work reviews

[macmet]

I expected to see a few threads dedicated to this through this forum but was surprised where after 10 pages I had found very little. So, I apologize if I'm beating a dead horse here.

Anyway, I have my first yearly work review in a couple days and am looking for some tips on using the review to my advantage. I have a few ideas I think could help but I don't want to storm in there with a list of 30 ways the company could be improved.

Should I be honest? How open should I be? Should I tell the truth or spend the hour sucking up?

I am looking forward to the interview because I would like to get more out of my job than I'm currently getting, but I don't want to get fired for what I say either.

Any tips will be appreciated.

 

[Ashereng]

It really depends on the culture of the company, the relationship you have with your boss, the level of expertise you have built up, who you are, what your goals are, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

As a general rule, don't say anything you wouldn't want broadcasted to the entire company.

I vote for being truthful. Keep in mind that there is a fine line between being truthful and getting fired.

This is your first review? I would ask other first year guys/gals who already had their first review what the review is like. This may give you a good indication of what to do in the review.

Good luck.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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[JAE]

Second what ashereng says...and would also suggest you approach your supervisor and simply ask how you can prepare for the review, what its format is, will there be opportunity for you to respond to YOUR review items and also for you to add YOUR views of the overall company, leadership, etc.

You can't always solve all the companies problems in an annual review, especially as a first year person. I would think focusing on your own position in the firm and how you function or don't function within its culture would be the most important at this review. During the following months and in future reviews you will be in a better position to offer constructive criticisms without upsetting your boss.

But as Ashereng says...depends a lot on your boss and his/her attitudes and approaches.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

A yearly review is not the venue to suggest ways to improve the company ... that should be done throughout the year so that the effectiveness of your suggestions can be discussed during the review.


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[EddyC]

I would let them do most of the talking this time around. What they say will probably give away what kind of employer they really are and whether you will want to stay with them for some time.

 

[IRstuff]

The review is about your work, not the company's. Your collecting of "improvements" for review time would simply be viewed as a ploy to get a better review, nothing more. Your suggestions should and must come naturally and in the context of your daily work.

If you think that your manager has forgotten your contributions, those, you can legitimately list for the review.

TTFN

 

[PSE]

Agreeing with the previous posts, the review is about what has been done and how well it was accomplished. It is also a time for establishing goals for the following year. With this in mind, you may want to pre-assess yourself. What have you done? Was it done on time or according to plan? Make a listing and have it with you as there may have been some important work that you did that your supervisor may have missed.

Find out what the "plan" is for the following year. This will "align" your goals with that of presumably the company but at least that of your supervisor. Include a personal growth item or two.

Expect to be a bit nervous, your supervisor will be too. As a first review especially if there have not been any interim ones (30-60-90 day etc), you are still getting a feel for one another.

Good luck

 

[Senselessticker]

If your company has some kind of document which explains job descriptions, you may want to look it over to see if you are performing above/below the company expectations for your position (Engineer I perhaps?) However, its possible your boss has never seen the document!! Expect your boss to be honest with you concerning areas where you need improvement, but expect to receive praise in areas where you are strong.

Bare in mind that reviews are mostly intended to protect the company. If someone is screwing up, the review process is a means of documenting an employee's shortcomings such that the company has a documented reason to fire him/her.

 

[SomptingGuy]

Reviews normally have two parts: Reviewing performance against objectives; setting objectives to be reviewed next time. Since this is your first one, I think you'll find the second bit dominates.

 

[planedr]

Have a list of "successes" from last year. If need be ensure they get listed. Be sure to document everything beneficial that you can. Depending on the company but most set goals for next year, think what yours will be. Never feel pressured to sign them on the spot. You can acknowledge the review at a later date, with a suitable rebuttal if necesary.

Personally I have found reviews to be a crock for the most part. Far too little importance placed on an employees permanent work record. They are part of a legal documentation process. If dismissed casually they can and will be used against you later, even if they are just "marginal".

I had a Supervisor who never gave stellar reviews. He based his reviews on the "expectations" he had of the person. The company policy documentation allowed this to slip by. If he expected you to be a moron you could still get a good review.

Protect yourself. Cynical I know.

