Ten Questions to Ask
During Your Performance Review
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material on yourofficecoach.com
is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre.
All rights reserved.
May
be reproduced for non-commercial use with copyright and attribution to
www.yourofficecoach.com.
Commercial use requires permission: email
mmcintyre@yourofficecoach.com .
1.
“What do you think went well this year?”
Some managers are lousy
at expressing appreciation. If your boss is one of those, you may need
to ask for her positive views. Practically speaking, it’s also helpful
to know exactly what pleases your manager. (If the answer you get is
“Nothing”, then you might want to start looking for a better boss!)
2.
“What do you think I should do differently
next year?”
This is a much better
approach than asking what you did wrong in the past. If your boss is
uncomfortable giving critical feedback, this question will often help
you learn what he’s really thinking.
3.
“What could I do to improve my rating in
this area next year?”
If you get a low rating
on some particular objective or attribute, find out what you need to
change. Try to agree on specific things that you can do differently.
Understanding the change that’s desired by your boss is usually more
productive than arguing about the past. Unless your manager is more
flexible than most, you’re not likely to get that rating changed during
your review.
4.
“How could I be more helpful to other
people on the team?”
In most work groups, the
members are somewhat interdependent. Even if you have a great
relationship with your colleagues, your manager may see opportunities
for the team to be more collaborative. And just asking the question
sends the message that you aren’t only concerned with yourself.
5.
“What are your most important goals for the
coming year?”
Surveys have found that
most employees really don’t understand what their manager’s goals are.
If you know your boss’s priorities, then you can provide useful
information or assistance, which certainly won’t hurt your next
performance rating!
6.
“Is there anything I could do to make your
job easier?”
If you ask this
question, your boss might faint dead away, since very few employees
actually think about how to make life easier for their manager. Most of
us typically view this the other way around: how can my boss make life
easier for me?
7.
“How do you think our business is going to
change in the future? What challenges do we face?”
This question can help
you see how your own work fits into the bigger picture and provide a
heads up about future issues. It also sends the message that you are
thinking about things beyond your own daily work.
8.
“What new knowledge or skills do you think
I may need to develop?”
You need the answer to
this question to plan for your own professional development. Or, if
your job is changing in undesirable ways, you may need to rethink your
career plan.
9.
“What career opportunities do you see for
someone with my background?”
If you hope to develop a
career path in your current organization, you need to initiate that
discussion. Don’t wait for someone else to find an opportunity for you.
10.
“What’s the most difficult thing about
doing performance reviews?”
If your boss has no
sense of humor, forget this one! But otherwise, it might lead to an
interesting conversation.
You may also be interested in these topics .
. .
How to
Ask for a Raise
How to Prepare
for Your Performance Review
How to Respond to a
Bad Performance Review
Help!
It's Time for My First Performance Review
All
material on yourofficecoach.com
is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre.
All rights reserved.
May
be reproduced for non-commercial use with copyright and attribution to
www.yourofficecoach.com.
Commercial use requires permission: email
mmcintyre@yourofficecoach.com .
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