General career guides

Make a resume specific without making things up

1. Choose one target role. Read its description and list three recurring skills or responsibilities. Prioritize relevant experience you actually have; do not copy requirements into your resume as if they were your achievements.
2. Collect evidence before rewriting. For each role, privately note what you did, the task or deliverable, and a result you can verify. If there is no measured result, describe the work accurately instead of inventing a percentage, team size or revenue figure.
3. Write a clear bullet. Start with an accurate action verb, name the work, and add verified scope or outcome only when you know it.
4. Check every claim. Could you explain it in an interview? Does it describe your contribution rather than the whole team’s? Remove confidential customer, employer or financial details.
5. Review the final document. Use descriptive headings and consistent dates. Follow the application’s requested file type and check that the text remains readable when copied into plain text.

Unfilled bullet template:
[Action you actually took] [task or deliverable] for [verified scope]. [Optional result you can substantiate.]
Leave the final sentence out if you cannot verify a result. Replace all brackets before using the bullet.

Next step: Improve one relevant bullet, compare it against the evidence you recorded, and then apply the same check to the rest of your resume.

Build an interview example from a real event

1. Select a real example. Choose an event that demonstrates the skill being discussed. A modest, accurate example is more useful than a dramatic invented story.
2. Separate context from contribution. Briefly explain the situation and your responsibility. Spend most of the answer on what you personally did, distinguishing it from others’ work.
3. State the outcome honestly. Include a measured result only if supported. If the outcome was mixed, explain what happened and what you learned without assigning motives to others.
4. Practice follow-up questions. Why that action? What alternatives did you consider? What would you change? Prepare factual answers, not a memorized fictional script.

Unfilled interview outline:
Situation: [real event, without identifying or confidential details]
Responsibility: [your actual responsibility]
Action: [what you personally did and why]
Result: [what you observed or can substantiate]
Learning: [what you would repeat or change]

If you have not faced the requested situation, say so. You can offer a related real example or explain how you would approach a hypothetical situation, clearly identifying it as hypothetical.

Next step: Rehearse one example out loud, then remove any statement you could not defend with a concrete explanation.

Turn unclear promotion feedback into observable criteria

Not being promoted does not establish that your performance is poor or that a manager is intentionally blocking you. Distinguish what you know from explanations you still need to test.

1. Clarify the decision. Ask about the next-level expectations, who decides, the timing, and whether an opening or budget is required. Performance, level and available positions are related but not identical.
2. Request examples. Ask which expectations you already demonstrate and which need stronger evidence. Replace vague labels such as “be more strategic” with an observable behavior or deliverable.
3. Agree on a bounded plan. Identify a small number of relevant outcomes, what support is available, and a review date. Ask how additional work relates to the criteria before taking on an open-ended workload.
4. Record and reassess. Keep a private factual summary of agreed expectations. At the review, compare evidence against the criteria. If expectations repeatedly shift, consider internal alternatives or an external search alongside the risks of each.

Conversation starter:
“I’d like to understand what is required for [target level]. Which expectations do I already meet, and where do you need more evidence? Could we agree on observable outcomes and a date to review them?”

Next step: Prepare a short agenda with your target role, verified examples of your work, and two questions about decision criteria. Do not assume extra work guarantees advancement.

Prepare a raise discussion—and clarify a salary cap

1. Define the request. Decide whether you are asking about performance pay, a market adjustment, or a role/level change. These can follow different approval processes.
2. Gather comparable evidence. Review relevant compensation information for similar responsibilities, location and experience. Treat broad ranges as reference points, not proof of what your employer must pay. Use documented contributions, not invented impact.
3. Ask about the process. Find out when compensation decisions are made, who approves them, and what information your manager needs to consider the request.
4. If told there is a cap, clarify its meaning. Is it the top of the current role’s pay band, a temporary budget restriction, or a separate policy? Ask whether a different level, position or review period changes the answer.
5. Compare available options. A one-time bonus, development support or other arrangement may be worth discussing if available, but is not the same as a permanent base-pay increase. Weigh the actual terms and your priorities; do not invent an outside offer or threaten to leave unless prepared to do so.

Cap clarification:
“When you say my salary is capped, do you mean the maximum for my current role or a restriction for this review period? What options, criteria and review timing can we realistically discuss?”

Next step: Write down the specific request, the evidence you can substantiate, and a fallback decision if the answer remains no. Taking on more responsibility alone does not remove a structural cap.