Performance reviews hold no fear for the well-prepared
Waiting until a few days before your annual performance review before starting your preparation is a bit like trying to cram a year's study into the week before an exam. Ideally, you should be laying the groundwork for your review during your whole working year. The person responsible for conducting your review is unlikely to be taken in by last-minute efforts, but there are a number of things you can usefully do in the days leading up to it.
If you have been given a written job description, now is the time to consult it. It should list the key tasks, responsibilities and targets against which your performance in the last twelve months will be measured. Try to put yourself in your supervisor's shoes to make an honest assessment of how you think you have performed and avoid any nasty surprises.
If you don't have a written job description, write one now yourself, and get ready to discuss it with your boss as the basis of not just this year's review but those in the future as well.
Unless this is your first year with the company, you should have received a copy of last year's review, complete with your manager's assessment. The comments it contained should have been your blueprint for how to conduct yourself in the year that followed, but twelve months is a long time and it is easy to lose sight of goals. Take some time to refresh your memory, in the certainty that your boss will also have re-visited it in preparation for your interview. This will give you some idea of this year's likely comments and questions.
Annual review season presents a perfect opportunity for you to do some personal appraisal of where your career has taken you so far and where you expect it to lead you in the future. Ambition and motivation are positive qualities to take to the interview, and this may be the best chance you have all year for a frank discussion with your boss about added responsibilities and the possibility of promotion.
Thinking over what you have achieved in the past year will prepare you to remind your boss of the more positive aspects of your performance. Print out a list and produce it at the interview if you think it is warranted, and add a few new goals for the year ahead. Conversely, if you think you have fallen short of expectations in any area, get ready to bring this up before your boss does. Having to hand some suggestions on how you intend to bring about an improvement will do you more good than being on the defensive in the face of unexpected criticism. Anarticle in The New York Timesquotes professional development consultant Shawn Kent Hayashi, who says:
If some aspects of your job leave you floundering and wondering how to proceed, your annual performance review is the best time to explain this and ask for training that will improve your execution of your duties. Do some research into suitable training courses before your performance review interview. Presented with clear information about the cost and duration of courses, your boss is more likely to make a quick and favorable decision.
Look upon your performance review as an opening for two-way communication with your boss. With any luck you will receive an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, a basis on which to build your future career strategy, and at the same time you have a forum for discussing your problems, challenges and aspirations. Consider what these are before your interview, so that you won't be at a loss for words.
If your performance review comes linked with a review of your salary, once again some research is called for. Check current job advertisements for roles similar to yours, but be realistic. A stable job with a company that knows and values you may be worth trading off against a higher salary in an organization where you could be last in, first out. Many businesses who are struggling to retain employees and cannot afford salary increases may nevertheless be prepared to acceptmutually beneficial arrangementslike more flexible hours or a spot in the company car park.
Instead of approaching your annual performance review as a nerve-wracking ordeal likely to present you with unpleasant surprises, look forward to it with confidence as a result of the preparation you have done. Then use it as a springboard to the next step in your career.
