The raise conversation, written out, with the three answers you will get back
The decision is made in a meeting you are not in. Your job is to arrive before it, in writing, with something your manager can carry.
Pay
Wages, raises, overtime, tips and what the benefits actually cost you.
Your first paystub, annotated
Net pay is the one number that cannot tell you anything is wrong. The errors live in the lines above it, and the first stub is where they start.
Asking to be paid for work you already did: overtime, travel, on-call
Treat it as a records discrepancy, not a favor. The person you write to usually cannot say yes on feel, and the attachment does more work than the message.
How a pay range gets set, and why the posted one is so wide
The posted range is the whole working life of the job, not a negotiating span. Where an offer lands inside it is mostly decided before your name comes up.
What your benefits actually cost you, and the three numbers to compare
The premium is the only cost you are sure to pay. The deductible and out-of-pocket maximum decide what a bad year actually costs you.
Tips, tip pools and service charges: who gets what
The word on the customer's check does not decide whose money it is. The line on your paystub does, and tipped stubs are the hardest ones to read.