because it’s the typical question everyone asks and 9/10 times we always answer with our job title rather than the other things about us that are equally, if not more interesting and important.
These days I very rarely respond with what I do for work.
What’s something people always assume about you that isn’t true?
That I’m extroverted and the life of the party when in reality I love nothing more than getting cosy with a good book or bingeing a TV show.
What part of your identity exists completely outside your work?
A fun, flirty, living-in-the-moment kinda vibe that is always up for a new adventure.
What did you think working life would be like before you started, and how wrong were you?
I thought it was so glamorous because everything I was consuming at the time told me so. Whether it was the Cosmo articles telling me how to go from desk to dinner, books like Lipstick Jungle that just showed this fabulous life in the city, or even The Devil Wears Prada.
There was this romantic notion of starting at the bottom of the ladder and climbing up, that just wasn’t true in real life, and it really hit me hard when the illusion wore off.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in the name of looking professional?
I don’t know if it’s more embarrassing or cringe, but going through the severance process without realising just to get ahead in my career.
What’s something you thought was important at 25 that feels completely irrelevant now?
Having a fancy job title for sure, especially if it showed my seniority or level of importance, was huge for me. It’s only been the last 2-3 years that I haven’t cared about my title.
As long as I make an impact, like the people I work with and get paid well, I’m happy.
If the Cosmo version of work never quite matched the real one for you either, subscribe for more conversations like this one.
What do you think we’ve collectively confused with “success”?
Being important at work.
When did you first realise you were ambitious, and has your definition of it changed?
After I met my partner in my 20s, I wanted to have a family and realised that having a 9-5 job wasn’t going to give me the flexibility and freedom I needed. So I started a couple of side hustles and started to make extra money.
I eventually decided to be childfree by choice but that drive and ambition never went away. The biggest difference is I would work myself into the ground in my 20s and 30s, which isn’t a priority right now.
Now it’s more about the impact that I can make on the team I’m managing, the wider business and, more importantly, society as a whole. I can’t work on something I don’t believe in.
What are you no longer willing to sacrifice for success?
My health and happiness! I experienced burnout in my career because I worked with clients who weren’t a good value fit, but I knew it would set me apart, and while it got me ahead, it impacted me in more ways than I’d like to admit.
What’s a workplace trend you genuinely don’t understand?
Listing legal requirements such as pensions or time off as benefits on job adverts. IMO if your benefits are legally mandated, they aren’t a benefit. Also, don’t get me started on pizza parties.
What do you think we’ll look back on in 20 years and think was completely bizarre?
How quickly we are expected to adopt AI and the negative impact on our nervous systems. The constant updates and feeling of falling behind is prime for chronic anxiety.
Send this to the friend who still introduces herself with her job title.
If you could introduce one completely unreasonable workplace rule, what would it be?
I have no idea how it would work but people have the same level of flexibility as uni students do with their part-time jobs. It would make things so much easier for everyone, especially parents and people who have dependents. At the beginning of the month you just pick the core days you can work and then flex as needed. Logistically it would be a nightmare but I think it would change people’s attitude to work for the better.
What’s your “I am absolutely not answering emails about this” hill to die on?
Negative feedback about my team. Those need to start with a conversation, not a write-up, so I can support them in the best way possible.
What’s the first thing you do after a horrible workday?
Shake the day off or cry! Usually listening to ‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Bedingfield does the trick.
If your career had a warning label, what would it say?
Highly reactive substance: will explode in uncontrolled situations (lol).
So that's me. From next month, someone else is in the hot seat. In the meantime, over to you: if your career came with a warning label, what would it say?