I had a serendipitous meeting with the Director of Talent Acquisition for a company that I consider my northstar. I went up to her and expressed my interest and she said she feels good about me and would like to meet me for a chat. This was on a Friday afternoon, so she scheduled it for the following Monday. She pushed it twice since then and then said she would reach back to me when she has more time. A week from then, I followed up again with some ideas I had for the company and reminded her I'm still keen. Did I push it? Where is the line with following up and being proactive?

3.5 years in, started as APM at a startup (acquired by large enterprise). I now lead $10M+ in product and report directly to execs/VPs. I’ve asked for a promotion, but only get vague responses like “process” and “budget” despite back-to-back 4/5 reviews (top 10% per leadership). No promotion. No raise since joining. Manager’s on extended leave, but I’ve got a VP meeting. Do I: A) Push harder B) Quietly job search C) Leave and publicly ask for help Feeling stuck — what would you do?

Advice on how to make the move from SM/D level to another firm to MD/P level? Specifically for those stuck at a level but can’t get promoted (either heavy pipeline, not good enough, etc) , how do you explain this to another firm? For example - how can someone who’s been SM for a long time explain why they are leaving the firm? Isn’t it an obvious answer they aren’t good enough but there could be other reasons. Saying the pipeline is too heavy isn’t a good reason even though it may be the truth.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been yelled at for delays that weren’t even my fault. Half the time the orders aren’t put in correctly or aren’t ready when we arrive, but somehow we’re the ones who take the heat. We’re the lowest rung in the process but always the most visible, which makes us easy targets. I want to advocate for myself and my team, but I also don’t want to make enemies in departments we rely on every day. How do you push back without burning bridges?

I feel like the “urgency” my manager makes us push is either product setup time (better start now cause it’ll take 8 months to implement!) or not that big of discounts tied to end of month. She’s a great manager but when I try these tactics I just feel like the customer looses trust and I sound needy. She’s always checking in on me “did you run the offer by them?!” She’s great. Don’t get me wrong. But god damn I’m tired of the fake urgency build.

10 years in med devices, been through the whole journey - contract work, startup life, now big corporate. Made what I thought was a smart move, staying on the leadership track at the startup instead of taking a principal role. Then layoffs hit, and here I am, still a senior engineer making $120k at my current place. Don't get me wrong, love where I work, but feeling pretty stuck right now. How can I push past senior level when I feel like I should be further along?

10 years in med devices, been through the whole journey - contract work, startup life, now big corporate. Made what I thought was a smart move, staying on the leadership track at the startup instead of taking a principal role. Then layoffs hit, and here I am, still a senior engineer making $120k at my current place. Don't get me wrong, love where I work, but feeling pretty stuck right now. How can I push past senior level when I feel like I should be further along?

My coworker (Dir) and I (Assoc Dir) both report to our manager (Sr Dir) who reports to the head of a group. Our work is more or less the same - I’m not entirely sure what he does differently vs me but he has more YOE total. Can I make a push for Dir within this same group? If not, what can I do to show boss(es) I am ready? Coming from consulting btw where promotions are time-based and checklist-based, so new to the industry ways of working

I’ve know companies often tie salary increases to hitting specific performance targets. Sometimes the target dates are unrealistic and some feel fair. An example is a project I was on that had many failures and delayed the launch of a product by 5 months because of some technology and funding issues. The leadership team was not happy about it. But we did it, eventually! How do you decide if this is something that should be used to push for a raise?

Last month, I pushed back on a deadline because I was overloaded. My manager told me to find a way. So I skipped lunch, stayed late, and made it happen. And then it hit me. That’s exactly what they wanted. They know I’ll cave under pressure and get it done. I want to hold better boundaries, but I also don’t want to be seen as difficult. How do you push back in a way that doesn’t just lead to you being punished later?