As an employee, you may receive feedback during a formal performance review with your supervisor. Performance reviews are valuable opportunities to:
- Learn how to improve your job performance and become a better employee;
- Share your achievements, challenges, and concerns with your supervisor; and
- Understand your options within the organization and managing your career.
While some people find performance reviews stressful, the following tips will help you to effectively prepare and participate in these important meetings.
Throughout the Year
Preparing for a performance review is a year-round process. Building the following activities into your work routine will help you present yourself in the most positive way.
- Keep a record of all your day-to-day tasks.
- Document any special recognition or accomplishments, including challenges that you successfully overcame.
- Write down any steps that you've taken to improve weaknesses that you and/or your supervisor have identified in the past.
- Take advantage of and track any opportunities to strengthen your skills, learn new things, and participate in special projects.
In the Weeks Before Your Performance Review
Give some serious thought to your performance review a few weeks prior to the discussion date. For example:
- Review your success or failure in meeting job-related goals previously communicated to you. For those that you did not achieve, consider possible reasons.
- List aspects of your job that you do well and those which can use some improvement. Be as honest and objective as possible.
- Recognize that, even in the absence of a true "weakness," there will always be aspects of your job that can be done better or differently. Give some thought to what these might be. Be open to hearing about them and working with your supervisor on an improvement plan.
- For areas of your work that you find difficult, try to determine whether this is due to a lack of knowledge, skills, or some other reason. Identify specific ways in which you can close these performance gaps.
- Mentally prepare yourself to talk about your limitations and shortcomings as they relate to specific job tasks.
On the Day Before Your Performance Review
Your performance review is only a day away! Set aside some time to:
- Review the notes that you have taken about your strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments, and self-improvement progress over the past year. Also gather any relevant support materials.
- Rehearse the key points that you want to make during the meeting.
- Put yourself in a positive state of mind. You can't do much about the past, so don't dwell on it. Instead, commit yourself to accepting criticism politely and correcting any weak spots.
During the Performance Review Discussion
The big day has finally arrived! Here are some tips for making it as productive, positive, and stress-free as possible.
- Make the performance review a two-way conversation that addresses both the positive and negative.
- Express pride in your strengths, achievements, and successes in overcoming specific challenges. Discuss the ways in which you feel you've become a more effective member of the team over the past year. Speak with confidence but avoid a boastful tone. For any weaknesses that you've self-identified, describe actions that you've already taken, explain what your supervisor can do to further support you in this effort, and ask whether he or she has additional suggestions.
- Don't make excuses or blame others.
- If you know that a particular incident will be a topic of discussion, bring it up yourself. Explain your role in the problem, and what you would do differently next time. This demonstrates to your supervisor that you have given serious thought to the situation, taken responsibility for the part you played, and learned from the experience.
- Remain calm.
- Avoid becoming defensive, argumentative, or emotional.
- Listen with an open mind and be willing to admit flaws and change your behavior.
- Consider taking notes. This will give you time to cool down and think about what you've heard, and may help you avoid reacting negatively or inappropriately.
- If you can see some truth in a criticism, say so.
Your willingness to acknowledge your supervisor's point of view and flexibility in modifying your behavior will reflect favorably on you. For example: "I hadn't looked at it that way, and I'd like to give your suggestion a try."
If your supervisor tells you that you handled something poorly, but does not offer a better approach, ask for one. "What should I have done in that situation?" is a good way to pose the question.
- If you disagree strongly with criticism that you've received, there are a number of ways that you can deal with it.
Your response will only be received well by your supervisor, however, if you remain calm and polite.
- "Thank you for your feedback. I need some time to digest it." This is a helpful strategy if you were caught off-guard by what you've heard and are at a loss for words.
- "I have a different viewpoint on the situation. May I share it with you?" Assuming that your supervisor allows you to proceed, explain why you handled things the way you did at the time. But use this approach sparingly, as countering every criticism may cause your supervisor to think that you are simply making excuses.
- "Can you please provide some examples of when I...?" This is useful when your supervisor makes overgeneralizations, such as saying that you are rude to customers or careless with your paperwork without citing specific instances.
- "Can you please tell me how you arrived at this conclusion?" Even if you can't change your supervisor's opinion, it's helpful to understand how his or her judgment was formed.
- Avoid dwelling on the negative aspects of your performance review.
Sometimes supervisors put more focus on weaknesses than strengths simply because these are the areas that need work. Even if your supervisor fails to put the good and bad in perspective during your discussion, it's important that you do so in your own mind.
- Finish the discussion on a positive note.
- Express your appreciation for the feedback and state your commitment to making positive changes.
- Thank your supervisor for his or her support over the past year, and outline what you will need from him or her going forward.
- Confirm your understanding of what you need to do to meet your supervisor's expectations. Agree on how you will know that you've been successful.
- Schedule a follow-up meeting in 30-60 days to review your progress towards improving your areas of weakness.
After the Performance Review Discussion
Keep these important tips in mind once you leave the performance review meeting:
- Try not to "vent" your emotions over a negative performance review with your co-workers. Instead, seek this support outside the workplace, such as with a spouse/partner or trusted friend.
- Consider whether some of the change that is needed involves your supervisor's perception rather than your actual performance. If that's the case, make it a point to better communicate your strengths, accomplishments, and self-improvement efforts throughout the year.
- Be sure to follow through on all commitments made during the performance discussion.
The most important thing to remember is that job-related criticism in no way reflects on your worth as a person. The feedback isn't personal, so set aside any hurt feelings and focus instead on the opportunity to learn and grow. Think of the performance review as a tool for bringing you closer to your career goals, and your supervisor as your partner in helping you achieve this!
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