In a performance review, your manager will share an evaluation of your work performance over a specific period, typically six months to a year. In this meeting, the two of you will discuss achievements, strengths, and improvement areas and set future goals.
Performance reviews can sometimes be uncomfortable, as you’ll discuss some of your weaknesses and the challenges you’ve faced during the assessment period. But it’s for the same reason that reviews are crucial for personal and professional development. They represent an opportunity for managers to share feedback and clarify expectations, and for you to reflect on your growth and development potential. Therefore, learning how is key, as it will help you take an active role in your career development and accelerate your progress.
The objective of being proactive and coming prepared is to make the most out of your performance discussion to truly determine your development opportunities while equipping yourself to articulate your contributions better, demonstrate your value to the organization, and engage in a meaningful dialogue with your manager that will bring forth a positive relationship and healthy dynamic. Remember that your two main goals are to demonstrate your commitment to your role and showcase how serious you are about your professional growth.
Preparation also helps you set the tone for the review. Instead of passively receiving feedback, you can actively participate in the discussion, ensuring that your achievements are acknowledged, your challenges are addressed, and your career goals are discussed. Additionally, by coming prepared with specific examples and data to back up your performance, you can make a compelling case for your progress and readiness for new challenges or responsibilities, especially if you seek a promotion or salary increase.
So, how to prepare for a performance review:
- Start by reflecting on your performance. Take the time to review your goals, both those set during the last performance review and the ones assigned to your role, and assess your progress. Determine if you’ve accomplished them and if you faced any challenges along the way.
- As you reflect on your progress and performance, collect data and input that showcase your achievements. That is, gather evidence such as metrics, reports, or examples of successful projects to help you present and substantiate your contributions to your manager.
- While collecting data, also identify your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest about the areas where you excelled and where you could improve. Consider the feedback you’ve received throughout the year and determine how the challenges you faced impacted your overall performance and goal attainment.
- With your reflections jotted down and your data handy, start preparing the points you want to discuss with your manager regarding your accomplishments. Highlight the successes or significant contributions you made, focusing in particular on those that align with the organization’s goals. Be ready to discuss how your work impacted the team and your role in the company’s success. Make sure you use concrete examples that showcase your skills and problem-solving abilities and how they led to positive outcomes.
- Just as with your accomplishments, you also want to discuss your areas for improvement. Ultimately, you want to learn and grow, so you should seek your manager’s honest feedback on ways to improve. As such, prepare a growth plan to discuss with your manager and identify where precisely you’ll request their input on how you can enhance your performance. During the meeting, be open to receiving constructive criticism.
- The next step is setting your future goals. If you want a promotion, a raise, or any other developmental or career growth-related commitment, it’s a good idea to share it with your manager so that you can work together to get you there. But, as you work on setting and describing your goals, consider those that align with the company’s mission and priorities. Make sure that you set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). If you have long-term goals, you can also work with your manager to define short-term goals that the following performance review will reexamine. Be prepared to discuss how you’ll work toward these goals and what support you might need along the way.
- If you’ve faced challenges since your last review or have concerns you’d like to discuss, prepare questions and dialogue points to address them. For example, if any expectations or responsibilities are unclear, prepare to ask for clarification. Let your manager know you want to meet the organization’s goals. However, remember that you can use the review as an opportunity to talk about your career aspirations and how you can grow within the company. So, if that’s one of your goals, you can set this topic as a discussion point that you can address towards the end of the meeting.
- Finally, part of the preparation requires that you approach the review with a constructive mindset, focusing on learning and development. Engage in a two-way conversation, actively listen to your manager’s feedback, and be responsive to their suggestions.
The importance of preparing thoroughly for a performance review is that it demonstrates your commitment to your team and the organization while you also proactively take control of your professional growth. Preparing shows that you take your role and responsibilities seriously, which can enhance your credibility and strengthen your relationship with your manager. It is also a way to highlight your accomplishments effectively, address any challenges to gather thoughtful solutions, and set clear goals for the future.
Ultimately, as uncomfortable as discussing challenges and weaknesses can be, you want to make the most out of performance reviews. Preparation enables you to steer the conversation toward areas that are important to your career development, as it is in reflecting on your performance and identifying specific goals or skills you wish to develop that you can actively participate in shaping your career path. Even the best want to get better, and taking your performance review seriously showcases your engagement and commitment to your growth and that of the company. Meanwhile, it also positions you as a driven, self-aware professional ready to take on new challenges and opportunities.
