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Advises on career decisions — offer evaluation, salary and equity negotiation, promotions, pivots, and layoff response. Use when the user receives an offer or a recruiter ping, feels underpaid or stuck at a level, weighs staying vs quitting, gets passed over for promotion, faces a PIP, layoff, firing, or rescinded offer, compares equity and vesting packages, or plans a change of role, industry, or IC-to-manager track. Not for writing the resume itself (resume) or running the application pipeline (job-search).
---
name: Career
slug: career
version: 1.0.5
description: >-
Advises on career decisions — offer evaluation, salary and equity negotiation, promotions,
pivots, and layoff response. Use when the user receives an offer or a recruiter ping, feels
underpaid or stuck at a level, weighs staying vs quitting, gets passed over for promotion,
faces a PIP, layoff, firing, or rescinded offer, compares equity and vesting packages, or
plans a change of role, industry, or IC-to-manager track. Not for writing the resume itself
(resume) or running the application pipeline (job-search).
homepage: https://clawic.com/skills/career
changelog: "Display name shown correctly"
metadata:
clawdbot:
emoji: "💼"
displayName: Career
configPaths:
- ~/Clawic/data/career/
---
Advise mode: this skill guides a human making their own career moves; it never acts on their behalf. User career data lives in `~/Clawic/data/career/` (see `setup.md` on first use, `memory-template.md` for file formats): `profile.md` holds comp history, market band, constraints, and stated values — create it on the first substantive session and update after each decision. If you have data at an old location (`~/career/` or `~/clawic/career/`), move it to `~/Clawic/data/career/`.
## When To Use
- An offer or counteroffer is on the table and the user must respond
- Deciding whether to stay, leave, or pivot role, company, or track
- Building a promotion case, asking for a raise, or diagnosing a stalled level
- Responding to a layoff, PIP, firing, or rescinded offer
- Valuing equity, comparing offers, or benchmarking comp against the market
- Not for writing the resume itself (resume) or running the application pipeline (job-search)
## Quick Reference
| Situation | Play |
|---|---|
| Offer received | Never accept in the call; written details, 48 hours, counter once minimum (`offers.md`) |
| Asked for salary expectations first | Deflect once; if forced, state a range whose bottom is your target (`offers.md`) |
| Exploding deadline (under 1 week) | Request one week in writing; treat refusal as data about the employer |
| Recruiter ping while happy | Extract the band before committing to a process (`market.md`) |
| Offer heavy on equity or options | Risk-adjust before comparing — face value is the optimistic read (`equity.md`) |
| "Should I quit?" | No decision without a BATNA (Rule 1); run the razor (→ The Decision Razor) |
| Stalled 2+ promotion cycles | Diagnose scope vs sponsor vs structure (`promotion.md`) |
| Underpaid suspicion | Confirm with band data, then internal ask before external move (`market.md`) |
| Changing role and industry at once | One variable per move (Rule 4; `pivots.md`) |
| Laid off, fired, or PIP'd | 48-hour sequence; sign nothing on day one (`layoffs.md`) |
| Counteroffer after resigning | Decline by default: root cause persists and flight risk is now on record |
| Director-and-above move | Different mechanics: negotiate severance at entry (`executive.md`) |
| Happy, no active decision | Market check every 18-24 months: 2-3 recruiter conversations to reprice the band |
| Anything else | Collect three facts before advising: current total comp, market band, live alternatives |
Depth on demand: `offers.md` evaluate, compare, counter · `equity.md` RSUs, options, vesting math · `promotion.md` levels, calibration, internal raises · `pivots.md` role, industry, track changes, breaks, going independent · `layoffs.md` layoffs, PIPs, severance, visas · `market.md` benchmarking and staying liquid · `executive.md` director-and-above moves.
## Core Rules
1. **No BATNA, no decision.** "Stay or go" without a concrete outside option is a mood poll. Check: can the user name a specific alternative and its comp? If not, the first step is generating options, not deciding.
2. **Counter = 2 × target − offer.** Offer 100k, target 112k, counter 124k: negotiations gravitate toward the midpoint of the two stated numbers, so countering at your target guarantees landing below it.
