PM Career

Keep a running brag document of your accomplishments so reviews and promo cases write themselves. Use when asked to start or update a brag doc, log a win, track accomplishments, or prep evidence for a review/promotion. Produces a structured, dated accomplishment log — impact-first entries with metrics, scope, and the evidence link — grouped so it drops straight into a self-review or promo packet.

Write a performance self-review that's specific, evidenced, and balanced. Use when asked to write a self-review, self-assessment, or self-evaluation for a performance cycle. Produces a complete self-review — accomplishments mapped to impact and competencies, growth areas owned honestly, and a forward-looking development plan, in the voice of the person being reviewed.

Respond to a performance improvement plan strategically — decode what the PIP really is, decide fight-vs-land-softly with clear eyes, build the evidence file, and run the parallel job search the situation demands. Use when asked I was just put on a PIP what do I do, help me respond to a performance improvement plan, is my PIP survivable, or write my PIP check-in updates. Produces the honest read of the PIP, the two-track plan (perform + search), the documentation system, and templates for check-ins and the written response.

Run an honest personal year-in-review and set next year's direction — wins, misses, an energy audit, and one theme, not a resolution list that dies in February. Use when asked for a personal year in review, a yearly reflection, to reflect on the past year, or plan next year. Produces the structured retrospective (what worked, what didn't, what you learned), an energy audit of what gave vs. drained you, the honest misses, and a single theme with a few concrete commitments. Personal, not corporate.

Plan your first hire — whether to hire at all yet, contractor vs employee, what role to hire, and how to do it right when you've never hired before. Use when asked to help me make my first hire, should I hire someone, contractor or employee, or how do I hire for my small business. Produces a readiness and role read (what to hand off first), a contractor-vs-employee decision for your situation, a lightweight hiring process (role definition, sourcing, a fair evaluation, an offer), the obligations to be aware of, and onboarding basics — flagging that employment/tax/legal rules are local. Not legal or tax advice.

Prepare for a 1:1 so it drives outcomes instead of becoming a status update. Use when asked to prep for a one-on-one, build a 1:1 agenda, prepare to talk to your manager (or a report), or raise something hard in a 1:1. Produces a focused 1:1 agenda — your top topics with the outcome you want for each, the asks, updates kept brief, and growth/feedback threads, tuned to direction (with your manager vs. with a report).

Build a promotion case that proves you're already operating at the next level. Use when asked to write a promo packet/case, prepare for a promotion committee, or make the case for a level-up or title change. Produces a promotion packet — the level-up thesis, evidence mapped to each next-level competency, scope/impact highlights, peer-quote slots, and the gaps to close before submitting.

Map where you are against the next level and build a concrete plan to close the gap. Use when asked to map a career ladder, find the gap to the next level, build a development/growth plan, or figure out what to work on to get promoted. Produces a level-gap map — current vs. target competencies side by side, the specific gaps, and a prioritised 1–2 quarter plan of evidence-generating projects to close them.

Build a realistic plan to change careers — mapping your transferable skills, the real gaps, and a bridge that doesn't require torching your income overnight. Use when asked to help me change careers, career pivot plan, how do I switch to [field], or I want a new career but don't know how. Produces a transferable-skills map, an honest gap analysis to the target role, a staged bridge (skill-building, positioning, side-door entry), a financial-runway reality check, and a narrative that reframes your background as an asset — not a starting-from-zero story.

Plan a compensation negotiation grounded in numbers and leverage, not nerves. Use when asked to negotiate salary, evaluate or counter a job offer, prepare for a comp conversation, or compare offers. Produces a negotiation plan — total-comp comparison across offers, your target/walk-away and BATNA, the value-based justification, the counter scripts, and what to negotiate beyond base.

Write networking messages that actually get replies — warm, specific, and easy to say yes to — for reconnecting, cold outreach, referrals, or asking for advice. Use when asked to help me network, write a message to reconnect / to a recruiter / to someone at [company], reach out for a referral, or networking message help. Produces a message tuned to the relationship and the ask, a specific and genuine hook, a low-friction request the person can easily grant, follow-up guidance, and a note on giving value — not a generic 'pick your brain' that gets ignored.

Build a defensible salary range for a role — what it actually pays given the market, location, level, and your value — so you can ask, counter, or set pay with a real number. Use when asked what should I be paid, is my salary fair, research market pay for [role], or how much to ask for. Produces a structured way to research the range from multiple sources, the factors that move your number (level, location, industry, skills, company size), where you likely sit in the band, and how to frame the number — flagging that pay data varies and should be triangulated, not taken from one source. Not the same as running the negotiation.

Build a realistic recovery plan for burnout — address the causes, not just the symptoms — with changes you can actually make at work and outside it. Use when asked to help with burnout, I'm burnt out, how to recover from burnout, or I'm exhausted and dread work. Produces a read on what's driving the burnout (load, control, reward, fairness, values, community), immediate relief steps, the boundary and workload changes that address the root, a recovery timeline with realistic expectations, and a flag that severe or persistent burnout/depression warrants a professional. Not medical advice.

Steady the first 72 hours after being laid off — the practical, financial, and emotional moves in the right order, before panic-applying to everything. Use when asked I just got laid off what do I do, help me after a layoff, I lost my job, or just got made redundant. Produces a calm first-days checklist (understand the severance/package, protect benefits and finances, secure references and contacts, file for support), what to negotiate before signing anything, an emotional-footing note, and a bridge into the job search — not a frantic same-day scramble. Not legal or financial advice.

Plan your first 90 days as a new manager — build trust, learn before changing, and avoid the classic first-time-manager mistakes. Use when asked to help me as a new manager, I just became a manager, first-time manager advice, or my first 90 days managing a team. Produces a phased 90-day plan (listen and learn, then set direction, then adjust), how to run your first 1:1s, the mindset shift from doer to enabler, common traps to avoid (doing it all yourself, changing too fast, avoiding hard conversations), and early wins that build credibility.

Prepare for an informational interview — the outreach, the questions, and the follow-up — so a 20-minute chat actually helps your career instead of wasting their time. Use when asked to prep for an informational interview, questions to ask someone in [field], how to reach out for a career chat, or coffee chat prep. Produces a low-friction outreach message, a focused question set tuned to your goal (exploring a field, breaking in, a specific company), how to run the conversation, what NOT to do (don't ask for a job), and a follow-up that keeps the relationship warm.