How to Ace Your Next Performance Review in Seven Successful Steps

Your raise and your job promotions are contingent upon whether or not you meet or exceed your manager’s performance expectations. To ensure that you receive an outstanding evaluation, you should start preparing now for your year-end review by doing what is expected of you.  Know your strengths and weakness and be prepared to prove that you have accomplished goals that were set for you and you should demonstrate how well you’ve managed your objectives.  Here are steps that will help you prepare for your next performance review.

Step 1

Know what is expected of you

First and foremost by now you should know what your job duties and responsibilities entail and whether or not you came close to meeting your manager’s expectations.  Do a thorough review of your job description that you received when you were hired. You can also review your evaluation from last year (if you have one) to see if you’ve made significant improvements.  Did you competently perform all of your job duties in a timely manner?  Why or why not?   Did you lack adequate tools needed to perform your job? Were you given ample time to complete task in a timely manner? Be prepared to explain why you failed to complete any assigned task(s) as expected.

Step 2

Perform a self-evaluation

Next, you should do a self-evaluation before meeting with your manager for your review.  You will need to scrutinize your overall performance for the year and summarize your greatest accomplishments and even your failures.  What have you achieved?  Where have you fallen short?

Step 3

Document your accomplishments

Make a comprehensive list of your accomplishments and be prepared to demonstrate how you believe that you are a valuable asset to the company at some point during your review.  Don’t forget to list those instances in which you went “above and beyond the call of duty”.  You should also bring pieces of evidence (e.g. email, letter, thank you card, etc.) in which an internal client or external client praised you for competently executing a particular job assignment that your manager may not be aware of.  The point is you want to emphasize your most excellent accomplishments for the year.

Step 4

Identify your weakness

You will need to identify your weakness and be prepared to discuss with your manager how you plan to bring things up to par by next review.   You should be honest with yourself and with your manager. Remember there is always room for improvement in one area or another no matter how competent you are in doing your job.

Step 5

Review process

Bring paper and pen with you so that you can take notes during your review.You will need to stay focused and listen attentively as your manager performs your review.  At some point your manager will give you an opportunity to view and elaborate on your completed review.  If you are not satisfied with the scores and the comments made by your manager , you should point out which things you don’t agree with and why.  Find out how you can improve your performance where you fell short.  It’s a good idea to compare your self-evaluation to your manager’s evaluation to learn how they differ and why.

Step 6

Stay focused and take notes during the review

Active participation is important so be sure to take notes throughout the course of your review.  This will show your manager that you are serious about making improvements where you failed to meet performance expectations. Ask questions and make sure that you comprehend the answers your manger communicates to you.  When you return to work, refer back to your notes from time to time to ensure that you work towards making the necessary improvements where needed.

Step 7

Set new goals for next year

Finally, stress how you are committed to the company and how you plan to help bring about organizational success.  Set realistic goals for yourself that you would like to accomplish by next year. Use specific measures as to how you plan to accomplish these goals. Example, how much you plan to reduce office supplies cost by or by what percentage you plan to increase your sales revenue, etc.  Ask you manager how he or she can help you achieve your goals.  Your manager will ask that you sign your evaluation at the completion of your review and should give you a copy for your files.   Hopefully you will receive a good score, receive a decent raise, and be considered for future promotions.  If not, you should aim to EXCEED your manager’s performance expectations next year.

More Tips:

*accept accountability for your failures

*don’t blame your co-workers for your mistakes

*be a team player

*embrace constructive criticism