Last-minute foolproof tactics
By Alina Dizik,
Performance review time can be nerve-racking, especially
in a slow economy ridden with layoffs. Impartially evaluating your
strengths and weaknesses is difficult, but it's an important part of
progressing in your career. And of course, it's not always pleasant to
hear from your boss about the ways you need to improve.
Instead of feeling intimidated, take a more positive approach, suggests former human resources
executive Liz Ryan, who runs the career consulting firm Ask Liz Ryan.
"The annual review is one more opportunity to collect and claim the
great things you're making happen at work," Ryan says. Not sure how to
impress when it comes to your review? Here, experts weigh in on
last-minute, foolproof tactics.
Go through your calendar
Use
your Outlook calendar or journal to recall your most ambitious projects
from the previous year. Using the calendar "will jog your memory to
recall and write down the projects you've looked after and the other
things you've accomplished on the job," Ryan says.
Include the unexpected
Not
everything in your review has to link back to a larger project; note
the various other ways you've been a valuable employee. "Don't forget to
include times you saved the day, [like when] your company's biggest
client was ready to bail, and you kept him onboard. Those are still huge
accomplishments, even if they don't fit a project format," Ryan says.
Prioritize
Don't
just bring a consecutively ordered bullet list of what you've done each
month. Instead, think strategically about the accomplishments you'd
like to highlight throughout your review. "Write down, in order of
priority -- greatest impact on the company to least impact -- about 10
or 12 of these milestones, things that you did over the past year," Ryan
suggests.
Include details
Especially when you get
nervous, it can be difficult to remember the crux of your
accomplishments. As you prepare, jot down the most impressive details of
each successful task. "Write a sentence or two about each one," Ryan
says. Be sure to include any impressive sales numbers or qualitative
results to help add weight to your accomplishments.
Use the fourth quarter to wrap up long-term goals
With
so many holidays and family obligations, the fourth quarter is the
busiest time of the year, but taking time to complete the previous
year's goals is key. Most people "get buried in day-to-day work and
forget their higher and loftier ambitions under the pressure," Ryan
says. If you don't think ahead, you risk approaching annual review time
"with nothing to show for the last three months except that [you] showed
up."
Keep track of feedback
Whether feedback takes place during review time or informally throughout the year, it's important to understand what your manager
is trying to say. Take notes, pose questions and be conscious of the
response you're getting. During and after the conversation "ask for
feedback on your set of priorities so that you're working on the most
critical issues, not sideline projects that no one cares about," Ryan
says. During review time, refer to your manager's feedback throughout
the year to further demonstrate improvement.
Come with a new annual plan
Thinking
through your goals for the upcoming year is often the toughest part of a
review, but understanding your role in a larger company context is also
what can help set you apart as an employee. Consider what you want to
tackle on the job and what you want for your own professional
development, Ryan suggests. "You've got to lay out a plan for your
manager -- you can't sit back and wait for him or her to tell you what
your priorities should be."