Job Performance
Employee job performance is the key to a company’s success. Whether you work for a small business or a large corporation, you and your coworkers are essential components of a working engine.
Whether you’re in a customer service, sales, or a financial position, doing your job well by reaching and exceeding your goals, is the only way the engine can run smoothly and propel the machine forward.
Everyone wants to work for a successful company – it means employment, good pay, continuation of benefits, the opportunity to learn and advance in a career, connecting with excellent people in your industry, and walking into a positive environment on a daily basis. This is why employee job performance is so important to you, your manager, and the entire company.
Employee Job Performance Review
Since employee job performance plays such a vital role in the success of any company, the performance review is an important tool in evaluating how each component of the engine is operating.
Most performance reviews take a look at what you achieved over a year’s period and if you were able to meet or exceed the goals for your position.
The review is also a time to look forward and set new goals and discuss how you can improve on areas of weakness. Along with written observations and discussion, reviews often come with a rating system, and based on the overall rating, your manager will recommend a specific pay increase.
How to Prepare for a Performance Review
Most employees strive to get a positive performance review because it means better income, but also because it means they will have opportunities to advance and, let’s face it, it just feels really good to be acknowledged for all your hard work. No one wants to walk into the boss’s office and receive a negative report.
The good news is you can help yourself when it comes to your performance review. Often managers will solicit information about your performance from you. This makes his or her job a little easier in that the employee will often submit information that might have otherwise been overlooked.
The employee is also being given a golden opportunity to show his or her achievements and strengths.
Here are some tips on how to prepare:
Preparing for a Performance Review
• Start early – you should really begin preparing for your performance review from the first day you start work or from the first day after your last performance review. Always document your work and quantify information. Did you meet a project under deadline? Did your work save the company X amount of dollars? How many new clients did you bring in? How many calls did you answer this month? Whatever your position is, always quantify! Not only does this help you prepare for your review, but there is another benefit. It’s a great motivator to see your own accomplishments and even your shortcomings in writing. It helps you to stay on target.
• Gather “atta boys” – whenever anyone makes the point to compliment your work or your assistance with a project, be sure to keep their positive email or note. It might warrant asking them to write one for you if the project was significant. Tell them it was a pleasure to help or work with them and you’d appreciate if they could write a letter or email about their level of satisfaction with your work.
• Be aware of shortcomings and prepare how to discuss them with your manager. The performance review always has a section on weaknesses or areas that need improvement, there’s no avoiding it. If your manager has to come up with something to say here, you should anticipate what it might be and be prepared with how you will react. You may even have to provide this information yourself in a self-appraisal. The best approach to take here is to acknowledge the problem and show how you have already made strides to avoid it or correct it in the future.
• Prepare to keep your attitude and tone in line. Always keep your discussions on a professional level and do not argue with your boss. Don’t make excuses and don’t blame others. By anticipating, as discussed above, you shouldn’t be taken by surprise by any criticisms your manager has.
• Have your own career goals prepared before meeting with your manager. If you are striving to advance to another position and know there are certain seminars or courses that will help you to reach that goal, have the information with you when you go into the meeting. You can also make suggestions on how things in your position or within the department can be improved. Avoid taking the stance that the manager isn’t doing his or her job, but speak from a “view from the floor” point-of-view.
• Be prepared to listen. As it’s often said, we can all learn more by listening than talking. Don’t take over the performance review meeting, but be prepared to offer information when appropriate.
Start Today!
Remember, the key to an excellent performance review is early preparation. Don’t wait until the week before your review. Prepare now and every day. Gather your information and always come back to your goals and note your achievements. Reviewing your performance on a daily basis makes the annual performance review easy. It will practically write itself.
Lynn Mattoon is a Content Editor & Career Writer for FinancialJobBank.com, Beyond.com career communities. You can follow her on Twitter at BeyondCareers.