Project Upgrade Her

I have been on both sides of hiring table.

As a First generation immigrant and Chartered Accountant who has built a thriving global career, I know the fundamentals don’t change.

Your mindset is going to play the biggest role in you bagging that role, especially when you’re already walking in having to prove twice as much.

The biggest changes which helped me crack interviews were this

✅ Thinking of myself as a consultant or a problem solver, not a candidate desperate to be picked.

✅ When you see yourself as the KEY to their problem, you shift into the driver’s seat mindset instead of exuding a “pick me” energy.

That shift alone changes how you carry yourself in the room.

You still have to do the groundwork.

Know your strengths, know the career stories that directly relate to the job, and be able to articulate them in a storytelling format.

Interviews are the playground where preparation meets practice.

Being taken seriously at work and being perceived as Senior Leader was never about hiding who I am.

It’s was about being strategically authentic, not raw and vulnerable.

Raw & vulnerable is oversharing, no filter and no ability to read the room.

Strategic authenticity is knowing which parts of you to bring forward.

you don’t have to shrink and be someone else to be seen as capable. You need to know which parts are working in your favour.

How I went from analyst to manager and became Top 10% Earners as an Immigrant:

→ Said exactly what I wanted. Out loud.

No hinting, no waiting to be asked.

→ Gave my manager a clear runway:

here’s what I’m working toward, here’s the timeline.

→ Built relationships beyond my manager, so my career didn’t depend on one person’s opinion of me.

→ Tracked my wins and brought them to the table myself, instead of hoping they’d be noticed.

This is how I built a high six-figure career. By working hard but also by communicating well.

One brutal truth though: if your manager though, if your manager doesn’t like you and if the relationship does not improve, no amount of clear communication fixes that alone.

→ Try to address it directly, once.
→ If nothing shifts, move teams.
→ If nothing’s available, start looking outside.

Don’t spend years in a place that was never going to back you.

This is part 1 of a 3-part series. Follow along, part 2 drops this week.

Unscripted series - Where I share the details which AI censors.

I hated how I felt in that job

This is a very vulnerable share. But also an important one.

These experiences are far more common. And those who are financially vulnerable, face the biggest brunt.

I still remember running back to my home to get the call, my heart was racing so fast and I literally hated how I felt.
No one should feel that way.

I’ve had my fair share of bad managers, but I never expected that I would land up in a toxic situation again.

Only difference between previous experiences and this one was that I was financially prepared to quit if it did not serve me.

It’s unfortunate, but the society runs on money. One should never have to choose between money and happiness.

And as exactly what I did in this moment, I knew I was unhappy in this job, and so I quit with the safety net that I had built.

The goal isn’t just more income. It’s building optionality.

I’m a Chartered Accountant, and I’ve build a high paying career navigating various countries and systems over 14 years.

I have condensed all strategies that I’ve used to build this high paying and fulfilling career in my FREE ‘9to5 Leverage Playbook’

Comment “9to5” and I’ll send it over to you.