Preparing for your annual performance review
11 July 2013
Read by 2064 persons
Annual performance reviews shouldn't be improvised; they are crucial to your professional development. We recommend preparing thoroughly. This article focuses on pre-review preparation to help you approach your annual review calmly, covering three major topics: objective analysis, skills assessment, and your professional future. Here's a detailed preparation guide. For each step, think it over beforehand and write it down. This will help you be clear when discussing these topics on the day.
I- Annual Review Preparation: Reviewing the Year's Objectives
Analyzing results is a major step in the annual performance review. Based on the objectives set by your employer at the beginning of the year, you will jointly assess whether you partially met, fully met, or exceeded those objectives, trying to understand why. Hence the need to prepare.
a) Objectives Met or Exceeded
In this case, you have little to reproach yourself for. Perhaps consider: how can you further improve your work, if possible? Remember that the better your results, the greater your negotiating power for a possible raise.
That being said, when exceeding objectives, ask yourself if this is due to an exceptional event or not. For example, if you double your sales target due to an unexpected sale or a legislative change before the accounts close, you must say so! Often, your Year N result becomes your Year N+1 objective. If your Year N results were exceptional, it's best to know so as not to be given an unrealistic target for Year N+1.
b) Objectives Not Met
If objectives are not met, the idea is not to justify yourself at all costs. Admitting mistakes and acknowledging your share of responsibility is always well-received. But that doesn't mean "it's all your fault," far from it. In all cases, be as objective as possible in this analysis.
Without getting into conflict, try to think beforehand about the reasons for not meeting the objectives. It's sometimes helpful to compare your results with those of your colleagues to identify reasons for differences (or lack thereof): Were the objectives truly achievable? Did I have sufficient resources to achieve them? Were there obstacles (poor management, malfunctions, unexpected events...) to achieving the objectives? What are the explanations and how to achieve them, or adapt them for the future?
Think about your action plan to achieve future objectives. What criteria were lacking, to what do you attribute this failure to meet objectives? Remember, a major goal of the annual review is to evaluate your performance and results. Are you profitable for your company? Does your level of involvement and/or performance justify your salary? These are questions your employer may legitimately ask. The objective review is the first part of self-assessment and preparation for the annual review.
II- Skills: Strengths and Weaknesses to Date
The second part of preparing for your individual review is to analyze your strengths and weaknesses in your work, independently of objectives. The idea is to take a more global approach.
a) What are your strengths?
Which tasks do you succeed at, those in which you feel comfortable, or in which you have ease? If your analysis is objective and validated by your supervisor, highlighting your strengths will help them know you better, identify tasks where they can trust you 100%, and know which missions they can entrust to you without problems.
b) What are your weaknesses, or areas for improvement?
Other tasks pose more problems for you: you have more difficulty completing them, you do them more slowly, or you simply feel you can still improve in this or that area. Be objective and lucid in this analysis. It will allow you, in consultation with your employer, either to redefine your role by relieving you of tasks that cause you problems, or to find solutions to fill these gaps or improve in one or more areas (training, for example).
Also, note that some weaknesses could pose problems in the future, with regard to advancement: also analyze these "future weaknesses," not yet revealed, which could hinder advancement to a higher level. This will allow you to anticipate and start working on these shortcomings for your professional future.
III- Your Professional Future
a) Training, wishes, and needs
The training section directly follows the skills analysis. If you are uncomfortable with a computer tool, for example, you legitimately need to improve your mastery of that tool. Write down, during your preparation, the areas where you want to improve your skills and/or knowledge. If you hold a responsible position, you may perfectly master the technical aspects but have difficulty managing your team and therefore getting the best out of them. In this case, opt for management training.
b) Mobility and career aspirations
This is probably the most important point of the annual review for you. It's time to review your professional project. Ask yourself the following questions:
How long have you been in this position?
What is your vision in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years?
Do you intend to and have the possibility to advance within your company, and if so, what type of position would you like?
The decision to advance professionally is of course subject to company approval. Discussing this will show if this intention is feasible, and if this advancement is possible, and under what condition(s). This topic should be addressed during your performance review, unless the company decides to separate it from the annual review, which is rare. Having a clear view of your capabilities in terms of professional advancement is not always easy alone. To prepare your request well, ask your family, colleagues, even if they won't necessarily be the most objective. Also, remember to integrate all your experiences into your reflection. This part is very personal because depending on your experience, skills, but also your priorities and your vision of work-life balance, your approach will necessarily be different.
