How to Ace Your Yearly Employee Performance Review
Posted by jefferson on Oct 22, 2012 in Career Advice | 37 comments
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You have worked hard all year. You delivered all of your projects on time, you put in overtime when needed, and generally made your boss look good over and over again. As the year starts to draw to a close, many businesses are beginning the process of their yearly employee performance reviews. These reviews, combined with the subsequent calibration of your performance versus that of your peers, can determine how you are rewarded for all of the hard work that you have put in. If you ace this review, you could be setting yourself up for a nice raise, a sweet bonus, and possibly even a promotion. On the other hand, if you fumble the review, all of your work could potentially go for naught. Most businesses have a limited budget for raises and promotions each year, and it is essential that you state your case to get an appropriately sized piece of the pie.
Types of Yearly Reviews
Most companies that I have worked for use some variation of a “performance scorecard” approach to measure their employees. In this approach, each department has a series of goals (improve sales, reduce system downtime, etc), and every employee has set of individual goals that align with those of their department. Typically an employee works with their manager early in the year to get this list flushed out. Near the end of the year, the employee is asked to rate their own performance and to cite specific examples of how successful they were at tackling these goals.
Other companies that I have worked for didn’t really offer me the chance to give input into formal review at all. Instead my boss would pull me aside to talk specifically about my performance and to let me know what my raise would be that year (if anything). For companies like this, as the year begins to wind down, you need to make sure to take some initiative to meet with your boss ahead of time. Ask for honest feedback about your performance, and don’t be afraid to tell him how important it is to you that you get a positive review next year. Go ahead and plant some seeds in her mind about the work that you have done so far, and be sure to mention that you plan to work hard and exceed all expectations for the last few months of the year.
Rate Yourself, and Do It Well
To have a successful review, your approach needs to center around accentuating the positive. If asked to evaluate yourself on ANYTHING, be sure to give yourself a very good score (preferably the best available), and try to find a few examples that back up your high rating. Remember, management will be using this review as a tool to help compare and contrast between employees, and to decide who gets the bigger raise. This is not an easy task, and in fact is one of the very worst parts of being a manager. They will be looking for any and every excuse that they can find, to rank one of their employees lower than the others. If you do the dirty work for them and give yourself a low rating, rest assured they are going to jump on it. Don’t forget that your co-workers are also performing the same review of themselves and their work, and you should always assume that they will be giving themselves a high ranking.
Differentiate Yourself From Your Peers
If you have a group of people in an office or a store that all have similar job functions, ranking them is not an easy task. Several years ago I was part of a small development team that worked together to release a mission critical piece of software. The project was a great success, but because everyone contributed to the project a great deal, management had a very tough time deciding who would be listed as top performers and thus be eligible for a special bonus program. The key in these type of situations is to differentiate yourself. In your review, you need to state what tasks have been typically done by you, and only you. If you don’t have anything like this in your current job, you should seek to become the office “Subject Matter Expert” (SME) on something, that can be a key reference and talking point for you going forward. In a large IT shop like mine, this can mean learning a certain common piece of software inside and out. In a smaller sales office, this may mean asking to be put in charge of managing inventory or creating sales displays.
Make Your Boss Your Advocate
Your manager will probably be the one who conducts your annual review, and it makes sense to focus your lobbying efforts mainly on them. However, in many corporate environments, decisions on raises and bonuses are made at a high level, and your manager is only one of many who has input. Because of this, the more people that you have in these meetings who know of you and your accomplishments, the better off you will be.
That said, having your manager passionate about you and your accomplishments is something that will always serve you well. As a manager, their responsibility is to lead a team of people to success by meeting goals and delivering per expectations. The best way for them to look good, and have successes to talk about in their meetings, is to have their employees accomplish something. You should aim to make this a reality throughout the year, and you shouldn’t be afraid to remind them of all of the “team accomplishments” that you were a key contributor on. If you don’t have a great relationship with your boss, this could end up costing you during your annual review, so is typically worth your while to try and patch this relationship (at least temporarily).
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“If you don’t have anything like this in your current job, you should seek to become the office “Subject Matter Expert” (SME) on something, that can be a key reference and talking point for you going forward.” This is something that I have been working towards at my office, and I think it’s a big thing to take advantage of if given the opportunity. Knowing something inside and out can really help when review time comes around.
