Free resources.

1. Find your through-line

A through-line is the thread that connects what you’ve done, what you’re good at, and where you want to go. Set aside 30 minutes and write your answers by hand.

1. List five moments in your career when you were proudest of your work. For each, write what you actually did.
2. What do people come to you for without being asked?
3. In each of those moments, what did you do that someone else might have missed?
4. Which work gives you energy, and which drains it, even when you do it well?
5. Finish this sentence three different ways: “I’m at my best when…”
6. Read everything back. What repeats? Write it in one sentence. That sentence is a first draft of your through-line.

2. Build your evidence file

Good work only helps you when other people can see it. Keep one running document, and add to it once a month.

For each piece of significant work, record:

• The problem. What needed solving, and for whom.
• What you did. Your part specifically, in plain language.
• What changed. The outcome, with a real number or decision where you have one. Don’t estimate or round up.
• Who noticed. Names, and what they said in their own words.

Use it before reviews, before you negotiate, when you update your résumé, and whenever someone asks what you’ve been working on.

3. Prepare for the pay or title conversation

A checklist for before, during, and after. It’s general guidance, not legal or financial advice.

Before

• Decide the specific ask: title, pay, scope, and timing.
• Choose three items from your evidence file that support it.
• Look up the range for your role from sources you can name, such as current postings and market surveys. Don’t rely on memory.
• Identify who decides, and what they care about.
• Know your next best option if the answer is no.
• Write your opening sentence, and say it aloud twice.

During

• Start with the value you’ve created for them.
• State the ask plainly, then stop talking.
• Ask: “What would make a yes possible?”
• If the answer is not now, ask for the criteria and a date to revisit it.

After

• Send a short written summary of what was said and agreed.
• Put the follow-up date on your calendar.