The year is coming to an end. If a performance review is on your horizon, taking time to prepare will help you make the most of the experience. It’s great if you have been organized and prepared throughout the year. However, even if you aren’t quite ready, there are things you can do now to ensure that you will have the tools you need to get the most from your performance review.
A performance review or appraisal should be constructive and give you the information you need to improve your career outlook, engagement and performance. If you work for a company with a great performance review process and have a prepared and trained supervisor, you may not know that in a recent study more than “70% of professionals felt their performance reviews were ineffective.” So if you are part of that 70% and you want to get something out of the performance review process, it will require you to be proactive and prepared with questions of your own. Managers want you to take ownership of your performance and your reviewis a great place to start.
First, let’s examine some sample performance review questions from a manager’s point of view:
- In what areas can performance be improved?
- Are you invested in your own performance and success?
- Do you impact the company and your colleagues in a positive manner? And if so how?
- What changes are necessary to improve performance?
- Do you take responsibility for the actions necessary to improve performance?
Now, review some potential questions from an employee’s point of view:
Take time to reflect on your accomplishments, “What went well?”, “What needs improvement?”, “What problems did you solve?” and finally, “How did you improve the bottom line?” You’ll not only be better prepared to answer your managers questions, but you’ll show that you are invested in your own improvement and the wellbeing of the company.
If you desire a well-rounded conversation, ask your manager these three simple yet tough questions:
- “What should I continue to do?”
- “What should I stop doing?”
- “What should I start to do?”
If you want your supervisor/reviewer to know that you are available to help them in any way you can, ask “What can I do to make you more successful?” There are lots of other questions you could ask, but starting with these will get you well on your way to important feedback and an effective performance review process.