I also think that having clear examples of things you have done the past year is the best thing you can do for a review. I have already started to compile a list of my accomplishments the past year and plan on using those in my review to show how I have contributed the past year above and beyond my day-to-day tasks.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..10 Expenses to Consider When Buying a Home
“Compiling the list of accomplishments” is a great idea, D.C.. It’s best if you can compile this as you go instead of scrambling at the end to get it together..
Don’t tell people you’re too busy to help them because you’re finishing your review paperwork! At my last job this actually happened – we needed lots of help for a last minute project and one person said they were too swamped with filling our their personal review to help. I hope he made sure to include what a team player he was…
Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted..What Do You Mean, Average?
sometimes management puts a higher priority on these administrative tasks, and people really have no choice but to set aside their “real work” do such a task.. i have been told by management in the past to prioritize this type of work ahead of EVERYTHING..
Great tips. My last job we had a quarterly review that was really just like an annual review and was always so stressful, so I am glad that I am out of that. I totally agree that making yourself standout is key. There’s a balance to be had between being cocky and being confident and your employer will be able to tell the difference. If you’re simply confident, and gain their support then you’ll be in a great spot.
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..What Earnings Season and the iPad Mini Have in Common
At least on a quarterly review, you know that you are getting regular feedback and can work hard to address issues if there are any. I know of co-workers who have gotten a bad review completely unexpectedly and out of the blue, and it really floored them..
All of my reviews have been great but I am always so stressed about them. Keeping a list of your successes and what you’ve learned is what I’ve done.
Michelle recently posted..Spending, Life, Income Updates…
Keeping a list is absolutely a great idea.. I try to do the same.
Performance reviews are scary. I always want to do well on them, but if you only ace them then you aren’t really getting any benefit from them. I want to know my weaknesses in my employers eyes so that I can improve.
Daisy recently posted..My Phone Bill: A Horror Story With a Happy Ending
Really good point, Daisy… I was trying to focus on this article on how to best position yourself, but you are absolutely right.. If your boss isn’t offering at least SOME form of constructive criticism, they really aren’t doing their job..
Very good advice. Giving yourself a high score and then backing it up with solid evidence (especially using adjectives that promote your work, even numbers and figures that you saw you directly helped with that impacted the success of the project/company) is the best way to convince the team that you were/are a key player. Making friends with your boss at the end of the year to patch things up for a short period of time as they decide about raises/bonus’s may come off a little bit conniving.
Kelly@Financial-Lessons recently posted..Inexpensive Halloween Party Ideas
i don’t think it is conniving to try to patch things up with your boss, kelly.. it is intellegent!.. a bad relationship with your manager is only going to lead to unhappiness and as a side effect.. probably a bad review. now is as good a time as any to do what it takes to try and make that relationship right..
One of the things I think many people overlook is to give yourself credit for your accomplishments. Many bosses ask you for a list of things you accomplished throughout the year, and if you don’t keep a good list, it’s easy to forget something big. Go through your sent items in your e-mail, run through your calendar appointments, and chances are it will trigger something that you did that you might otherwise have forgotten about, and so likely would your boss.
Money Beagle recently posted..You Can’t Succeed If You Don’t Put Yourself In A Position To
Great thoughts here, MB… Your sent items folder and calendar are the perfect places to start when trying to put together your list of accomplishments (if you aren’t maintaining it as you go)..
Since I’ve been the boss for so long, I would probably fail a review! What I look for in employees is the ability to solve problems and keep the team running well. I tell them that if they are doing their jobs well, then I will be so busy in the exam room that they won’t see me. If I’m in the front office too much, then someone isn’t doing their job.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..Inspired by Malala Yousafzai, 14 Year Old Hero
I like your attitude, Kim.. Because you are empowering your employees to step up and handle their business, and are obviously not a micro-manager.
Never down play what you have done. Your biggest promoter as times will be you. Don’t overdo it but certainly let people know that the project that was a big success was yours. Keep a folder on your computer with things you have done and suggested. It makes it easier when your reviews do come up to go over. Do wait until your reviews come up to talk about your performance. I like quarterly updates of what I have done and what I can do better.
