Five Tips for Achieving Great Performance Testing Results
No matter how satisfied you are with your performance, we bet you don’t like your annual performance review. You know this rite of passage, which often happens at the end of the calendar year, when you sit down with your manager and determine what you have contributed to the company, whether your future goals are aligned, whether you have exceeded expectations – and if there is a promotion and salary increase ahead.
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If that’s any consolation, your boss hates it too. “Usually, no one likes or likes the process,” says Fred R. Cooper, founder and managing partner of Compass HR Consulting . “This is time-consuming for the manager and anxiety among staff, and involves discussing the positive and negative results of your most recent review.”
And even though some companies are updating their experiences to make them less stressful (for example, scheduling more casual quarterly meetings ), the fact is that 90% of jobs use old-school assessment, Cooper says when employees perform conduct a self-assessment, and managers present their own assessment, and then discuss both during the meeting.
With your job security, professional reputation and income at stake, you’ll want to go through your review with all the basics covered and make the most of the experience. These five expert tips will show you how to be successful.
Find out what to expect
New to the company or a new department? Download or delete the employee manual. A quick overview of the company’s values can give you an idea of what is important to your employer and what general points you need to do to be successful.
An employee handbook can also provide an idea of what the screening process looks like in your workplace, as each company does it a little differently. If not, ask your manager or HR representative what to expect. “It would demonstrate maturity, commitment and respect for the time of all parties involved,” says Cooper.
Talk to your coworkers about the inner scoop too. They can tell you how seriously your manager takes reviews and what you need to do to show that you are rocking your position.
Treat it like an interview
Remember all the preparations for your first interview when you applied for a job? Approach the verification process in the same way. “You are being interviewed about continuing to work, and about everything that comes out of that, besides your full-time job,” says Cooper. This could be a promotion, additional responsibility, a transfer to a better department, and / or a salary increase.
Redefine best interview preparation techniques: Fake a review with a friend, get a good night’s sleep, and be prepared to introduce your best self, says Cooper. “You want to make a good presentation and, like an interview, you want to make a good impression,” he says.
This includes paying close attention to your wardrobe. What to wear of course depends on the culture of your company, but consider keeping jeans and sneakers in the closet while wearing a suit or pretty clothes. This is a one-stop outfit that proves that you are a professional who is serious about the company’s practices.
Speak yourself
Your feedback is your time to clarify everything that you have contributed to your team or the company as a whole. But your goal is to look confident, not arrogant, says Cooper. One way to avoid boasting too much is to rely on other people to sing your praises.
Put together what Cooper calls a “boasting book,” filled with letters of recommendation, notes you received when you dreamed up customers out of the water, and copies of previous A-plus ratings. Make a spreadsheet broken down by week or month, new projects, milestones and greetings you have typed, and a key employee associated with anyone who can vouch for your success.
Don’t like to be the center of attention? “Do not be afraid of this, because all the attention should be focused on you,” says Dennis Theodorou, vice president of international recruitment company JMJ Phillip . By giving specific examples of how you’ve helped increase the company’s bottom line, you ensure that your manager leaves the meeting confident in your value.
Prepare for criticism
According to Cooper, many managers take the approach that the review cannot be completely positive, so they try to balance the good with the bad. It goes without saying, but no one likes to hear about what they are doing wrong.
Ideally, you shouldn’t be caught off guard by any of the feedback you receive, but you should listen to them wholeheartedly. “Whether you agree with it or not, there is talk about it, and it could very well affect your future employment,” says Cooper.
Once you have mastered it, reassure your manager that you are ready to work on the issues raised. “Explain that you want to plan a follow-up to show that you took the review seriously and improved what was discussed,” Cooper suggests. Start by requesting appointments every two months so you don’t annoy your manager or take up large blocks of calendar time.
First of all, don’t go into defensive mode. “Anyone who really wants to grow within an organization needs to be able to receive constructive criticism,” says Theodorou. Catch Cooper’s calmness trick: Write down what your boss says when he says it. “It helps to divert your energy from your anger and gives you the opportunity to do something other than listening helplessly,” he says.
Pay attention to the raise
Your feedback is a time to discuss what you have proposed and how the company can compensate you for your hard work and success. Therefore, communicate directly and confidently about the bonus or promotion you think you deserve, especially if you have followed all the steps necessary to earn it.
“You immediately grab the manager’s attention,” explains Theodorou. Say, “” Last time we spoke, it was a requirement to be eligible for this type of bonus. I have met these requirements, so what do I need to do to receive this bonus? “
Even if compensation is not directly related to your company’s verification process, you can start a conversation. Ask how you can grow in the company and what it will take to move to the next level. More often than not, this can lead to a discussion about money, he said. And it will ultimately make you feel that the preparation and practice for your review was worthwhile.
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