Full name?: Molly Antos
Position / Job title?: Vice President at a Mid-Sized Public Relations Firm, and blogger at Workouts to Wine
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was younger, I went through a wide range of dream jobs: everything from professional ballerina to veterinarian. I also went through a phase where I wanted to be a teacher.
2. Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position?
Just before college started, I decided to enroll in a pre-orientation program on campus to make some friends, get a head start on college life and try something new. I chose the student newspaper sponsored club and got completely hooked on journalism. I worked there throughout college in a variety of capacities and after extensive research, a few side jobs and advice from an incredible mentor, I decided to head to the “dark side” and gave PR a shake. It turned out to be a great mix of creative, writing, journalism and social collaboration. I’ve worked my way up the ladder at my firm over the last eight years to get to where I am now.
3. Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships?
I have gone through several internships on my path. Each one was instrumental in highlighting things I liked or didn’t like about a given industry. I tried journalism, marketing, internal PR and agency work. I learned from some unbelievable bosses and networked as much as I could. Those are the key takeaways for me in an internship. Take chances, be yourself, meet people, learn things and don’t always be so concerned about “what’s in it for me?”
4. Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?
The best part about working for an agency is that I rarely have a “typical” day. It’s always something different: good or bad. Usually, I try to get up fairly early to get acclimated to the day before jumping into office “stuff.” I’ll do yoga with my husband, read blogs, watch the news, take a bath, write a blog post … just something to get my mind moving. Once I’m in the office, I go through emails, communicate with clients, check in with colleagues about accounts, set goals, make lists, etc. I always try to find about an hour to either go to the gym, take a walk or do yoga. Inactive days usually wind up making me feel mopey and tired.
5. What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made?
I think on an ongoing basis, I don’t take enough risks. It’s not any specific mistake I’ve made, and the LACK of action as a mistake is a little harder to measure or learn from. You never really know what could happen until you do it.
6. What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women?
Don’t be so quick to jump ship. I know the trend these days is to job hop on a fairly regular basis, but there’s quite a bit to be gained through perseverance. Even if things seem terrible, it may be a passing cloud. The grass is NOT always greener, so just avoid making rash decisions based on capricious emotion.
7. Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?
This one is tough. Productivity is such a temptation for me and always makes me feel like I’ve had a good day. I think as long as you remember priorities (for me, family, fitness, healthy eating, me time) and include them whenever possible, you’re doing pretty well. Usually I will personally go until I’ve done too much, then I end up overcompensating on the “life” part with a whole day on the couch. Just something else I have to continue to work on!
8. On that note, do you think women can have it all? Both the baller career, and the happy family?
I know there are people that claim they do, but I honestly can’t personally answer this question to the full extent of its meaning. I’d like to think the answer is yes!
9. If you could look into a crystal ball and see 20 years into your future, what would you want to see?
So many things that it’s hard to focus on just one or two. I have a hard time with such a long range. I can barely look past next week most of the time!
10. Do you have any career role models? Who are they?
I’m inspired by anyone who shows obvious passion in their career and gives everything they have to create success. I’m lucky enough to work with so many entrepreneurs that have the most inspiring stories.
11. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise?
Write thank you notes. For anything and everything. It’s a lost art and no one does it anymore. Great client reference? Send a card. Someone took you out for coffee? Send a card. My first ever boss taught me this rule of thumb and I can’t think of any better way to spread good cheer and make sure people remember you fondly.
12. Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality?
My dad and I used to butt heads pretty frequently about my choice of major in college. He wanted me to study engineering and I thought it was more fun to read books and write about them as an English major. He couldn’t imagine what path I would take with such an education that would lead to prosperity for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t really know either. Luckily, I figured something out and he couldn’t be happier for me. “Real life” doesn’t have to mean forgetting what you love and working for the weekend. Everything is what you make of it, and attitude makes all the difference.
13. Should you work for the money, or do what you love?
I guess the ultimate dream is that these two things aren’t mutually exclusive. As I alluded to in the above answer, you can love anything. You just have to re-frame your attitude and figure out the best way to make it work for you. Whether that means intra-preneurship at your current job or figuring out next steps, there’s always an answer for happiness.
14. How important is money to you when considering a job?
I can’t lie about this. Money is a huge factor. Not just because it affords you material things, but because it’s how our society deems worth (whether that’s right or wrong.) Everyone wants to feel they are being fairly compensated for the skills they bring to the table, so feeling underpaid is not only about the actual money, but what it represents. I will say that over the years, belongings have become increasingly less important in my life, and I hope that trend continues. I love to get rid of things I don’t need and feel so much freer when I do it. I know with advertising and media, we’ve created a possession-hungry world, but it doesn’t lead to true and lasting happiness.
15. What is the single most important factor of a job?
It has to be something you are motivated to do. I truly believe (with a few exceptions) that anyone can learn to be good at almost anything, given the motivation. But you have to know what success looks like for that job and want to achieve it enough to work on yourself.
16. If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.)
Not a clue. I can’t even imagine that being the case, but I think “work” is a subjective word. I definitely wouldn’t lounge around in my pj’s all day every day. I would continue to strive for fulfillment, inspiration and creativity, no matter what form that took. I’d certainly be happy to have the burden of “making money to survive” lifted from my back. I’d probably be able to think a lot more clearly about what I “want” to do in life.
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