How to Prepare for Your Performance Review

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Annual performance reviews can be nerve-wracking, especially if you don’t get along with your manager or you feel your work wasn’t 100% this year.?

But these reviews can be a great opportunity. It’s a chance to feel seen and heard by your boss and advocate for a promotion or raise. And you can knock it out of the park with a little preparation.?

NOTE: If you are currently unemployed, this email applies to you too! Do your own performance review and use the work in your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, and during job interviews.?

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PERFORMANCE REVIEW

1) SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR BOSS

If your company doesn’t participate in annual reviews, or you don’t have a date set on the calendar, now is a good time to ask. You can say something like, “As the year wraps up, I’d like to meet to discuss my performance in 2023 and set goals for 2024.”

2) EVALUATE WHAT DID - AND DIDN’T - GO WELL?

Look back on your successes and challenges from the past year. Your manager might notice the things that didn’t go well and overlook what did go well. Be prepared to talk about both.?

1. What were your professional goals this year? Did you meet them? If not, where did you struggle??
2. Where have you experienced the most difficulty this year? Where have you experienced the greatest success??

3) EVALUATE YOUR PERFORMANCE AND IMPACT

Be prepared to brag about your accomplishments and illustrate how they impacted the company. Review your year and think about all of your contributions, big and small.?

1. Find stories that illustrate:? Successes, impact, when you made a difference? Issues you recognized and addressed? Opportunities you recognized and acted on?? Disasters you helped avoid or quickly clean up?? Problems you solvedProcesses you improved? Situations when you reduced something: expenses/waste? Situations when you improved something: profits/workplace/morale? Times when you failed and the lessons you learned?
2. Consider new skills you picked up this year, major or minor projects that you completed, and important relationships you created.? Did you win an award or get published somewhere??? Did you attend any online courses, workshops, or industry events??
3. Reflect on prior feedback - did you receive feedback from your manager in 2022 or 2023 and actively worked to correct it??
4. I love this worksheet from The Muse , which asks great questions to get your brainstorming going.?
5. Put your stories in SAR format for maximum impact:? Situation: What was the problem/situation?? Action: What did you do to fix the problem or improve the situation?? Result: What results did your actions achieve? How do those results benefit your department, your manager, or the company??Ex: Did you make money? Save time? Reduce turnover? Increase social media engagement? Improve employee morale??
6. Remember to tie this all back to how your work helps the company. You could be a popular employee who gets along with everyone, but it doesn’t matter much if you can’t illustrate how your work directly contributes to the company’s bottom line (and/or makes the manager’s life easier).?? Take this information and use it to update your resume and LinkedIn profile too.?
7. Make an effort to record these accomplishments in real time in 2024. Whenever someone compliments your work, or you completed a presentation, or you accomplished a goal, write it down. Start a document for 2024 and record your efforts as they happen so you remember all the details later.?? This is especially important if you are asked to take on more tasks than usual or do work outside of your typical responsibilities. It’s called “scope creep” and your manager might not even realize it’s happening. Write it all down!?

4) SET YOUR 2024 GOALS?

What would you like to accomplish in 2024? A promotion? A raise? More education? A new title? A new job? Think about your professional goals and what you need to do to achieve them.?

1. If you’re interested in staying at your job and you want a promotion, a raise, educational benefits, or other perks, discuss these goals and action steps with your manager so you’re both on the same page. Together you can decide if there are any specific metrics you need to hit in order to qualify for a promotion. You can state your goals outright or ask them first, “Where do you see me this time next year?”?
2. If you want to leave your current job and get a new job in 2024, think about what you need to accomplish to make it happen. And is there anything you could do at work in the meantime? Maybe take on an extra project or exceed Q1 goals? Leave your job on a high note with a trail of successes behind you so you’ve got something to brag about in your resume, LinkedIn, and during job interviews.?

5) ASK ABOUT COMPANY 2024 GOALS

What is the company trying to achieve next year? How about your department? What is most important to your boss (and your boss’ boss?) Ask your manager to confirm your work goals align with the company’s goals. Then figure out how you can contribute towards these goals (and track your progress/impact along the way).?

6) PREPARE ANSWERS TO BASIC QUESTIONS

Typical annual review questions usually sound like, “What are your biggest accomplishments for the year?” “What were your biggest struggles this year/where do you think you can improve?” “What are your goals for next year?”?

1. Take advantage of this 1:1 time too: Is there anything you need from your team, department, managers, or company in order to achieve your goals - do you need more resources (like time, staff, equipment, or education) that your boss can provide? Do you have any concerns or needs to address here??
2. When you talk about your weaknesses or struggles, keep it professional. Don’t blame or badmouth your coworkers. Just talk objectively about the obstacles you’re facing and what you’re doing to overcome them.?

7) BE OPEN TO FEEDBACK

This is a time to reflect on the past year and make plans for the next. Your manager might have feedback on areas for improvement and I urge you to be open to the message.?

1. If your manager is not providing feedback, you can kick it off: “I’d like to continue growing in this company and taking on more responsibility. If there are areas where I can improve, please tell me.”
2. Set personal feelings aside - this person is telling you what it will take to advance in your career. Listen to them. I live by the 10% rule - even if I completely disagree with someone, I try to find the 10% that is reasonable and go from there.?
3. Bring a notepad to the meeting and be an active listener. Take notes about what you discuss, especially in the areas where you can improve.?
4. This article from The Muse has great advice for accepting feedback: 6 Phrases You Should Have in Your Back Pocket if You Want to Ace Your Performance Review and I like this one too: The Best Way to Make Sure You're Not Blindsided in Your Performance Review .

8) ASK FOR A RAISE

If you believe you deserve a raise, good for you! Go get it! Annual reviews are the perfect time to ask.?

1. Make a list of all of your accomplishments and contributions AND HOW YOU MADE A POSITIVE IMPACT AT THE COMPANY. Add numbers and quantities that illustrate your impact whenever possible.?
2. Prepare your ask ahead of time - how much do you want? Ask for 5%-10% more than what you want, then you have room to negotiate.?
3. Prepare your Plan B. If your boss says, “We don’t have the money for raises in our budget,” how will you respond? Is there something else you want instead? For example, I once asked my boss for a raise and he told me there wasn’t money in the budget. So I asked for the organization to pay for more classes, which they did.?? HERE’S THE DEAL: Companies are more willing to give bonuses and perks than increase salaries. Make your Plan B include a one-time bonus or perks like flex time or WFH, and you’re more likely to get it.?

Boom! That’s how you have a kick-ass annual performance review! I hope the tips help and you get all you’re asking for from the review. Just prepare and practice - you got this!?

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To your success,

- Emily

EMILY WORDEN is a certified professional career coach helping driven job seekers get hired, get paid, and get more confident in their personal and professional lives. She helps mid-career professionals with career transitions, whether they want to move into a new industry or return to work after a career pause. Emily created a proven five-step method to help people find jobs they love for more money than they were expecting - the typical client receives a job offer in three months with a 20% pay increase. Kick your career in gear at www.emilyworden.com .