3. **Switchers outprice stayers.** Atlanta Fed Wage Growth Tracker: job switchers beat stayers by roughly 1-2 percentage points of annual wage growth in most years. This is the base-rate argument behind the 18-24 month market check even when content.
4. **One-variable transitions.** Per move, change role OR industry OR track (IC to manager), not two. Each simultaneous change resets leverage to beginner on that axis; two at once typically costs both comp and title.
5. **Promotion is a lagging indicator.** You get promoted for having already done the next level's job for 6-12 months with witnesses outside your team. If nobody above your manager can describe your work, the packet fails at calibration.
6. **Negotiate the package, not the base.** Typical employer flexibility, most to least: sign-on bonus, equity, start date and vacation, title and review timing, base. Sign-on is a one-time cost to them; moving base reprices their whole band.
7. **Reversibility sets the risk bar.** If a move can be undone within about 12 months (boomerang hire, internal transfer back, contract work), bias toward acting; irreversible moves (relocation with family, visa changes, walking away from a cliff) get the full BATNA-plus-runway treatment.
8. **Resign only on paper.** A verbal offer is a mood; resign only on a written offer with contingencies (background check, references) cleared. A rescind after resignation is a self-inflicted layoff.
## The Decision Razor
Diagnose before prescribing; a bad manager and a bad career have opposite fixes.
- (a) Would a different manager fix this? Internal transfer before quitting (`promotion.md`). (b) Would the same role at a better company fix it? Switch companies, keep the role (Rule 4). (c) Does the work itself drain you even in good weeks, for 3+ months? Pivot, planned as a one-variable move (`pivots.md`).
- Quitting without an offer requires runway of at least 2× realistic search time. Senior searches commonly run 3-6 months, so hold 6-12 months of expenses in cash, not "some savings"; executive searches run longer — scale the same formula (`executive.md`).
- Tenure math: sunk years are not an asset; unvested equity is. Compute the dollar cost of leaving before the next vest date (`equity.md`) and treat only that number as the price of leaving.
## Offer Response In Brief
Full sequence in `offers.md`; the spine:
1. Everything in writing: base, bonus target with payout history, equity grant with vest schedule and cliff, sign-on with clawback terms, refresher policy.
2. Compute annualized total comp yourself; recruiters quote best case.
3. Set target from the market band (`market.md`), never from current comp. "Current plus 15%" is an anchor, not a target.
4. Counter once at 2 × target − offer (Rule 2), justified with one sentence of market data, never personal need.
5. Base capped? Walk the flexibility ladder in Rule 6 order.
Internal negotiation is a different game: performance already known, peer equity beats market rate, and you need a champion in the room, not just a request (`promotion.md`). Never wave an external offer you are unwilling to take.
## Output Gates
Before delivering career advice, check:
- Did I get current total comp, market band, and live alternatives before recommending any number or any stay/quit call?
- Is every counter I proposed computed as 2 × target − offer, not the midpoint of the visible range?
- Did I check unvested equity and cliff dates before endorsing a departure timeline?
- When no live alternative exists, did I recommend generating a BATNA instead of deciding?
- If `visa_dependent` or a non-US `region` applies, did I adjust legal defaults and timelines (`layoffs.md`)?
- Is the recommendation scored against the values in `profile.md`, not against brand prestige?
## Configuration
User-dependent variables. Defaults apply until the user states a preference; store them in `~/Clawic/data/career/config.yaml`.
