Ask working professionals to name one thing they loathe or feel uncomfortable about and most would say performance reviews.
No matter how much we detest the annual (or biannual) performance review meetings, we can’t avoid them. So, instead of walking into the review meeting unprepared and clueless, it is better to prepare yourself beforehand and evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and highs and lows that you have had during the past year on your own, before your manager does that. This will not only help you to be mentally prepared for what’s coming your way during the meeting, however also how you can respond to that in the best possible way.
Here are some tips to prepare for performance review meetings and help you work through the process easily:
Recall Your Previous Review Meeting
If you have been working at the same firm for more than a year, you must have been given some goals and targets in the previous performance review by your Manager. Ideally, you should have been working to achieve those goals throughout this year.
However, things do not always go exactly as planned in the practical world. Many a time, certain unforeseen changes require redirecting the targets. These may include things like the shift in workloads or delay of the project you worked on for months i.e. reasons beyond your control.
While you shouldn’t be worried if you have successfully achieved all your targets set in the last meeting, review the entire year and find out what caused the obstructions or delay, if you are falling behind anywhere. Make notes and gather any and all the supporting documents you have to show that it was beyond your control or no longer applicable etc.
If you were the one to prioritize some other tasks over the ones assigned to you in the last review, make sure you have strong reasons to justify your decision.
No matter what happens, never make it sound like you forgot the target your manager gave you.
Assess Your Own Performance and Talk To Your Manager
Experts of the business world recommend employees to maintain an active relationship with their manager, especially your immediate one, and you should regularly seek feedback over your or others performance. This allows you to find out if you are on track or if any of your working habits are bothering your manager or those you work with.
Let’s say you’re spending more time on projects than most other employees, in attempt to ensure your client is satisfied. While this may be your goal, it is not necessary that your manager thinks the same; he/she may be wondering why you take so long on each task and hence time and costs blow out.
In order to avoid such misunderstandings, make sure that you and your manager are on the same page and your personal goals are in line with how your manager measures success.
Be Ready for ‘Constructive’ Feedback
Unless you have clearly been the best performer in the firm, you should be ready to receive some constructive feedback in the review meeting. While no one likes to hear negative things about themselves or their work, it is recommended to prepare yourself and not take anything personally. Understand that it is the duty of your manager to analyze your performance and tell you what you have been doing well vs areas for improvement. Take their feedback constructively and assure your manager that you would be diligently working to improve.
The Final Word
Preparation is the key to success and this applies to the professional world and performance review meetings as well. Review your performance on your own to make sure your manager doesn’t miss any of your achievements. If you’ve not been requesting and regular feedback from your manager throughout the year, put something in place now. I always say that there shouldn’t be any surprises come up in your Annual review.
Remember, it is highly likely that your manager doesn’t remember all of your achievements, so do your preparation to make sure all your accomplishments are acknowledged.