It’s Review Time!! Here are some tips that might help you.

Be Prepared
This sounds simple, yet many people fail to put in adequate preparation in order to have a successful review. Make sure you show up to your review with notes and talking points that will help you stay on track during the meeting.

Be Engaged
Your annual review is not simply a time for your manager to talk to you about your performance, this is a time for your voice to be heard. Bring examples of things that you worked on since your last review and how that made you a better employee. Showing your manager that you listened to what was hopefully constructive criticism the year before should go a long way to getting you where you want to be. Also, your review is a great time to talk to your manager about any training that you would like to receive in 2015.

Know Your Value
Hopefully over the past year you have kept metrics on your performance, make sure you know what they are and where you stack up against your peers. If you received any recognition awards or won any contests over the last year, make sure to have that information ready to go. Be sure to quantify anything that you have done from a bottom line standpoint (increased revenue, increased production, saved time or money, or decreased cost / overhead). There are many salary surveys and tools out there that you can turn to, be sure to utilize a few of them and see where you line up with the rest of your field.

Looking Ahead
Know where you want to be a year from now and have a plan to get there. Challenge your manager to help you understand what needs to be done in order to reach that threshold and take it upon yourself to get there.

Be Realistic
Set realistic goals relating to your salary, job responsibilities and job title. Perhaps your company had a great year, understand that this does not automatically lead to an above average salary increase for employees. If you are adding value to your company, that will be evident given that you have prepared correctly.

If you have any questions about any of this or simply want to chat about your upcoming review, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our seasoned recruiters.