Conclusion
This preparation is essential to perform well on the day, and especially to convey the messages you want to transmit to your management. So take time to prepare for your annual review, and don't fill out the evaluation form without taking time for reflection. Good preparation is a sign of professionalism, and therefore often appreciated by managers who immediately realize this. It's also a sign of commitment to your work.
Salaire-net.fr
Posted July 11, 2013.
I- Annual Review Preparation: Reviewing the Year's Objectives
Analyzing results is a major step in the annual performance review. Based on the objectives set by your employer at the beginning of the year, you will jointly assess whether you partially met, fully met, or exceeded those objectives, trying to understand why. Hence the need to prepare.
a) Objectives Met or Exceeded
In this case, you have little to reproach yourself for. Perhaps consider: how can you further improve your work, if possible? Remember that the better your results, the greater your negotiating power for a possible raise.
That being said, when exceeding objectives, ask yourself if this is due to an exceptional event or not. For example, if you double your sales target due to an unexpected sale or a legislative change before the accounts close, you must say so! Often, your Year N result becomes your Year N+1 objective. If your Year N results were exceptional, it's best to know so as not to be given an unrealistic target for Year N+1.
b) Objectives Not Met
If objectives are not met, the idea is not to justify yourself at all costs. Admitting mistakes and acknowledging your share of responsibility is always well-received. But that doesn't mean "it's all your fault," far from it. In all cases, be as objective as possible in this analysis.
Without getting into conflict, try to think beforehand about the reasons for not meeting the objectives. It's sometimes helpful to compare your results with those of your colleagues to identify reasons for differences (or lack thereof): Were the objectives truly achievable? Did I have sufficient resources to achieve them? Were there obstacles (poor management, malfunctions, unexpected events...) to achieving the objectives? What are the explanations and how to achieve them, or adapt them for the future?
Think about your action plan to achieve future objectives. What criteria were lacking, to what do you attribute this failure to meet objectives? Remember, a major goal of the annual review is to evaluate your performance and results. Are you profitable for your company? Does your level of involvement and/or performance justify your salary? These are questions your employer may legitimately ask. The objective review is the first part of self-assessment and preparation for the annual review.
II- Skills: Strengths and Weaknesses to Date
The second part of preparing for your individual review is to analyze your strengths and weaknesses in your work, independently of objectives. The idea is to take a more global approach.
a) What are your strengths?
Which tasks do you succeed at, those in which you feel comfortable, or in which you have ease? If your analysis is objective and validated by your supervisor, highlighting your strengths will help them know you better, identify tasks where they can trust you 100%, and know which missions they can entrust to you without problems.
b) What are your weaknesses, or areas for improvement?
Other tasks pose more problems for you: you have more difficulty completing them, you do them more slowly, or you simply feel you can still improve in this or that area. Be objective and lucid in this analysis. It will allow you, in consultation with your employer, either to redefine your role by relieving you of tasks that cause you problems, or to find solutions to fill these gaps or improve in one or more areas (training, for example).
Also, note that some weaknesses could pose problems in the future, with regard to advancement: also analyze these "future weaknesses," not yet revealed, which could hinder advancement to a higher level. This will allow you to anticipate and start working on these shortcomings for your professional future.
III- Your Professional Future
a) Training, wishes, and needs
The training section directly follows the skills analysis. If you are uncomfortable with a computer tool, for example, you legitimately need to improve your mastery of that tool. Write down, during your preparation, the areas where you want to improve your skills and/or knowledge. If you hold a responsible position, you may perfectly master the technical aspects but have difficulty managing your team and therefore getting the best out of them. In this case, opt for management training.
b) Mobility and career aspirations
This is probably the most important point of the annual review for you. It's time to review your professional project. Ask yourself the following questions:
How long have you been in this position?
What is your vision in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years?
Do you intend to and have the possibility to advance within your company, and if so, what type of position would you like?
The decision to advance professionally is of course subject to company approval. Discussing this will show if this intention is feasible, and if this advancement is possible, and under what condition(s). This topic should be addressed during your performance review, unless the company decides to separate it from the annual review, which is rare. Having a clear view of your capabilities in terms of professional advancement is not always easy alone. To prepare your request well, ask your family, colleagues, even if they won't necessarily be the most objective. Also, remember to integrate all your experiences into your reflection. This part is very personal because depending on your experience, skills, but also your priorities and your vision of work-life balance, your approach will necessarily be different.
Conclusion
This preparation is essential to perform well on the day, and especially to convey the messages you want to transmit to your management. So take time to prepare for your annual review, and don't fill out the evaluation form without taking time for reflection. Good preparation is a sign of professionalism, and therefore often appreciated by managers who immediately realize this. It's also a sign of commitment to your work.
Salaire-net.fr
Posted July 11, 2013.
