Questions to Consider When Reviewing
Following is a list of quick questions to include in your performance review:
- How would you grade me on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 represents someone who is about to be promoted and 1 represents someone who is about to be let go?
- How do you evaluate my performance in this role?
What objectives for my career and my organization should I be concentrating on?
- What standout elements of my performance?
Which areas should I concentrate on to enhance my performance?
- Can you provide me concrete instances where my performance fell short of your expectations? How do you wish I had handled that circumstance?
Even if you don’t believe you handled a scenario poorly in the first place, you can find that your supervisor has a different viewpoint that can help you improve your performance. You should make sure that your performance is in line with your boss’s expectations since they are the ones who will be reviewing it. Don’t argue with your supervisor about the criticism if you disagree with it. Instead, give what you are hearing some thought. In particular, rather than reacting defensively at the performance review if something is brought up that surprises you, give yourself some time to reflect on the situation.
Keep in mind that when it comes to your performance, “perception is reality.” Analyze whether this situation might jeopardize your work or prevent you from receiving a promotion or raise. What can I do to make this issue better going forward, ask your boss?
How Will You Be Judged?
The majority of employee reviews rate employees across a number of categories, including job knowledge, performance, communication, leadership, teamwork, customer service, quality of work, initiative, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, ethics, etc., on a scale from “Exceptional” (consistently exceeds all relevant performance standards) to “Needs Improvement” (consistently falls short of performance standards).
Your future responsibilities (and promotions), working relationships, and compensation can all be determined using this information. Making sure your ratings appropriately reflect your work performance is important since “what gets assessed gets managed.” Ask for further information if you have questions about a rating.
What Happens If Your Performance Review Is Negative?
Ask your manager if it would be possible to delay having the review added to your permanent record until you have had a chance to evaluate the information in more depth if you are startled by a poor performance assessment, and in particular if you believe that your review was inaccurate. Are the details accurate? Are there any mistakes that need to be fixed?
Consider what may have changed if your performance assessments in the past were favorable. A new boss, do you have one? Has your personal situation changed in a way that is influencing how you perform at work? Sometimes, it could just be a straightforward misunderstanding: You were focused on goals you believed were crucial, but your supervisor was evaluating your success according to a different criterion. To succeed in the future with the organization, you must understand how your performance will be evaluated.
You might also inquire with your manager about the results of the unfavorable performance review. Is your job at risk? (Will probation be imposed on you? Are there particular actions you must take by a specified date to address the deficiencies found?) Make sure your next steps are obvious. What needs to change or be improved both now and in the future?
Set a specific date for the follow-up meeting that you request to schedule. Keep in touch with your manager to discuss how you’re doing with addressing the problems that have been found. Keep tabs on your initiatives, tasks, and successes as well.
Getting Ready for Your Upcoming Performance Review
As soon as your current evaluation is through, you should begin planning for your upcoming performance review. Don’t merely put the documents in a file. Employ it to direct your work. To make sure you are meeting the standards your manager set, review your goals every month. Make sure you schedule frequent meetings with your employer, especially if you had a low review, to ensure that you are progressing toward enhancing your performance.
Start keeping a journal to keep track of your progress if you haven’t already. Create a method for gathering data from third parties, such as clients, coworkers, and vendors, to be used in the performance evaluation for the following year. Take notes whenever you meet with your supervisor in-between annual performance assessments. Write down any questions you have as you think of them in your journal so you can quickly access them when the time comes for your next meeting.
