A performance review isn’t something you should dread in your workplace. Instead, it’s an opportunity to communicate with your managers, provide feedback about your performance, and grow as an employee. Even if the job you’re in isn’t your ultimate goal, you should always strive to do your best so that your work reflects positively on you as an employee and paves the road to your future dream job. Here are 5 tips for preparing for a performance review.
Understand the Importance of a Performance Review
It is a meeting between you and your manager to discuss your performance in the workplace. It will usually take place quarterly or semi-annually. They are a time for your employer to tell you how you are progressing in the company. Often you will receive a rating on your performance in specific areas within your position. These reviews are essential for evaluating where you are and where you are going in your position. They aren’t just a time for employers to let you know how you measure up to their expectations– they are also a time for you to voice your opinions and needs.
5 Ways to Prepare for Your Next Performance Review
Here are five ways to prepare for your next performance review to get the most out of the meeting.
1. Perform a Personal Performance Review Beforehand
Before entering the meeting, conduct a performance review on yourself. For this step to work, you need to be completely honest with yourself. Ask yourself some of the following questions:
- What did I do well this quarter?
- Where could I have done better?
- What was my most significant accomplishment?
- Were there any times I didn’t perform as I should have?
Write the answers down, and be prepared to respond to your manager if they bring up the same topics. Be especially ready to respond to any weaknesses and address those weaknesses in the next quarter.
2. Write Down What You Want to Discuss
Your performance review isn’t just about your manager. You can also voice your opinion. Prepare what you want to say beforehand. Use the list from step one as your guide for areas you wish to discuss about your performance. You can also bring up ways your manager and the workplace can help you succeed in the future. For example, if you need supplies, extra time, or benefits you feel would help you succeed, now is the time to address those needs.
3. Discuss the Future of Your Position
Performance reviews often go hand-in-hand with deciding the future of your position. This meeting is the time you should use for talking about promotions or raises in your current job. You can also discuss switching areas within the company if you feel you could better serve the company somewhere else. To support your requests, provide a list of how you’ve performed well in your current position then what you would bring to the new job. If you’re going to ask for a raise, start by researching the typical salary of someone in your position. Also, be aware of your company’s budget and when their new budget periods begin.
4. Avoid Negativity During Your Review
Sometimes you will go into your performance review with a list of grievances. Only 65% of employees are satisfied with their jobs so you wouldn’t be alone. While a performance review is an opportunity to voice some of your concerns, don’t spend the entire time complaining. Instead, mix positive comments with negative so that your manager is more receptive to the issues and finding a remedy.
5. Create Future Goals in Your Position
As you leave the performance review, you will have a clearer idea of where you stand in the company and where you can improve. Be open to accept both the positive and negative feedback you received. To help you perform better, create new goals for yourself. These goals can focus on improving any weaknesses your manager listed, aiming for a promotion by your following review, or simply meeting the same goals you did the last performance review. Let these goals motivate you to do the best in your position and continue to grow as an employee.
Use Your Performance Review for the Future
Your performance reviews help you more than just in your current position. You can also use what is said in those reviews to promote you for other jobs. For example, if your manager tells you that you are a hard worker, use those words as a skillset in your resume. Always strive to do your best, no matter where you are, and one day you will land a fulfilling job that allows you to make a difference.
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