Top 3 mistakes employees make during performance reviews—and how to avoid them
Performance review season can be nerve-wracking, but there are a few ways employees can set themselves up for success.
According to career coach Sarah Baker Andrus, the best thing employees can do for themselves is to practice “emotion management.”
Remaining calm and engaged during the meeting will make a good impression, he says, but getting defensive or flustered will reflect poorly on you.
And, Andrus says, you’re probably not the only one feeling nervous. Many managers dread performance review season because “nobody wants to give someone negative feedback.”
The way you handle your performance review can “define your relationship with your supervisor” going forward, so it’s important to get it right, he says.
Here are some common performance review mistakes employees should avoid, according to Andrus.
walking unprepared
Andrus says employees should go into performance evaluations “thinking about what contributed to their success and what contributed to where they think they can do better.”
One mistake Andrus often sees is employees copying last year’s self-evaluation instead of writing a new evaluation.
“This sends a signal that you’re not committed growth and development,” he says. “This is a huge mistake.”
Andrus says employees should view self-evaluations as “a record of your performance that others will reference.”
That’s why it’s so important that you spend time thoroughly filling out your self-assessment and preparing materials, such as your brag sheet, before the meeting.
“It’s not just a piece of paper. Everyone hates doing it, but you have to take it seriously, otherwise you won’t take yourself seriously,” he says.
Reacting negatively to feedback
According to Andrus, if someone immediately starts arguing with feedback during a performance review, “it’s a big red flag.”
As an employee, “The important thing is that “React immediately,” he says.
Andrus acknowledges that it can be difficult to receive negative feedback — “I’m not saying you can’t be emotional, we all have emotions,” he says — but he recommends taking a deep breath before responding.
If you don’t accept criticism, Andrus says he likes to use language like “This is disappointing.”
Instead of starting a discussion, say, “I’m not sure I agree with that; do you want to continue the conversation later?” He suggests continuing.
It’s okay to disagree, he says, but reacting harshly “doesn’t help anyone” in this situation and could potentially damage your relationship with your manager.
I’m getting off topic
Another common mistake Andrus sees is that employees “bring up topics and issues that deserve their own meetings” during performance reviews, such as disagreements with co-workers or scheduling concerns.
In most cases “both sides of the table share responsibility” and say: managers They meet with their employees frequently enough to discuss any problems that arise.
“If we’re not meeting regularly, it’s easy for a staff member to come in during a performance review and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I finally got on your calendar. Here’s a list of other things I need to talk about,'” Andrus says.
Andrus advises his employees to focus on the issue at hand. Your performance review meeting is your chance to discuss professional goals and growth opportunities for the coming year, “and we have plenty of time for that,” he says.
That’s why it’s so important to “raise issues as they arise and not wait for a performance review,” he says.
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