#JustABoss is a blog series about women who’ve negotiated their pay to level up in their careers and their financial journeys!
For this weeks #JustABoss spotlight, Meet Jenny, an accountant who transitioned from Big 4 to Industry
Industry :
Accounting
Years of Experience:
6+
What’s your Negotiation Story? :
I worked at a Big 4 accounting firm for 6+ years, and recently switched into industry. I was able to negotiate my salary from $120,000 to $132,500.
How did you first prepare to negotiate?:
I knew the range I wanted to get to – $130,000- $140,000 and made that known from my first interview where HR asked. I then mentally prepared myself to not take a job below that, even if it was higher than my current salary of $106,000.
What are your best tips to get in the right mindset?:
Set a bar that you’re not willing to go below, and start the negotiation quite a bit above that. Be prepared to meet in the middle, but don’t go below your bar.
Have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome in your negotiating?:
Yes! I was trying to negotiate a 25%+ raise. I have imposter syndrome in general and had a hard time convincing myself that I am indeed worth what I’m asking for considering I was underpaid for years.
Have you ever tried to negotiate outside of your compensation?:
I did try to negotiate PTO. Big 4 gave me 5+ weeks of PTO, whereas in industry I have 3 weeks. I did not get extra PTO unfortunately.
What financial goals are you currently working on and how has negotiating impacted your financial journey?:
I was learning how to invest outside of my 401k. I’ll be honest, I had some investments that haven’t gone well, but plenty that have! I love that I now can speak more intelligently about the market and about investing.
