Career & Leadership › Career Growth

Career Conversations

Discussing goals and growth with your manager.

Career conversations are recurring discussions between you and your manager about the work you do, what you want to learn, and what support or opportunities could help. They are broader than a performance review, though the topics can overlap.

Bring concrete examples and questions. You might say, “I want to take on more design work. Could I lead the next service proposal, and what would you expect me to demonstrate?” This gives your manager something specific to respond to. Also ask about constraints they can see, such as upcoming team needs or gaps in your current work.

Do not assume your manager knows your goals or has observed every contribution. Share progress during the year, keep a record of outcomes, and ask for timely feedback rather than waiting for an annual cycle. At the same time, career development is not a guarantee of a particular promotion; role availability and company processes matter.

Backend engineers might bring a recent incident review or design proposal and ask what operating or design judgment stood out. Frontend engineers can discuss interaction trade-offs they handled and where user feedback changed their approach. Data engineers can review a pipeline or modeling choice and ask how its reliability was perceived. Revisit the notes before the next cycle so progress is judged on evidence rather than memory, and adjust the plan when team needs shift.

A useful conversation ends with actions: a project to try, feedback to seek, or a follow-up date. If the manager cannot provide a path, ask what evidence or opportunity would help and consider other mentors or teams. See promotion, managing up, and career ladders.