NJBIZ is celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Best 50 Women in Business event with a countdown to this year’s ceremony, to be held Monday, March 23, at The Palace at Somerset Park.For the nine business days leading up to the event, we’ll take a look back at a previous class, giving you a sneak peek at their answers to a class-only poll question and a class-only open-ended question based on topics involving women in the workplace.
Today, we’re featuring the Class of 2007.
But before we get to our answers (below) and a listing of the members of the Class of 2007 (even further down), we feel the need to remind you to get your tickets first.
This event always has capacity crowds and we’re expecting another sellout. If you haven’t made a reservation, click here now.
And if you want to start tweeting about the event today, please use #Best50WomenNJ on your tweets.
And now, the answers from the Class of 2007:
Poll Question: Let’s take the equal pay question from another angle: Say you were a finalist for a job with a man with equal experience and qualifications. Do you think the man would be offered more money if selected just because he’s a man?
Yes: 61 percent
No: 39 percent
Open-ended question: Tell us about a time when you attended a business function and found you were the only woman in the room — how did you handle it?
Elizabeth Hance, vice president of finance, United Way of Central Jersey: Walking into a business function and finding myself the ‘token female’ in the room first happened to me some 30-plus years ago. My initial inclination was to try to smoke, drink, cuss and tell off-color jokes so I could fit-in with ‘the boys.’ Instead, I decided to dazzle the boys with my ladylike manners, feminine attire and intelligent conversation. Amazingly, it worked!
Janice Tomlinson, director, Navigators Groups, Oswald Companies, subsidiaries of FirstCan Management: This happened to me frequently. Several years ago, the company that I worked for had a joint black-tie dinner with another firm. I was the first woman to ever attend the function. As I knew all the men would be in black tie, I decided to wear a red dress. I stood out in the crowd of black.
Wendy Flanagan, senior director, sales & marketing, Tronex Herbal Solutions: Not even sure how this question made it to the survey. Being at a business function is not about gender, or race for that matter, it’s about a shared interest in a topic, a business purpose or knowledge and experience of such value that it must be shared. You shake hands, exchange information and, if the function isn’t measuring up to your professional expectations, you leave (or call security).
More answers will appear in our special supplement covering the event.
Want more NJBIZ news? Check out items in Breaking Glass, our Women in Business blog. Interested in everything else NJBIZ has to offer? Click here to get our daily e-mail newsletters and news alerts. Want NJBIZ’s award-winning print coverage and Book of Lists? Click here to subscribe.
Looking for the answers from other classes? Click the year:
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.