How Identity Has Influenced A Senior Editor At Newsweek Magazine's Career
Jenni, a Senior Editor at Newsweek, attributes their successful salary negotiations throughout their career to proactively demonstrating their worth with concrete metrics and quantifiable achievements, rather than relying on general statements of hard work. The approach of presenting "the metrics," "success," and "performance exceeding expectations" has allowed them to command higher pay and bonuses, countering the historical disadvantage women face in salary negotiations.
Salary Negotiation, Women in Journalism, Career Advancement, Media Industry, Workplace Advocacy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jenni Fink
Senior Editor, National News
Newsweek Magazine
University of Arizona, 2013
N/a
Communications
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Creative
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Jenni's proactive approach to salary negotiation, ensuring she knows her worth and presents quantifiable achievements to support her requests.
2. Her emphasis on showcasing tangible results and exceeding expectations to justify higher pay, rather than relying solely on claims of hard work.
3. The importance of data-driven negotiation, using metrics and performance indicators to demonstrate value and secure better compensation.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as a woman, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
"So, obviously, we all know that men historically are much better at negotiating their worth than women are. Going into my career, I was acutely aware of that. Because of that, I decided I'm going to negotiate what I'm worth.
For every job I've gotten, I was one of the higher-paid writers at Newsweek. It's because I went in saying, 'I know how much I'm worth. This is what I'd like to be paid.'
I've been offered opportunities throughout my career where I was able to say, 'These are the metrics I've provided for you. This is the success I've had. These are what I'm judged on in my performance, and here's how I've exceeded my performance and this is what I'm worth.'
Because I've always come with those numbers intact to show a company why I'm worth more money or a bigger bonus, whatever it is, it's really made my negotiations successful. It's easy to just say in a negotiation, 'Oh, I work hard, I do this.' But everyone can say they work hard, whether it's true or not. Show them why you work hard and why you deserve it.
I think it's the reason I've had so much success in salary negotiation specifically throughout my career."