As the year is ending, it’s not only the holidays that are coming up, but also year-end performance reviews. As daunting as this may sound, it doesn’t have to be. Ideally, you should have had periodic evaluations with your manager throughout the year, be it monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually. Frequent performance reviews should be part of the Performance Development Strategy of your employer. If that’s not the case, it’s something you should consider bringing up with your direct manager or Human Resources department. After all, how would you know if you’re doing your job well or if you need to make improvements? Performance reviews benefit both the individual employee and the company by optimizing employee performance.

Tips for being prepared

If you haven’t prepared yet for your year-end review, it’s not too late. We’d like to share some tips with you on how you can still do that.

1. Write a self-evaluation.


2. Think about the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) your company and manager have set for you, and if you have achieved these or not. Be honest and ask yourself if there are aspects of your performance that you could improve upon, and if so, think about solutions and an action plan.


3. Write down any goals you or your manager set for you last year. Did you accomplish them? If you did, what did you learn? If you didn’t, why not, and what would you do differently?


4. Write down your accomplishments. Think about projects you’ve worked on, new skills you learned, are there instances when you went beyond the expectations of your role, did you make any suggestions that were implemented and brought value to the company, did you win any awards, receive any compliments from clients or colleagues etc.? Make it a practice to keep track of your accomplishments throughout the year. Create a folder or a document where you notate everything. This will make it easier when it’s time for a performance review, or when you want to ask for a raise. After all, your manager can’t keep track of everything you’re doing and won’t know unless you tell them.


5. Once you’ve written your self-evaluation, review it and share it with your manager before your review time. This will give them time to prepare and leads to a more efficient use of the review time.


6. Be open to feedback. This is very important! It shows that you are flexible and are willing to learn. These are characteristics most companies look for in their employees. Even if you think you’ve been doing an excellent job, no one is perfect and there is always room for improvement. If you receive what you perceive as negative feedback, try not to take it personally but use it as an opportunity to reflect on what you can do better.


7. Finally, remember that the performance review is a two-way conversation. Yes, your manager is there to provide feedback and review your performance. However, this is also the time for you to ask questions, to talk about why you did things the way you did, what your goals are for next year, and how your manager can help you with your career development.

We wish you all the best with your next performance review and trust that by using these tips you should be well prepared.