Introduction:
Hi everyone and welcome to the second installment of our performance review meeting success series. You remember that last week, we focused on the manager’s success. Well, this week, we’re focusing on the employee’s success. That’s right, starting with today’s post, we are sharing the first four our nine-step guide for employees’ performance review meeting success. So, without further delay, let’s get started so that you can positively impact your performance review meeting outcome…even if it’s just days away.
Strategy Steps:
You must develop a success strategy in order to meet and conquer the challenge before you. So, here, you will focus on 1) Your job description; 2) Duties that you no longer perform; 3) Taking Action; 4) Your Professional Development Goals; 5) Documentation; 6) Communication; 7) A Receptive Mindset; 8) Your comments or rebuttal; and 9) Your signature. Today, we will discuss numbers 1 – 4. So, here we go.
Your Job Description:
Your performance review ratings should be based on the duties presented in your job description. So, if you don’t have one, ask your manager for a copy. If he/she doesn’t have one, ask human resources for one, or a copy of the job opening announcement that you applied to. Better still, those of you who have been a part of this community for a while know that I advise my readers and clients to create a folder in their personal email box where they keep a copy of each job opening that they apply to. This keeps it easy for you to access.
If you’re working from a vacancy announcement, use it to create a job description. Review it to ensure that all of the duties that you perform are included. Now, draft a job description for your position. Include the required education, years of experience, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities that on-the-job success requires.
Before, or during, your performance review meeting with your manager, present your document to him/her. Tell them that while you made preparations for your performance review meeting no one could find a current job description for your position. So, you decided to try your hand at creating one from the vacancy announcement that you applied to. Ask for his/her approval. Once it is approved by all proper decision-makers, you will be set. This action is a perfect example of initiative and should earn you some brownie points.
Duties that You No Longer Perform:
Our first impulse is often to remove any duties that we no longer perform, from the job description. I advise against doing so. That particular duty may be seasonal or cyclical, depending on the industry that you work in. So, leave it there in case it becomes a regular requirement again in the future. Now, like anything else, there are exceptions to this, but we’ll address those in a future post.
Take Action:
Don’t miss a beat. Immediately following your performance review meeting with you manager, begin your research. Identify articles, magazines, books and/or webinars, training, conferences, professional organizations related to your career field. Commit to completing at least one professional development activity each week.
When the time for your next annual performance review rolls around, you will have easily met the professional development requirement. This is a perfect segway to the next step…
Your Professional Development Goals:
Play an active role in your professional development. Your professional development should not only be based on your manager’s vision for you. In fact, your vision for your own career should be front and center. Consider what you would like to achieve professionally over the next year, five years, ten years, etc. Now, develop a realistic plan and timeline of when you will accomplish each goal.
Think about where you want to be professionally 1 year from now, 5 years from now, even 10 years from now. Then, create your own success strategy that can hopefully easily align with your managers to help you meet your new performance development goals.
Conclusion:
So, there you have it…the first four of our nine-step employee success performance review guide. Review them, then join us next week for the remaining five performance review strategy steps that we have to offer.
Until next time, wherever you’re watching please subscribe, or scroll down and leave me a comment. Or, ask me your very own performance review question. Who knows, it could be the focus of one of my future posts.
Thanks so much and…
Successful performance reviews for everyone. Bye Bye.
