How to Gain Leverage During Your Annual Performance Review

Do you recall that feeling you had in grade school the moment you found out that report card time is near? If you had good grades in the past months, you were not at all worried. You may have even been looking forward to it knowing that you are about to get a reward from your parents for a job well done. But if you are unconfident about your performance during the semester, you probably felt butterflies in your stomach.

Hop on to the present and you find yourself reintroduced to that old feeling all over again. Getting your annual performance review is just like getting your report card when you were young. You are told how if you did a great job the past year or not hoping that you will learn from it and set new goals for the future.

Both parties benefit from a performance review – you get to know what your boss expects you to do and you get the opportunity to explain what you want from your job as well. Heading to an annual performance review is not really one of the most exciting events in your life. But instead of giving in to your anxiety as you wait for you grades, there are some things that you can do to lighten up the actual review.

• Have a back up for your points

A good place to start your preparation is with your portion of the review. Look at the points that you mentioned in your review and highlight your achievements. Watch out for weak points that could prompt some questions and think of a good answer if they come up during the review.

• Get ahead of issues and concerns

Predicting possible issues and areas of concern will give you leverage during the review. Even when you are expecting a good discussion, think about certain issues that your boss may raise and what you will say if they come up.

• Know your lapses

You should spend time thinking about your skill and competency lapses and possible solutions to close those gaps. Perhaps your blunders were due to lack of knowledge, insufficient training, poor management or a combination of the three. Know your competency gaps and think about ways to solve them.

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