Your Guide to Navigating Appraisal Season
As appraisal season rolls around once more, it might feel like just yesterday you were engaged in the same process. On the bright side, this is another opportunity for you to reflect on your achievements and plan for your future growth.
Here are strategies to help you prepare for a successful appraisal:
1. Own Your Narrative – Start an appraisal by sharing your perspective on your performance. Summarise the impact you have made, the challenges you faced, and what you learned in the process. If you provide this framework early, you will guide the discussion and make your accomplishments front and centre. This approach gives your manager time to consider aspects of your work they may not have fully appreciated. Remember always that this conversation is about you and your contributions.
2. Concrete & Measurable – Collect and collate measurable, quantifiable information before your appraisal to fully demonstrate your impact. Hopefully, you have recorded specifics throughout the year. Note that the language you use matters and affects how your achievement is noted. For example, sentences like “I improved the process” say very little. Instead, how about saying, “I streamlined the workflow, reducing completion time from X to under X hours.” It will make your achievements undeniable and memorable.
3. The Broad Perspective – It is crucial to demonstrate how your contributions align with and support the business’s priorities and outcomes, whether at the department level or company-wide. This strategic perspective not only showcases your value to the company but also illustrates your understanding of the bigger picture, positioning you as someone prepared for greater responsibility.
4. Professional Development – Do not conclude your appraisal without discussing your growth and development plans. Demonstrating initiative in your career progression reflects positively on your professionalism and ambition. Be clear about what you want to achieve, how you want to progress, the support you need and how your development benefits you and the organisation.
5. Feedback – Ideally, you have gathered personal feedback from those you have interacted with throughout the year. Share these with your manager.
Be receptive to your manager’s feedback and discuss actions. Remember, your manager may not be fully aware of a situation, so voice your thoughts. Try not to be sidetracked by some of the feedback others have given your manager about you, because not everyone who provides feedback is constructive or necessarily wants you to excel. 😉
6. Discuss Salary? Absolutely! – Your appraisal is an appropriate platform to discuss compensation. It is a professional negotiation, not a demand. Do your homework and have market data on salary ranges for your role and experience level. Have clear examples of your value and contributions, and specify the size of your financial request. For example: “Given my performance this year and the current market rate for this role, I would like to discuss a salary increase to “X”.
7. The End – Conclude your appraisal meeting by creating enthusiasm about what is ahead. Shift the focus from reflecting on the past year to setting actions and goals for the year ahead. Propose specific goals, express interest in stretch assignments, and ask your manager about what they hope to achieve with you in the following year.
This article is not personal advice. The information contained in this article has been designed for educational and informational purposes only and not for your specific circumstance. It is provided solely to enable you to make your own choices. No material in this article is a substitute for professional advice.
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