Executive Editor
(Male, Age 45) from New York, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 45 who works as a Executive Editor in New York, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Executive Editor |
|---|---|
| Salary | $250,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 60 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | New York, NY |
| Years Experience | 4 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
A 4,500-employee subsidiary of a Fortune 500 media company, engaged in various sports journalism and broadcast businesses.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Edit stories, plan magazine coverage for various sports, coordinate with online division, recruit writers, manage staff.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
comprehensive life, health and disability insurance, 401(K) plan
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work in person, by phone and over email with dozens of people each day. It’s very enjoyable.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Office in a newsroom environment
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 2
Hours: 6
Co-Workers: 1
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 3
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Wake up, shower, dress, take cab to work. |
| 8am to 9am | Read morning newspaper, do crossword puzzle, read and reply to emails |
| 9am to 10am | Read and reply to emails, chat with coworkers. |
| 10am to 11am | Attend morning senior staff meeting to discuss general managerial issues; attend general staff meeting to discuss current issue and plan for future issues. |
| 11am to 12pm | Read draft of a story this issue. It’s problematic so I meet with the story editor. Meet with subordinate editors about special newsstand issue. Call a freelance writer about working on a future story. Email colleagues in our online division to discuss collaboration on a project in a few weeks that will require lots of design on their part. Email two friends. Read two competing magazines. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Read variou stories on our sister website, mostly to see what’s happening in the world of sports. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Lunch with colleagues. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Edit a story for this issue. Line editing, which means i go through each line and polish, tweak, cut. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Edit a story for this issue. Line editing, which means i go through each line and polish, tweak, cut. Meet for 15 minutes with a story editor, designer and photo editor to discuss an upcoming photo shoot of an athlete. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Edit a story for this issue. Line editing. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Edit a story for this issue. Line editing. Meet with my co-author and the editor of our book, which we are doing for another division of our company. The design director was there as well as we went through page “proofs” to discuss and tweak the design of individual pages. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Emailed a youn freelance writer who’s been a little spacey and unproductive. We went back and forth on email to set up a meeting in New York next week. Left work at 7. |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Referral
What was the application process?
Submitted resume
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, Iinterviewed with about six people, those who I would work with and those who I would work for. I was also asked to write a critique of the magazine. I was very critical.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Why I didn’t bring cookies. It was a joke. But in my cover letter to the subsequent critique, I included a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not especially, but I didn’t need preparation. I’d been working in this field for quite some time.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not especially, but it didn’t hurt. I’ve been writing professionally since I was 16. Nothing beats experience.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Take chances, be creative, voice strong opinions but listen to others, work at something you enjoy, understand and believe in that plays to your strengths and preferences.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Forecasting skills, to predict what will be important to people in the futre. Managerial skills, to manage people. Listening skills, to absorb advice from supervisors, peers and subordinates. Editing/writing skills, since this is a magazine.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Experience yes, training or education not so much.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I’d tell them to read as much as they possibly can, about subjects related to and completely unrelated to their job. That’s where you get ideas.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, to the extent that I have a career plan. I just want to do something that interests me and pays enough and doesn’t harm the world. This fits those requirements.
What are your current career goals?
I want to make a movie.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Don’t work for or with people you don’t like.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Staff writer | eight years | 90000 | Staff writer for personal finance magazine |
| Prior Job 2 | Reporter | four years | 50000 | Staff reporter for city business magazine |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.something
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
2.9someting | U. of MIssouri-St. Louis | BA in speech communication and political science |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.