 

[JJPellin]

I had 10 supervisers in my first 12 years as an engineer and had many of these "first" performance reviews. I always prefer to go into them with two goals. First, I will be totally honest and humble. Second, I will do some work upfront to make my boss's job easier. This is especially true after I worked as a supervisor for a year and had to do reviews for 5 engineers. I prepare for the review as follows: Update your "roles and responsibilities" document if one exists. Make sure it describes what you actually do in your job. Prepare a list of your major accomplishments. Be very specific so your boss can verify any item if he/she chooses. Dig out any replies you have recieved from customers indicating their satisfaction with your work. Even if he was copied on these, he may not have saved them. (By "customer" I mean anyone inside or outside the company that you do work for.) Answer these questions: What do I feel I do well? (What are my strengths?) What do I need to improve at? (What are my weaknesses?) What are my short and long term career goals? (What would I like to be doing in 5 years or 10 years?) If you boss is well prepared, he will have answers to the first two questions from his experience or input from co-workers and customers. If his assessment of your performance is close to your own, be greatful and try to take any constructive criticism well. If your boss's assessment is totally off base and he does not understand your performance at all, start looking for a new job, assignment, transfer, etc. I had one boss in those first ten who was totally out of touch with my performance. All of his criticism was baseless. He did not see any of my strengths or accomplishments. I asked for a tranfer to another department and recieved it. He and I would have never been able to work together. But make sure you are being realistic. If he has input from customers, co-workers, subordinates that indicates you have a performance problem, you do. You are better off dealing with it and trying to improve rather that just running away.

 

[electricpete]

There are a lot of functions of the review process. An important aspect is two-way communication. An important aspect is: You should listen carefully to the feedback your boss provides you and ask questions about it so you can fully understand it and adjust as necessary to better meet his needs and expectations during the next review period.


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[Noway2]

In my experience, the review is a legal formality, as a previous poster pointed out.

Having been on both ends of the process, i.e. receiving reviews and giving them to others, one thing that I have learned is that they are generally not an appropriate place to make negative comments. The exception to this, is of course, if the comments are documenting a known and ongoing issue, but a review should not be the format where these 'issues' are brought to your attention.

In my first post graduate job, my supervisor complained in a review that the quantity of my work was insufficient. I took great offense to this statement as I was acheiving aproximately 50% more throughput than the other employees working on the same products in addition to spending almost 1/3 of my time providing technical phone support for the companies products. Needless to say, my opionion of the job and my supervisor went in the toilet. A few months later, I received a promotion to a different department where I worked for the best boss that I have ever had. When he gave me an outstanding review a few months later, I felt vindicated and wanted to show it to the previous supervisor with a "See Here: the problem is YOU not me", though I didn't. Knowing that the supervisor appreciated my efforts and was pleased by my results motivated me to work even harder where as receiving a 'poor' review created the opposite effect.

The memory of receiving an unexpected negative comment on that review, though, has stayed with me now for 10+ years.

 

[Ashereng]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet.

At a lot of companies, your review is a straight determinator of your raise. A good review leads to a good raise.



"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[Grouser]

Per Ashereng's comment, many companies use the review for salary evaluation. It is also your opportunity to request/suggest a promotion. Maybe not directly, depends on how your company does it, but while setting your performance goals for the next period. If you are performing at the higher level, you're more likely to get the promotion. You may also be able to maneuver your role into an area of the company you're more interested in.

Things to bring to the reviewer's attention are cost and time savings, efficiency improvements, waste reduction, quality improvement. These are desired by any business. Don't be afraid to ask your customers for an appreciation memo or letter so you can show them to the reviewer (or future prospective employer), as stated by a previous responder.

Be honest but cautious. Many supervisors are not at ease in performing the review. Someone who is not familiar with your function/role may do the interview. In either case, be prepared to list your accomplishments in a concise, straight-forward manner. Same for your goals.

Good luck.

 

[corus]

A review or appraisal is not an interview, you've already got the job. If the reviewer doesn't know what you've accomplished already then they're not doing their job. The person who does the review should be familiar with your role , ie. be the manager or supervisor immediately above you. If it's not then ask for someone who knows what you do.


corus

 

[electricpete]

I'm not very savvy when it comes to office politics.... BUT I think it's better to try to find subtle ways to make sure your boss knows about the good things you're doing all year long during casual conversation and email than to present a list of your accomplishments at one time. (Unless of course your boss asks for a list.)

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[SomptingGuy]

At a lot of companies, your review is a straight determinator of your raise. A good review leads to a good raise.

This may be true in some companies, but I find it highly unlikely that a 1-2 hour "performance" can change any raise you may earn. More likely your review may give you an indication of what raise to expect.

 

[heieup]

Definetly prepare beforehand. Ask the person holding your review what format it will take, if they will want any information from you etc. to make sure you are ready.

It is crucial for a good review to have a good idea, or a list of what you have accomplished during your 12 month tenure so far. Write it like you would to go into your CV using the key words e.g. accomplished, led, developed, managed, solved. Take a copy for yourself and your manager to the review for discussion.

I'd personally steer away from any suggestions to improve the company during the reveiw. As one other poster said, if you have such suggestions then these should be developed during your day to day work not listed at the end of the year.

But if you have ideas as to how to improve or expand your job, or particular projects you'd like to do alongside your existing work, then this shows willing and commitment and can only be good. You may not get them all ticked off but decent managers will appreciate a self motivated individual who has aspirations to improve themselves and the company.

Good luck, and don't forget to ask other people, it shouldn't be a secret what the meeting entails !