Performance Review Tip #1: Be Prepared

Performance reviews are a dreaded part of the working life. To help make them a little less stressful, and help you have a more successful performance review, here’s a helpful tip:

Be Prepared: It’s like the saying “Know thy enemy”. Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but you get the idea. Know what you’re facing so you can do everything in your power to ensure a successful outcome.

Here’s how to prepare:

• Ask HR or your manager exactly what the process will be. Knowing how it’s going to go down will help make sure there are no unexpected surprises. Be sure to ask in advance, not the morning of.
• Prepare responses. When your boss asks “So, how did you think you preformed this year?” don’t start stammering and babbling about. Have a solid response and practice saying it out loud. It’s an interview. Even though you don’t know the exact question you’ll face, prepare the message the you want to convey.
• Review what you did over the past year. It’s been a year so you might be hazy on some details. You don’t want your boss to know more about something you spent a lot of time on then you do. Take some time to review your notebook or to do list and check through your email folders. This will also help you remember the challenges you faced, which is great material to highlight in your review.
• Prepare some questions to ask during you performance review: Asking questions is a great way to show that your serious about improving. Ask for some first steps to take to improvement. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if something is unclear. Here’s a list of questions to ask during your performance review.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s tip.