| Variable | Type | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| region | US \| EU \| UK \| other | US | Switches employment-law defaults in `layoffs.md`: at-will vs statutory notice, severance norms, non-compete enforceability |
| career_stage | early \| mid \| senior \| executive | mid | Routes director-and-above questions to `executive.md`; scales search-time and runway estimates in The Decision Razor |
| risk_posture | conservative \| moderate \| aggressive | moderate | Conservative doubles runway floors and defaults against irreversible moves (Rule 7); aggressive accepts reversible bets at 1× runway |
| visa_dependent | bool | false | Adds immigration clocks to every timeline: layoff grace periods, job-change risk, start-date and termination-date negotiation |
Preference areas to record as the user reveals them:
- **comp philosophy** — cash vs equity weighting, appetite for private-company paper; affects offer scoring in `offers.md` and equity discounting in `equity.md`
- **constraints** — location and remote requirements, excluded industries, family or caregiving limits; affects option generation before any stay/leave call
- **values ranking** — what "better" means (comp, learning, autonomy, mission, hours), stored ranked in `profile.md`; affects how offers and stay/leave options are scored
- **coaching style** — frameworks only vs drafted word-for-word scripts, blunt vs cushioned delivery; affects the format of every negotiation deliverable
## Traps
| Trap | Why it fails | Do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Accepting on the call | Peak-emotion decision at their anchor | 48 hours and written details, always |
| Naming your number first | Anchors at your guess of their band, usually low | Deflect once; if forced, range with target at the bottom |
| Comparing offers on year-1 base | Bonus reality, vest schedule, and refreshers dominate by year 3 | Normalize to 4-year total value (`offers.md`) |
| Resigning to force a counteroffer | Root cause persists and you are flagged as flight risk | Resign only when ready to leave |
| "I have invested 5 years here" | Sunk cost; tenure is not an asset, unvested equity is | Price only the forward-looking cost of leaving |
| Chasing title over scope | Inflated title with unchanged scope fails the next interview loop | Trade title for scope, budget, or reports |
| Calling a mentor a sponsor | Advice does not move calibration decisions | Verify who speaks for you in the room (`promotion.md`) |
| Negotiating base only | Base is their stickiest number | Sign-on, equity, dates, title first (Rule 6) |
| Interviewing only when desperate | Desperation prices in; the band is stale exactly when you need it | Market check on elapsed time, not unhappiness (`market.md`) |
| Prestige capture | Optimizing for logo approval over fit compounds misery | Score offers against stored profile values, not brand names |
## Where Experts Disagree
- **Passion-first vs skill-first**: both schools hold conditionally. Under about 5 years of experience, skills compound faster than self-knowledge, so bias skill-first (the career-capital position, Newport); with rare skills banked, passion picks between good options.
- **Generalist vs specialist**: specialize while the field expands (early markets pay depth); generalize as it consolidates (mature markets pay range and management).
- **Loyalty premium**: tenure-track systems (government, academia, some East Asian conglomerates) genuinely pay tenure; the switcher math of Rule 3 is calibrated to open-market private sectors and reverses there.
## Related Skills
More Clawic skills, get them at https://clawic.com/skills/career (install if the user confirms):
- `job-search` — running the pipeline: applications, company research, interview prep
- `resume` — when the decision is made and materials need targeting
- `negotiate` — negotiation mechanics beyond comp: limits, principals, approvals
- `comp-design` — the employer side: designing base, bonus, and equity mix
## Feedback
- If useful, star it: https://clawic.com/skills/career
- Latest version: https://clawic.com/skills/career
Part of [Clawic](https://clawic.com), the verified skill library. Get this skill: https://clawic.com/skills/career.
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this skill guides you through career decisions without acting on your behalf. use it when you get an offer or recruiter ping, feel underpaid or stuck at a level, weigh staying vs quitting, get passed over for promotion, face a PIP or layoff, compare equity packages, or plan a role, industry, or IC-to-manager pivot. it's not for resume writing (see: resume) or job applications (see: job-search). the skill is advice-only; you decide and execute.
store these in ~/Clawic/data/career/config.yaml and update whenever you state a preference:
location: ~/Clawic/data/career/profile.md
create on first substantive session, update after each decision. format:
# Career Profile
## Comp History
- [Company] [Years]: [Total comp breakdown]
- ...
## Current Constraints
- Location/remote: [requirement]
- Excluded industries: [list]
- Caregiving or family limits: [describe]
## Values (ranked by importance)
1. [value name]: [what it means to you]
2. [value name]: [what it means to you]
...
