Friday Noon: Career Vocabulary
It’s Friday — perfect time to sharpen the language of career growth. Today’s session covers the vocabulary tech professionals need for salary negotiations, performance reviews, promotions, and leadership conversations. These are the words that separate someone who does great work from someone who gets recognized for great work.
Word of the Day: leverage
IPA: /ˈlev.ər.ɪdʒ/
Vietnamese: tận dụng lợi thế, dùng đòn bẩy (để đạt mục tiêu)
| # | Example | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ”I can leverage my experience leading the migration to make a case for a principal role.” | Promotion conversation |
| 2 | ”Let’s leverage our existing infrastructure rather than rebuilding from scratch.” | Technical decision-making |
| 3 | ”She used her competing offer to leverage a 20% salary increase.” | Negotiation context |
Pronunciation links:
Pronunciation tip: Two valid pronunciations: British /ˈliː.vər.ɪdʒ/ (LEE-ver-idge) and American /ˈlev.ər.ɪdʒ/ (LEV-er-idge). In tech/business US context, LEV-er-idge is more common. Both are correct — pick one and be consistent.
Vocabulary Table
| Phrase | Vietnamese | Example |
|---|---|---|
| leverage (one’s) skills | tận dụng kỹ năng của mình | ”I want to leverage my system design skills in a more architectural role.” |
| make a compelling case | trình bày lập luận thuyết phục | ”You need to make a compelling case with data if you want the promotion.” |
| track record | lịch sử thành tích, hồ sơ thành tích | ”My track record includes two successful migrations and zero production incidents.” |
| scope of impact | phạm vi ảnh hưởng (của công việc) | “I’m looking to expand my scope of impact beyond the backend team.” |
| growth trajectory | lộ trình phát triển, xu hướng tăng trưởng | ”My growth trajectory shows I’m ready for a Staff Engineer role.” |
Pronunciation Guide
Word breakdown: LEV-er-idge
LEV→ /ˈlev/ — stressed, rhymes with “rev” in “revving an engine”er→ /ər/ — unstressed schwa-r, like “er” in “butter”idge→ /ɪdʒ/ — like “idge” in “bridge”
Full practice sentence (read aloud 3 times):
“I want to leverage my track record to make a compelling case for expanding my scope of impact.”
This is a sentence you could literally say in a promotion review. Practice it until it sounds natural — the vocabulary will come naturally in real conversations.
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank
Choose the correct phrase: leverage / make a compelling case / track record / scope of impact / growth trajectory
- “Before your review, prepare data that __________ for why you deserve the raise.”
- “My __________ this year includes shipping 3 features on time with no major bugs.”
- “I’d like to __________ my background in distributed systems for this architect role.”
- “The VP was impressed by the candidate’s clear __________ — promoted twice in 3 years.”
- “I want to move into a role with a broader __________ — team-level, not just service-level.”
✅ Answers
- makes a compelling case
- track record
- leverage
- growth trajectory
- scope of impact
Exercise 2: Translate to English
Translate these Vietnamese career phrases into professional English:
- “Tôi muốn tận dụng kinh nghiệm của mình để chuyển sang vai trò Tech Lead.”
- “Lịch sử thành tích của tôi cho thấy tôi đã deliver đúng hạn trong 12 tháng liên tiếp.”
- “Tôi muốn trình bày lập luận thuyết phục tại buổi review hiệu suất.”
- “Phạm vi ảnh hưởng của tôi hiện tại bị giới hạn ở một team duy nhất.”
✅ Sample Answers
- “I want to leverage my experience to transition into a Tech Lead role.”
- “My track record shows I’ve delivered on time for 12 consecutive months.”
- “I want to make a compelling case at my performance review.”
- “My current scope of impact is limited to a single team.”
Idiom of the Day: “put your best foot forward”
Vietnamese: thể hiện bản thân tốt nhất có thể, gây ấn tượng tốt ngay từ đầu
Examples:
- “Before the performance review, review your key wins for the year — put your best foot forward with concrete examples.”
- “This is your first all-hands presentation. Put your best foot forward — prepare, rehearse, and own it.”
In career context: Often used before interviews, reviews, promotions, or any high-stakes professional moment.
Mini Dialogue
Context: Engineer talking to their manager before a performance review.
Thuan: “I’ve been thinking about how to make a compelling case for a promotion. Can I get 30 minutes before my review?”
Manager: “Sure. What’s your plan?”
Thuan: “I want to leverage my track record — I shipped 4 features this quarter and unblocked two other teams. I also want to discuss expanding my scope of impact to include cross-team architecture decisions.”
Manager: “That’s exactly what we look for. Show me the data and we’ll talk growth trajectory.”
Notice how each vocabulary word appears naturally — that’s the goal: use them until they feel like your words.
Challenge: 2-Minute Action
Open a notes app right now and write 3 bullet points about your own career using today’s vocabulary:
- One thing you’ve done that shows your track record
- One skill you can leverage for your next role
- One way you want to expand your scope of impact
These 3 bullets are the skeleton of your next performance review self-assessment. 🎯
“It’s not enough to do good work. You have to make sure the right people know about it — in language they understand.”
See you tonight for the Friday Evening review session! 🌙