A Guide To Appraisals

They can come about at the end of a probationary period, and then routinely every 6 or 12 months.

The point of a review is to give valuable feedback on your strengths and weaknesses so that you have every opportunity to succeed and meet your ambitions. They are also a great time for you to provide feedback to your manager.

What happens in a Review?

Every company has a different way of conducting reviews; however they usually follow a similar process. Initially, you will be asked to answer some written questions where you are given the opportunity to assess how you think you have performed. This will be followed by a meeting with your manager where you will discuss your answers, along with their opinions and feedback.

Questions you can be asked are:

• How would you rate your performance?
• Did you achieve your objectives? How?

Make sure you give specific examples when talking about performance and objectives. Avoid vague terms such as ‘Increased Productivity’ and utilise quantitative terms ‘sales have increased by 20% since I began running the new sales training programs’. Go over your work for the relevant time period and see what projects you can talk about.

Don’t be afraid to talk yourself up

This is the time to boast. If you don’t think you are doing a good job, no one else will! Really sell how well you think you have been doing, how much you love the job and the company. Don’t compare yourself to others – pointing out others shortfalls as a way to make yourself appear better will be seen poorly.

Criticism

All appraisals include some form of feedback that offers an opportunity for improvement. Regardless of how well you do your job, your manager will always find something for you to work on – it’s just the nature of the beast. However, all negative comments must be quantified by your manager and given in a constructive manner. Listening to this criticism in a positive way, showing that you care about improving will stand you in good stead. Ask if the manager could provide an example of the criticism so you have a reference point (make sure you ask this in a non-defensive manner!). If you feel the criticism is personal or unprofessional, speak to someone in your HR department following your review.

Upwards Feedback

If there are any issues you want to raise – now is the time to do it. But don’t be tempted to just dump. As per your manager’s comments to you, you need to quantify every issue or complaint you have or you will be seen as a whinger. All criticism must be constructive.

Progression

Talk about what you would like to do moving forward. Are there any projects you would like to work on, additional tasks you could take on or initiatives you believe would be beneficial? Show that you have ambition to continue to grow within the role and the company. Don’t make it sound like you are bored with your position, just that you are eager to continue your training.

Surprises

If all goes well, nothing that is said in a review will be a surprise. A good manager will give ongoing, informal feedback throughout the year to ensure you stay on the right track and an official review is simply a formal version of that. If you have been given no feedback all year and your manager gives you a completely negative review – alarm bells should ring. Speak to the HR department about the situation and see if a system can be developed to ensure that you are not blind-sided by feedback

Goal Setting

You should always set goals to achieve over the time period between this and your next review. This provides some quantifiable tasks that can be reviewed next time. Type these up and put them in prominent place so that you never forget them.

Salary Review

If unclear, speak with someone in HR about whether your salary is also under review. If it is, or even if it isn’t, but you feel you qualify for a pay rise, make sure you have done your homework in order to fight for the change. Think about non-monetary benefits that you may accept on the chance that they are unable to provide a monetary change.

Remember – this is a time to take stock and think about how you are working and progressing – not a time for your manager to make you feel small. If you go into it wanting to get something out of it (rather than just get through it), you’ll find the experience enjoyable.