1. Your First 90 Days
The impression you make in the first three months tends to stick for years. Spend it learning, not performing.
Days 1–30 — Listen
Meet everyone you will work with, one at a time. Ask what they do, what slows them down, and what they wish someone would fix. Write it all down. Resist the urge to suggest improvements yet.
Days 31–60 — Deliver something small
Pick one visible, low-risk problem from your notes and fix it properly. Early credibility comes from finishing something, not from proposing a grand plan.
Days 61–90 — Take ownership
Agree with your manager on what you own and how it will be measured. Ask directly: 'What would a strong first year look like?' Then write down the answer.
Things that pay off early
- ✓Ask questions in week two that would be embarrassing in month six.
- ✓Learn who actually makes decisions, which is not always the org chart.
- ✓Find out how work gets reviewed and shipped before you try to change it.
- ✓Keep a running log of what you deliver from day one — you will need it at review time.
2. Making Your Work Visible
Good work that nobody knows about does not get promoted. This is not politics — it is making sure decisions about you are made with full information.
Keep a brag document — One file. Every shipped project, every problem solved, every number moved, with dates. Update it monthly, not the week before your review.
Report outcomes, not activity — 'Cut support tickets 30% by fixing the onboarding email' beats 'worked on onboarding'. Managers repeat outcomes upward; they cannot repeat activity.
Share progress where others can see it — A short update in the team channel is not showing off. It stops your manager from having to guess what you are doing.
Give credit generously — Naming the people who helped costs you nothing and makes others want to work with you again.
Say what you want out loud — Nobody is tracking your ambitions for you. If you want a certain project or a certain role, your manager needs to actually hear it.
3. One-on-Ones With Your Manager
This is your meeting, not theirs. Most people waste it on status updates that could have been a message.
- ✓Bring an agenda. Two or three items is enough, sent in advance if you can.
- ✓Do not spend it on status — that belongs in writing. Use the time for decisions, blockers and direction.
- ✓Ask for feedback specifically: 'What is one thing I could do better next quarter?' is far easier to answer than 'any feedback?'
- ✓Raise problems early, with a proposed option. Managers remember who brought solutions.
- ✓Once a quarter, talk about growth rather than work — where you are heading, not just what is on your plate.
- ✓Write down what was agreed and follow up. Verbal agreements evaporate.
4. Asking for a Promotion
A promotion is granted for work you are already doing at the next level, not as a reward for time served. Your job is to make that visible and easy to approve.
Find out the actual criteria — Most companies have a levelling framework. Ask for it. If none exists, ask your manager to describe what the next level looks like in writing.
Operate at that level first — For two or three months, take on the scope of the role you want. Then the conversation is about recognising reality, not taking a bet on you.
Build the evidence file — Map your work directly onto their criteria, point by point, with numbers and dates. Make it possible for your manager to forward it upward unchanged.
Time it with the cycle — Promotions usually get decided in planning or budget cycles. Raise it one cycle early, not the week decisions are being made.
Ask plainly — 'I would like to be considered for [level] this cycle. Here is why I think I am already operating there. What is missing?'
If it is no, get specifics and a date — 'What exactly would need to be true, and when will we review it?' Then diarise it. A no without criteria is a no forever.
What to actually say
Asking for the promotion conversation
"I would like to be considered for [level] this cycle. I have put together how my work maps to the criteria — could we set aside twenty minutes to go through it?"
When you are told no
"That is fair. What specifically would need to be true for it to be a yes, and when could we review it again?"
When you are asked to take on more with no capacity
"I can take that on — which of my current priorities should move to make room?"
When someone presents your work as theirs
"Just to add context on that — I built the first version, so I can answer the detail on it." Said calmly, in the room, once.
Resigning
"I wanted to tell you first — I have accepted another role. My last day would be [date]. I want to hand over properly, so tell me what would be most useful."
5. Feedback and Conflict
How you handle criticism and disagreement is watched more closely than how you handle praise.
Do not respond immediately — Say 'thank you, let me think about that' and come back the next day. Almost nothing needs an instant reply, and defensiveness is hard to undo.
Ask for the specific example — Vague feedback cannot be acted on. 'Can you give me an example of when that happened?' turns criticism into something usable.
Separate the work from yourself — Feedback on a document is not feedback on you. This is a skill, and it gets easier with practice.
In conflict, go direct and go early — One quiet conversation with the person involved solves most of it. Escalating first burns goodwill you will need later.
Argue positions, not people — 'I see the tradeoff differently, here is why' works. 'You are wrong' ends the conversation.
Document the serious ones — For anything involving conduct or repeated problems, keep a written record with dates. Hopefully you never need it.
6. Resigning Well
Your industry is smaller than it looks. The way you leave is what former colleagues will remember, and they are the ones who refer you later.
Sign the new offer first — Never resign on a verbal promise. Get the signed contract, then hand in notice.
Tell your manager before anyone else — In person or on a call, not over message, and not after the team has already heard.
Keep the reason short and neutral — 'I have accepted an opportunity that is the right next step for me.' An exit interview is not the place to settle scores.
Put it in writing the same day — A short formal resignation letter with your last working day, calculated from your notice period.
Hand over properly — Write the documentation, record what only you know, and introduce the people who will take over. This is the part everyone remembers.
Ask for a reference before you go — It is far easier to get a LinkedIn recommendation in your last week than eighteen months later.
Update your resume before you need it
The best time to write down what you achieved is while you still remember the numbers — not when you are suddenly job hunting.
Open Resume Builder7. Frequently Asked Questions
- How long should I stay in a job before moving on?
- There is no fixed rule, but under a year repeatedly starts to raise questions in interviews. One short stint is easily explained; a pattern of them is harder. Stay long enough to have delivered something you can point to.
- My manager takes credit for my work. What do I do?
- Increase the number of people who see your work directly — share progress in team channels, present your own work, and copy relevant people on outcomes. If it continues, raise it with your manager once, specifically and calmly, before escalating.
- Should I accept a promotion without a raise?
- Sometimes the title genuinely unlocks better offers later, so it is not automatically a bad deal. But ask directly when the compensation review will follow, and get the answer in writing.
- How do I handle being asked to work far beyond my hours?
- Make the tradeoff explicit rather than refusing outright: 'I can take that on — which of my current priorities should move?' This turns an open-ended demand into a decision your manager has to make.
- Is it worth staying friendly with former colleagues?
- Yes, and it is the highest-return, lowest-effort thing in this guide. Most jobs are found through people who already know your work. A message twice a year is enough to keep it alive.
- What should I do in my notice period?
- Hand over thoroughly and stay professional to the last day. Do not coast, do not badmouth, and do not take anything that is not yours. Your reputation outlasts the job.