Thomas S. Moore recently posted..Sneaker Friday Part 2 – AirMax 90 Infrareds
Great thoughts, Thomas.. You have to be your own biggest advocate. Remember that you aren’t going to fight for yourself, then you cannot expect others to do fight for you.
I think the last part is really key. Let’s face it – reviews are mostly about what someone else thinks about you. So if you can play the part and get on the good side of people (like your boss) by finding out what works for them, then you’ll be golden.
My Money Design recently posted..Confessions and Resume Screening Tips from Someone Who Interviews
Very true.. MMD. At many corporations, your boss will be the one representing you.. If their opinion of you is not high, you shouldn’t expect much.
Great tips! We have an annual review here…and my boss usually likes to push a box of Kleenex toward me before we begin. He is a pretty funny guy. My bosses are husband and wife. Usually he looks at his iphone while she tells me how awesome I am. Then I get a raise. Boom!
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted..Student Loan Debate: Obama vs. Romney 2012
Your boss sounds hilarious, Holly… I can tell that you guys have a long standing relationship with your bosses, and this can’t be anything but a positive when the review times comes around..
I’ve had a mixed bag of job reviews – at my first, where I was at for 3 years, we never got reviews. The one time I did, I asked for it. It was the sort of environment where everyone got the same raise year after year regardless of performance.
At the current job, where I just gave notice, I did get a 6 month review but that didn’t go well because I gave my notice on the day of the review. (Not intentionally planned that way, but that’s how the stars aligned…)
At my next job, I’m told that there will be quarterly reviews and one big review. A little stressed out about it!
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Remember.. Managers will be looking for a reason to rate their employees lower.. I am sure by turning in your resignation, you gave them a mighty fine reason! As a nice side effect, your manager probably got to skip having to rate one of your co-workers lower as a result..
Great tips! Yearly reviews can be a bit stressful when you don’t know what they are going to say or think.
Gillian @ Money After Graduation recently posted..The Grad School Scam
The hope is that you have had discussions with your manager all along, so that what they have to say won’t come as a surprise to you..
Totally sharing! I know someone who has one of these coming up!
femmefrugality recently posted..How to Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse
Great to hear, FF.. I am always happy to hear when one of our posts is helpful to someone out there!..
I agree that having your manager as an advocate is a huge advantage (while having problems with your manager is the first step to being on your way out….). That said, I hate the “game” of the yearly performance review. If you’re giving yourself a top score in every category, you’re clearly doing it to game the system. Don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying you shouldn’t…I’m just saying that this practice of having employees “grade themselves” sets up a cat-and-mouse exercise that makes it a huge waste of time.
AverageJoe recently posted..2 Guys & Your Money Episode #15: Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Investment Returns
Great comment, Joe.. And I totally agree with you.. You are right, it is all a game. But if you don’t rate yourself highly, you are choosing to throw the game before it even begins…
A good review should not contain any surprises. It should be a summary of what you and your boss had discussed and documented throughout the previous twelve months.
Good feedback is immediate and focused on behavior. Employees with good reviews “manage up” well throughout the year by seeking out feedback consistently. The best time to prepare for a review in November is to communicate with your boss in March, etc.
Kevin @ Ask For Benefits recently posted..Common Question: Can I Cancel My Policy Anytime?
I love this comment as well.. What great readers we have!..
You are right when you state that high performing employees know what their manager expects of them, get regular feedback, and exceed expectations.
These are great tips. I need to get better at communicating with my boss on how I’m doing throughout the year, thanks for reminding me!
Jordann @ My Alternate Life recently posted..The Training Starts Tomorrow
Good idea, Jordann.. Start today! The year is getting old already..
It’s simple, but keeping track of your own accomplishments can be a big help. I’ve found having numbers and facts to support my review have gone a long way to acing my own reviews.
All great info here. i am trying to stand out as much as I can, but this year has come and gone so quickly, I don’t even remember what I did?!
I’ll try and tell a great story about my performance to my boss, and hope he becomes an advocate up the chain.
Jacob @ iheartbudgets recently posted..How We Survived On $14 An Hour
Great advice. Often times it’s not instinctive for us as human beings to give ourselves outstanding reviews, due to the fear of portraying arrogance. In this case; however, it’s an important chance to remind your boss of what a great team member you have been all year and differentiate yourself from the other employees.
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