Career resource library for women in tech: The Unwritten Rules, Written Down
TL;DR: I've put together a free career resource library with playbooks, raise scripts, an offer calculator, checklists, practical templates, and articles covering everything from promotions to layoffs. I'd love to hear what you'd like covered next and the lessons you've learned along the way.
Hello, fellow women in tech!
A little transparency first: the moderators have kindly given me permission to share these resources under the Resource/ToolShare flair. They're hosted on my website, but you don't need to sign up for coaching or mentoring to access anything I'm sharing here.
I'll be honest: I went back and forth about posting this. I wondered how it would be received. Then I realized that if I'm encouraging women to speak up, put themselves out there, and stop letting fear make their decisions, I need to practice what I preach. So here I am, sharing something I genuinely hope will be useful.
Over 26 years in corporate technology, I've learned that some of the skills that shape our careers are rarely taught. How to make the case for a promotion. How to negotiate an offer. How to build relationships with people who will advocate for you. How to navigate a difficult manager, handle a hard conversation, or find your footing when your career takes an unexpected turn.
I read the conversations here every day, and so many of the stories share a familiar thread: fear and uncertainty. Fear of speaking up, asking for more, getting it wrong, being judged, or not being good enough.
I've seen how that fear can hold talented women back. Sometimes we mistake a lack of experience for a lack of ability. Sometimes we assume everyone else knows something we don't. But these are skills. They can be learned. And confidence grows when you know how to prepare.
You don't have to be the loudest person in the room or have every answer. You can learn to make your case, prepare for difficult conversations, negotiate with confidence, build relationships, and navigate workplace challenges with clarity.
That is why I created these resources. They're not just articles to read. You'll find practical guides, checklists, scripts, exercises, and templates you can actually use. My intention is simple: to make career knowledge accessible so more women can walk into work prepared, informed, and ready to advocate for themselves.
Here's where you might start:
• Working toward a raise or promotion? The Raise and Promotion Playbook includes practical guidance and scripts to help you make the ask.
• Thinking about your next career move? The Next Role Playbook helps you approach your next step with intention.
• Negotiating a job offer? Explore the Offer Guide and use the Compensation Calculator to compare offers side by side.
• Facing a workplace challenge? The article collection covers feedback, visibility, difficult managers, layoffs, and career pivots.
• Investing in your growth more broadly? The full resource library includes checklists for promotion readiness, sponsorship, presentations, boundaries, and financial preparedness, along with a reading list and a five minute daily practice.
Everything is free. No sign up required.
My suggestion: don't try to get through everything at once. Choose one resource that speaks to where you are right now. Grab a notebook, work through the questions, and identify one action you can take.
A lesson from working with senior leaders
One CEO I directly supported would prepare for weeks before a board meeting. Even at the highest level of leadership, he continued to invest in preparation.
Throughout my career, I saw this pattern again and again among successful leaders. They experienced pressure, uncertainty, and self doubt, too. What set them apart was preparation, intention, and showing up. They didn't wait for fear to disappear. They put in the work and prepared themselves to meet the moment.
Confidence isn't simply something you have. It's something you build through preparation, practice, and continuous growth.
We can approach our own growth the same way. We maintain our cars before something breaks down, yet we often leave our personal development to chance. Your growth deserves attention in good seasons, not only in hard ones.
Create a personal roadmap. Think about where you are, where you want to go, the skills you want to develop, the relationships you want to build, and the financial goals that matter to you. Make time to reflect, take deliberate action, and revisit your roadmap as you grow.
You don't need to have everything figured out today. But you can start preparing for the person you want to become and the opportunities you want to pursue.
My hope is that more women walk into work knowing their worth, understanding their options, and feeling equipped to speak up for themselves. Not because they never feel afraid, but because fear no longer makes their decisions for them.
Two invitations
What would you like to see covered? If there's a career challenge you wish someone would address, or a topic you'd like explored in more depth, share it in the comments. Your suggestions will help shape future resources. I'll also share a mind map soon to make the library easier to navigate.
What have you learned along the way? Every woman here has experiences worth sharing: a negotiation that worked, a difficult conversation that changed things, or a lesson you wish you'd learned earlier. Something you learned the hard way might help another woman find her way forward.
Thank you to the moderators for allowing me to contribute. The conversations in this community helped inspire this work, and I'm grateful to share it back with you.
Taking what I've learned and making it accessible to other women is work I genuinely love. If these resources help even one woman feel better prepared to advocate for herself, navigate a difficult situation, or take her next step with confidence, sharing them here will have been worthwhile.
Here's to learning, growing, and showing up for ourselves and each other.
Best,
A fellow woman in tech
