Career Email Checklists
The difference between an email that works and one that quietly costs you is usually two or three small things. Run the right list below before you hit send. Each checklist covers what to include — and the specific lines to delete.
Pick your checklist
Counter offer checklist
Before you reply to a job offer you want to negotiate.
- You have the offer in writing (verbal-only? get it in writing first).
- You researched the market for this exact role + location (Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Payscale) and have a defensible number.
- You're countering with one specific number, not a range.
- Your number is anchored in market data, not personal expenses.
- The email opens by re-committing to the role ("this is my top choice").
- You named at least one fallback lever — signing bonus, equity, PTO, or an early review — in case base is fixed.
- You're replying within 24–48 hours of the offer.
- Tone is warm and collaborative, never an ultimatum.
- "I need more because [rent / loans / cost of living]."
- Any range ("$100k–$115k" gets you $100k).
- A competing offer you don't actually have.
→ Ready-to-send versions for every reply: Counter-Offer Script Kit ($7) · see a full counter offer example.
Raise request checklist
Before you ask your manager for more money.
- You can list 2–3 results with numbers from the last 6–12 months.
- You have a specific target salary backed by market data for your role.
- You're asking for a short meeting, not a yes/no over email.
- Your timing is good — after a visible win, before budgets lock for the cycle.
- You've connected your results to business impact (revenue, cost, risk, time).
- You have a calm plan for "not in the budget right now" (a timeline and review date).
- "I work really hard" / "I deserve" with no evidence.
- Comparisons to a specific coworker's pay.
- Any threat to quit you're not prepared to follow through.
→ The full ask + follow-up + pushback sequence: Raise Request Kit ($7).
Promotion request checklist
Before you ask to move up a level.
- You can show you're already operating at the next level, with examples.
- You know the target title and roughly what it pays.
- You're asking your manager "what would you need to see?" to co-own the path.
- You asked about the promotion timeline / decision cycle.
- Your examples map to the competencies for the target level, not just "more work."
- You framed it as recognition of current scope, not a future favor.
- "I've been here a long time" as the main argument (tenure ≠ readiness).
- Vague asks with no title and no examples.
- Waiting silently to "be noticed."
→ Build the written case the right way: Promotion Request Kit ($7).
Resignation checklist
Before you send your notice.
- You state clearly that you're resigning and give your exact last day.
- Notice period matches your contract (usually two weeks).
- You included one genuine line of thanks.
- You offered to help with a smooth handover.
- Tone is warm, short, and reference-safe.
- You've already secured the new offer in writing (if applicable).
- Grievances about the manager, team, or culture.
- Detailed reasons for leaving (save it for an optional exit interview).
- Anything written in anger — sleep on it first.
→ Versions for short notice, toxic exits, and keeping the door open: Resignation Kit ($7).
Performance review checklist
Before you submit your self-assessment.
- You wrote 3–5 accomplishments in STAR form (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Every accomplishment ends in a measurable result.
- You used next-level language if you're angling for promotion.
- You named cross-team impact and ownership, not just task completion.
- You included one honest area of growth with what you're doing about it.
- It's skimmable — bullets and bold, not dense paragraphs.
- "I worked hard and helped the team" with no specifics.
- Adjectives doing the work that numbers should ("massively improved").
- Underselling — modesty reads as a weak year in calibration.
→ Ready-made accomplishment phrasing: Performance Review Kit ($7).
From checklist to ready-to-send
The checklists tell you what good looks like. The $7 kits hand you the email already written for the moment — the ask, the follow-up, the response to pushback, and the acceptance.
Compare all 5 kits — $7 eachInstant PDF · 30-day money-back guarantee · 🔒 secure Stripe checkout