Everyone has some apprehension about appraisal’s no matter what level you are within the company. How do you tell the appraiser about your performance for the period without sounding arrogant, or totally demeaning all the hard work you have done.

Dependant on the process used by your organisation you would normally have a personal development plan which should have all your objectives for the year(s) and how you are going to achieve them. This is then usually reviewed on a six monthly/yearly basis.

If you are being asked to put your thoughts down on paper before the meeting I would personally ask your boss how he plans to use this information. I have known several bosses who have then used this to get out of the task of thinking about the review and using their own thoughts on your performance.  It is always useful for you to write down your thoughts anyway as a discussion point for when you formally meet and will keep you focussed on what you have achieved and what support you need.

So it’s the day of your appraisal what do you need to do to have a successful appraisal?

  • Shout about your achievements, but be clear that they are your achievements and not someone else’s. Say how you have improved the business or the department. For example you may have introduced a new process that enables people to log their time more effectively. So you could show the process and show which departments have been able to identify constant ‘late arrivals’ to work.
  • We all make mistakes and you should acknowledge these. However be careful how you communicate this in your appraisal. You don’t want to say I am no good at using the database. You should maybe consider saying, I need to work on my use of the database and this training I have identified should help me in this area.
  • If you need training highlight this in your appraisal it could be training to help you do your job more effectively, or to help you move up the career ladder. If you don’t ask you won’t get!
  • Don’t blame others for work you are unable to do in your review. Your review is about you and if you experience issues with colleagues this needs to be addressed before your review and not in it. Remember it is your review.

When it comes to your appraisal nothing should be a surprise it should be a summary of your work to date also looking at the year ahead. Any issues should be resolved in regular 1;1’s with your boss or line manager.

Follow the above hints and tips and you should have a successful appraisal.