Quick Tip – Gather Your Accomplishments

Your review will be here before you know it – Issue #38

Well, here we are in Q4, and the Fall weather hints that winter is coming. It is also a reminder that something else will be happening soon.

Your annual performance review.

Now, not every single company has its annual performance reviews at the end of the year or the beginning of the next one. However, I know that many do.

I also know that most people put off writing their personal performance review until the last minute. Then, they are scrambling to gather information, asking people for input, and trying to remember everything that they did during the year.

Don’t be that person.

Start capturing information and notes for your review now. Doing this gives you plenty of time to do a great job with it by spending a few minutes on the task each day.

Go back through your calendar for the year. Review the meetings that you attended. Doing this will probably spark your memory for a few activities and accomplishments that you may have forgotten.

Similarly, review your email inbox. Quickly scroll through starting at the beginning of the year. Most of the emails won’t be that useful or will look familiar. However, a few will jump out at you and remind you of projects, achievements, and other work that you did during the year.

As you start writing your review, gaps will appear and help you create a to-do list of information that you need to gather and conversations with people you may need to have. That’s normal. It sure is better to start this process now vs. waiting until it is too late.

A performance review is always an opportunity for a raise or promotion. So, capture as much quantitative data as you can to support your case (e.g., that project you worked on increased sales by 15%).

Of course, some of the accomplishments will have to be qualitative. That’s ok too. It also helps to gather feedback from your coworkers. A few positive quotes always improve your review (e.g., “Susan saved our project from disaster. We couldn’t have finished on time without her help!”).

As I’ve mentioned in the past, bosses often forget all of the details of what you have accomplished. They don’t remember all of the work you did during the year. Writing your detailed review may make all the difference between a small raise and a much more significant raise or promotion. Good luck!