## Comp Philosophy
- Cash vs equity weighting: [preference]
- Private-company paper appetite: [yes/no, risk tolerance]
## Coaching Style
- Format preference: [frameworks only / drafted scripts / both]
- Tone: [blunt / cushioned / balanced]
the skill maintains depth files in ~/Clawic/data/career/:
if files do not exist, the skill creates them on demand.
input: user context (email, conversation, or situation description)
diagnose what you need before advising. for every decision, gather:
decision: if any of these are missing, request them explicitly. do not estimate or assume.
output: confirmed numbers and alternatives, stored as text in the session.
input: current total comp from step 1, market band from step 1
normalize comp to annual 4-year blended value if equity is involved (equity.md computes this). compare your current total to the band:
output: gap identified or band confirmed. store in profile.md.
input: user's stated concern (offer received, promotion stalled, layoff, etc.)
route to the appropriate playbook:
output: routed to playbook. proceed to step 4.
input: written offer details (base, bonus target, equity annual grant with vest schedule and cliff, sign-on, clawback terms, start date)
read every line. do not accept on the call. store the offer in writing.
store the offer and your counter in offers.md.
output: counter written and sent, or base cap hit and alternatives negotiated. outcome signal: written counter from you, with market justification.
input: current level, desired level, scope of work you are doing, visibility outside your team
diagnose the blocker:
internal raise: if you are underpaid by band, make an internal ask before leaving. performance is known; peer equity beats market rate. bring a sponsor into the negotiation.
store the diagnosis and action plan in promotion.md.
output: one of: scope-building plan, sponsor-finding plan, or external move plan. outcome signal: sponsor identified or scope roadmap documented.
input: event type, timeline (notice period or effective date), current comp (all of it), visa status if applicable
do a 48-hour sequence. sign nothing on day one.
store the severance negotiation and runway plan in layoffs.md.
output: severance negotiated, runway computed, timeline secured. outcome signal: signed severance agreement with dates and reference terms locked.
input: current total comp, market band, current employer's financial health
confirm with band data (step 2). if band is stale or missing, run 2-3 recruiter conversations to reprice it (market.md).
if confirmed underpaid:
store the ask and outcome in market.md.
output: internal ask attempted with market justification, or external move planned. outcome signal: internal negotiation documented with dates, or external offer received.
input: current role, desired role, desired industry, current IC vs manager track, skills gap, risk_posture
apply rule 4: one variable per move (role OR industry OR track, not two). simultaneous changes reset leverage to beginner on both axes and typically tank comp and title.
pivots.md walks you through:
store the pivot plan and timeline in pivots.md. if the move is two-variable, plan it as a two-step career move with a stable intermediate role.
output: one-variable pivot plan or two-step sequential plan. outcome signal: role available and targeted, or intermediate role offer received.
input: recruiter message, band claim (if stated), your current comp and role
extract the band before committing to a process. do not ghost and do not give your current comp or salary expectations.
store the band data in market.md for next decision.
output: market band extracted and stored. outcome signal: band documented, conversation ended or scheduled.
input: current role and comp, stated unhappiness, reason for considering quit
apply the decision razor before deciding:
a. would a different manager fix this? if yes, internal transfer before quitting (promotion.md). if no, go to (b).
b. would the same role at a better company fix it? if yes, switch companies and keep the role (rule 4: one variable). if no, go to (c).
c. does the work itself drain you even in good weeks for 3+ months? if yes, pivot planned as a one-variable move (pivots.md). if no, stay and market-check every 18-24 months.
quitting without an offer requires runway: 2x realistic search time in cash (not "savings"). mid-career: 2-4 months realistic search + 2x = 4-8 months cash. senior: 3-6 months realistic search + 2x = 6-12 months cash. executive: 6-12 months realistic search + 2x = 12-24 months cash.
store the decision and reasoning in profile.md. if quitting, start job search immediately (job-search skill).
output: diagnosis (manager, company, or work), decision (stay with market check, transfer, pivot, or quit with runway), and timeline. outcome signal: written decision stored, or offer received.
input: current title, target level, current comp, board/investor signal (if any), severance expectations, equity refresh
executive moves have different mechanics. see executive.md for full depth.
the main difference: you negotiate severance at entry (sign-on severance, clawback carve-outs, change-of-control terms) before accepting. you also carry more equity and negotiate refresh or top-up on arrival, not after 2 years.
store the executive offer negotiation in executive.md.
output: offer negotiated with entry severance and refresh terms. outcome signal: offer letter with severance and equity refresh locked.
input: offer with base capped or negotiator refusing base increase
employers are least flexible on base (reprices the whole band) and most flexible on one-time costs. in order:
store the negotiated package in offers.md.
output: sign-on, equity, dates, title, and review terms secured. outcome signal: written offer incorporating flexibility moves, base held or moved minimally.