Succeed in your performance review!
2 October 2011
Read by 1766 persons
You're aiming for a promotion or a pay raise this year? Your best chance of getting what you want is to succeed in your performance review! But, just like job interviews, this meeting needs to be well-prepared if you want it to pay off. Here's a checklist to make sure you don't forget anything and to put the odds in your favor during the 'big presentation'...
Know your goals.
This is an essential step! Do you want a promotion or a raise? Depending on your goal, the arguments you put forward to your superior will not be the same. Of course, you managed to halve the cost of office supplies this year. Well done, the company thanks you! But while this performance can be a strong argument for requesting a bonus, it won't help you get the management position you're aiming for! Before the big day, think about what you're going to highlight and how you're going to present your arguments to achieve your goal.
Be specific.
"The biggest pitfall of performance reviews is that, despite safeguards, they can quickly give way to subjectivity," explains Damien Sachler, a career management consultant in large French companies. It's up to you to do everything you can to avoid this trap! And what's more concrete and objective than factual results? So, precisely measure the cost reduction or the increase in revenue that your activity has generated. Also quantify the changes you have implemented that don't necessarily translate into euros, such as the implementation of procedures that have improved team results.
Your superior is probably thinking more about the coming week than about those that have passed. So, even if they're not acting in bad faith, they will have more difficulty than you in remembering the efforts you may have made in past months and the successes they have generated. Being factual will prevent you from having to remind them, or worse, having to prove the extent of your contribution to the company, and will sound like the truth.
Acknowledge your failures.
There's no point in hiding the reality. Even if you have been successful in many respects, the 'Whatchamacallit' project that was entrusted to you at the beginning of last year did not bear the expected fruit. Of course, you are not the only one responsible for the situation, but that is certainly not the line of defense you should adopt, you must assume your share of responsibility! What, in your opinion, was missing for the project to succeed? Why did things turn out this way and what would you not do the same way again? Finally, and most importantly, how did you react or what are you going to implement to improve the situation? Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve on this project in the coming months? In short, show that, short of being superhuman, you are lucid, reactive and persevering, and you will transform a potential failure into a hope for success!
A no is not necessarily a sign of failure!
Budgetary restrictions, the elimination of the coveted position decided by higher management... There are many reasons why your superior may not be able to grant you what you want, even if they think you deserve it. However, make sure that this speech is not constantly served to you at each performance review, otherwise you risk appearing naive to everyone, and losing credibility, which would move you even further away from the Holy Grail. You will then have to take responsibility, and probably look elsewhere for a company that will recognize your talents.
But if your interlocutor is acting in good faith, tell yourself that by acknowledging the legitimacy of your request without being able to respond favorably, they will want to make up for it next time. Because if you are really successful, they will not be able to use the same argument twice in a row without risking your motivation dropping, or worse, seeing you leave for the competition. So you are well on your way to getting your way next time!
However, if you are not satisfied with such a situation, think in advance about a Plan B: failing to receive the reward for your involvement in hard cash, try to get the training you want so much! And if this training gives you the skills required for the position you are aiming for, you will be even better placed to get your promotion at the next meeting!
Published October 2, 2011.
Monster.fr
Know your goals.
This is an essential step! Do you want a promotion or a raise? Depending on your goal, the arguments you put forward to your superior will not be the same. Of course, you managed to halve the cost of office supplies this year. Well done, the company thanks you! But while this performance can be a strong argument for requesting a bonus, it won't help you get the management position you're aiming for! Before the big day, think about what you're going to highlight and how you're going to present your arguments to achieve your goal.
Be specific.
"The biggest pitfall of performance reviews is that, despite safeguards, they can quickly give way to subjectivity," explains Damien Sachler, a career management consultant in large French companies. It's up to you to do everything you can to avoid this trap! And what's more concrete and objective than factual results? So, precisely measure the cost reduction or the increase in revenue that your activity has generated. Also quantify the changes you have implemented that don't necessarily translate into euros, such as the implementation of procedures that have improved team results.
Your superior is probably thinking more about the coming week than about those that have passed. So, even if they're not acting in bad faith, they will have more difficulty than you in remembering the efforts you may have made in past months and the successes they have generated. Being factual will prevent you from having to remind them, or worse, having to prove the extent of your contribution to the company, and will sound like the truth.
Acknowledge your failures.
There's no point in hiding the reality. Even if you have been successful in many respects, the 'Whatchamacallit' project that was entrusted to you at the beginning of last year did not bear the expected fruit. Of course, you are not the only one responsible for the situation, but that is certainly not the line of defense you should adopt, you must assume your share of responsibility! What, in your opinion, was missing for the project to succeed? Why did things turn out this way and what would you not do the same way again? Finally, and most importantly, how did you react or what are you going to implement to improve the situation? Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve on this project in the coming months? In short, show that, short of being superhuman, you are lucid, reactive and persevering, and you will transform a potential failure into a hope for success!
A no is not necessarily a sign of failure!
Budgetary restrictions, the elimination of the coveted position decided by higher management... There are many reasons why your superior may not be able to grant you what you want, even if they think you deserve it. However, make sure that this speech is not constantly served to you at each performance review, otherwise you risk appearing naive to everyone, and losing credibility, which would move you even further away from the Holy Grail. You will then have to take responsibility, and probably look elsewhere for a company that will recognize your talents.
But if your interlocutor is acting in good faith, tell yourself that by acknowledging the legitimacy of your request without being able to respond favorably, they will want to make up for it next time. Because if you are really successful, they will not be able to use the same argument twice in a row without risking your motivation dropping, or worse, seeing you leave for the competition. So you are well on your way to getting your way next time!
However, if you are not satisfied with such a situation, think in advance about a Plan B: failing to receive the reward for your involvement in hard cash, try to get the training you want so much! And if this training gives you the skills required for the position you are aiming for, you will be even better placed to get your promotion at the next meeting!
Published October 2, 2011.
Monster.fr
