Maximize Your Year-End Performance Review

At the calendar year comes to a close, many workers start to think about their annual performance reviews. This important meeting can strike fear in the hearts of many an employee, but a year-end evaluation doesn't have to be an exercise in anxiety.

Instead of scrambling to dodge a barrage of criticism, make it a positive experience that inspires you to improve your performance and advance your career.

Here are some tips on how to productively participate in the review process.

5 steps to maximizing your year-end performance review

1. Know the score going in

Any review situation will be better if you know ahead of time the criteria by which you will be evaluated. Put together a list of the goals that had been set for you and any responsibilities you were assigned in the last year.

2. Review yourself first

Once you have written down your goals, objectives, and assigned responsibilities, it's time to take a long, hard look at what you have done since your last review. Be honest with yourself as you go through the list to determine whether you have delivered on your promises and accomplished whatever your manager wanted you to achieve. Write down any achievements or accomplishments you have secured and valid explanations for any shortcomings.

3. Come up with a plan for any deficiencies

If you have identified weak areas in your performance, draw up a succinct plan of attack for reaching your unmet goals. Prepare a brief series of points to present to your boss, describing what resources you lack or what kind of additional support you require to meet these goals.

4. Highlight any and all achievements

Become your own advocate. Your performance review is an opportunity for you to sing your praises and bring to your boss's attention all of the things you have delivered on. If you can track these to your goals, all the better, but don't be dissuaded from delineating successes that might not have been explicitly laid out for you.

We often do things in our professional lives that go above and beyond our formal job duties, and your performance review is the perfect opportunity to make your manager fully aware of the positive contributions you have made to the company.

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4. Crunch some numbers

Just saying you have done a good job is not enough. Talk in terms of the quantifiable, remunerative effects your labors have had on the company. Have you conducted business that has brought in money? Calculate exactly how your efforts have improved the company's bottom line. Your performance review is no time to be shy; chances are your manager won't take the time to quantify your personal contributions in this manner, so the onus is on you to show just how you contribute.

5. Set new goals

If you feel that your performance has been overwhelmingly positive, your review is the ideal time to lobby for a raise or a promotion. In addition, if you are interested in increasing your responsibilities and duties, you should bring this up during your meeting. Better yet, include this request in a pre-review memo to your manager so he or she can factor your requests into the evaluation. Displaying the confidence to make request before your meeting is a justification of why the company should take notice of you.

Make the most of your annual performance review

Keep in mind that your performance review, whether overwhelmingly positive or somewhat disappointing, is always a great opportunity to learn, grow, and move forward in your career.

Read Learning from Performance Reviews for some useful pointers on how to get as much as you can from your next performance review.