Get Better Grades at Performance Review Time by Preparing in Advance

Yes, it's your job to prepare for your end-of-year review, not your manager's

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Performance reviews suck. You hate them, your boss hates them, and everyone up to the CEO hates them. I know this because I managed the Performance Review Process for two very different organizations, and despite my best efforts, performance reviews were unpopular.

But unfortunately, performance reviews aren't going away anytime soon. And the end-of-year review can have a massive impact on your future.

My first end-of-year review was a nightmare. I was unprepared for the meeting and didn't understand the process. At 21 and in my first management role, I probably was a bit rubbish at my job, but I didn't deserve the soul-crushing review I received. I left the meeting in tears, confused and ashamed.

I'd never want anyone to feel as devasted as I did when I left that meeting. That's why I'm urging you to take control and prepare for your end-of-year review now.

Why Your End-of-Year Performance Reviews Matters

If you are wondering why end-of-year reviews matter so much, it's simple. How you perform in your review and the grade affects your career.

It's easy to believe that Performance Reviews are merely a tick-the-box exercise, but they are much more than that. Review results are often one of the factors that HR and the senior team use to make decisions about who gets promoted, who gets pay increases, and who gets access to key opportunities like training programs or secondments.

And it's not just about the perks. In some organizations, these reviews are used to inform decisions about restructuring or redundancies. If your department is being downsized, your review score could be a key factor in determining who stays and who goes.

Given how critical reviews are it makes sense to prepare for them thoroughly and early.

Isn't it my manager's job to prepare my review?

No. It's yours.

Why?

Because no one cares about your career as much as you do. Your manager might be the best manager you've ever had, but they've still got a lot of priorities to juggle. When review season comes around, they could be preparing multiple performance reviews for the team, as well as their own. And, like any of us, they don't have a perfect memory.

If you don't take the time to remind your manager of what you've achieved, no one else will. Plus, if you can't be bothered to prepare for your review, why should they?

Your career is your responsibility, and if you want to get ahead, you need to take control. The good news is that preparing for your end-of-year review is a straightforward fact-finding exercise. When it comes to showcasing your skills, hard evidence is your friend.

Your tasks, should you choose to accept them, are to find evidence that you've met your goals and make it as easy as possible for your manager to give you good ratings.

You're going to do this by blocking out a few 60-minute slots in your calendar and becoming a detective.

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Time to Channel Your Inner Detective

Whether it's Morse, Miss Marple, or Midsomer, we all love a mystery. And in any mystery, there's the cunning detective who solves the crime against all odds.

At end-of-year review time, you are the detective. You'll gather evidence, plot timelines, and ensure that the facts back up your claim that you've achieved your goals.

Now, let's look for evidence. The clues are all there—you just need to track them down.

Scouring the evidence locker

Thankfully, you don't have to go rogue and steal a gun from a dingy evidence locker to help clear your partner's name, liaise with forensic staff who are secretly/not secretly in love with you, or sweet talk a coroner into giving you access to a corpse.

But you do have to dig out all those facts that back up what you've done and when you did it. If you'd rather be looking at corpses, it might be time to look for a new job.

So, grab yourself a cup of tea, put some music on your headphones, and get detecting. At this stage, you are information-collecting only; we'll worry about evaluating how you've done later.

Here is where to look:

1. Project Documentation: Review any documents that outline your contributions to projects, big and small.

2. Monthly Reports: Look at the reports you submitted throughout the year. These should contain concrete evidence of your progress and achievements.

3. Emails: Scan through your emails. You'll likely find praise from colleagues or clients, evidence of roadblocks, and messages that confirm you've achieved all or part of your goals.

4. Meeting Notes: Check your notes from one-to-ones, team meetings, and project discussions. Minutes or meeting notes will remind you of any changes to your objectives or timelines.

5. Your Calendar: Your calendar can be a great source of information, helping you track the timeline of projects, meetings, and other key events.

6. Slack/Teams Channels: If your organization uses platforms like Slack or Teams, scroll through the conversations you've had about key projects or client interactions.

7. Zoom Meeting Transcripts: Look at the transcripts of any Zoom meetings related to your goals. You might find details about work you've completed or discussions that shaped your goals.

Here's the proof

So, what exactly are you looking for in all these documents?

• Proof You Achieved Your Goals: These are the most important pieces of evidence you need. Solid proof that you met your targets or exceeded expectations.

• Changes to Goals or Timelines: If your goals shifted during the year, note it down. If deadlines were extended, make sure that's reflected, too.

• Roadblocks or Delays: Find evidence of anything that affected your ability to change your goals. Be prepared to explain what went wrong, whether it was a system failure, lack of resources, or unclear instructions.

• Praise, Thanks and Commendations: Don't overlook positive feedback. Written compliments from colleagues, clients, or customers can strengthen your case for a higher grade.

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Why you nearly didn’t solve the case

Like any good detective, you may have been led astray by a forged note, an anonymous call, or a dodgy alibi.

Okay, it's more likely that a budget cut cooked your goose, but it's crucial to be upfront if you didn't hit all of your targets and prepare an explanation.

Here are some common reasons you might not have met your goals:

• Lack of Information or Resources: If you were waiting on crucial information or resources from colleagues, document that delay.

• System Downtime or Failures: If crashing technology impeded your progress, note any system failures or downtime that impacted your work.

• Unclear or Changing Goals: If your goals weren't well-defined or if they changed at the last minute, that's information your manager needs to know.

• Sick leave or other absence: If you spent time away from the office and this affected your ability to achieve your goals, make a note of it. Your colleagues’ absences can also affect your ability to complete your deadlines.

• Competing priorities: If you were pulled off your project for other work, note how this affected your work on your goals.

• Having to get the new skills: If you had to train to get the skills to enable you to achieve your goals, itemize the dates, and how long it took you to get up to speed.

Summary

Despite almost universal unpopularity, performance reviews aren’t going away. It pays to know how to show yourself in your best light in reviews, especially in the end-of-year performance review, because your final grade can affect your career.

If you spend some time preparing, you’ll give yourself the best chance of getting the grade that reflects achievements.

Action points:

To get the results you deserve from your performance review:

1. Block out time in your calendar now: Don't leave it until the last minute. Two or three 90-minute sessions should give you enough time.

2. Gather your evidence: Search through project documents, reports, emails, meeting notes, and your calendar.

3. Compare what you did to your goals: Look closely at your goals, then compare these goals in detail to what you achieved.

4. Prepare for tough conversations: Be ready to explain any roadblocks or delays that impacted your performance.

5. Above all, make it easy for your manager to give you good grades: Communicate your achievements clearly, stick to facts and include anything that stopped you achieving all or part your goals.

I hope you found this useful, any questions, stick them in the comments.

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