Parveena talks to us about moving on from medical writing and the interesting dual role she has at Prime Global. Since our interview she has been promoted to People Development Manager. Congratulations Parveena!
Hi Parveena! How long have you worked at Prime Global?
I joined Prime Global in March 2018; I can’t believe it’s already been three years. The company was so much smaller when I joined, then even in my first year we grew so much. It was absolutely fantastic to see and be a part of the rapid organic growth that is continuing into 2021 and beyond!
We have heard you have an interesting cross-functional role. Tell us all about it.
I do have an interesting cross-functional role! I’m the Editorial Resource Manager, and also part of the People Development Department (PDD).
When I first joined Prime Global, it was to manage the freelancer resourcing and I also managed processes within teams. I worked mainly with the scientific teams, ensuring the right resource was in the right place at the right time, to drive and improve efficiencies.
My role then grew to support Christine McCann, the People Development Director, as I have always been interested in working in development and training.
Do you feel your role changed and evolved because of your own career aspirations?
Definitely. One of the things is love about Prime Global is that I’ve never been afraid to have the kind of conversation that’s about my career and future aspirations. We really do put people first, we want to give you the opportunities to develop. I feel I’ve had that in my own personal role, as well as being able to support other colleagues with those conversations as part of my role in PDD.
Do you have separate days for each role or do you manage your time as you see fit?
That’s an interesting question, dual roles are always challenging because good time management is essential and priorities often conflict. Initially I tried to allocate days, but I didn’t find this was the best way to manage my time. Each role can have high priority tasks crop up, and so now I use systems such as Trello and MS Teams to keep up to date with work and deadlines. I really enjoy using systems and software; anything that could potentially improve efficiency is worth trying.
Before your role here at Prime Global, what did you do?
My first roles in MedComms were in medical writing and I enjoyed it. I love science and have a strong scientific background. Studying at the University of Manchester, I gained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences followed by a Master’s in Medical and Molecular Microbiology. As I moved on in my career I felt I wanted to work more with people and their development and training. MedComms attracts fantastic people, they have a certain kind of personality and are extremely collaborative.
What do you think is the most rewarding thing about your roles?
I enjoy helping people in their careers, whether it’s with training or by supporting them with different aspects of their job. I love working with people and being able to empower them. So rather than saying, “this is how you should do it”, we say, “let us provide you with the tools you need to take your career development into your own hands.” I genuinely believe in this method and it is so rewarding to see colleagues progress.
What advice would you give to new starters?
I love this question! In my opinion, and some advice that I was given when I when I first joined the industry, is to just throw yourself into the work. When you’re new, you can doubt yourself quite a lot; “Am I doing this right?”, “Is it OK to ask this question?”. Have faith in yourself and in your abilities and judgement. Step out of your comfort zone, it may be terrifying but it is the absolute best way to learn, and so rewarding.
What drives you to get up each morning?
Every day is a new day.
I love learning new skills. I’ve recently taken up knitting and crocheting! Each day is a chance to learn something.
Finally, if you could choose anyone throughout history, who would you pick as your mentor?
Gandalf, because why wouldn’t you want a wizard in your corner?!
But also, I feel the people in your lives are already there to be your mentors. You can draw something from everyone that you know, colleagues, family, friends. For me, a mentor is someone who you can relate to you in some way but has different life experience.
What a fantastic sentiment to end our chat. Thank you Parveena!
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