Tips to Prepare for Your Performance Review

Gather information

Review your job description and the goals, competencies and development plans from your last appraisal. Use these to prepare details on your accomplishments, strengths and areas for development. Take some time to recall performance highlights and milestones, as well as any challenges from the past year.

It can also be helpful to review your last appraisal, and the feedback and ratings you were given then. This can give you a sense of how you've grown and developed over the last cycle.

Review your performance journal notes

If you've made notes in a journal, planner or in Cornerstone of your performance, take time to review them. Notice any trends or recurring themes that reveal things like:

  • Particular strengths
  • Challenging people or situations
  • Knowledge or skills you need to develop
  • Projects or work you really enjoyed

If you didn't keep a journal, start one today. It can be helpful for a few reasons:

  • Keeping a record of your activities, accomplishments, successes and challenges as they happen can help you capture details while they're fresh in your mind.
  • Having this detail at hand will help both you and your manager. You'll get a broader and more objective view of your performance over the entire cycle. And it can help avoid being biased by recent events.
  • It will make the preparation for your next evaluation faster and easier.

Prepare a list of your accomplishments

With all this information, you're ready to prepare a list of your accomplishments. As you do, it's important to relate them to your goals and higher-level organizational goals. Make sure you capture the "how" not just "what" you accomplished, but keep it brief.

  • Look at performance over the whole review period. 
  • Identify any challenges that limited your abilities to succeed, and any support you received from others.
  • Gather any letters, emails, certificates of recognition, awards, etc. that document your performance.
  • Gather any written communications that identify challenges or problems with knowledge and performance.
  • Make note of any training or development activities you completed.

Think of this as an opportunity to let your light shine. It's OK to brag a little. Your manager may not be aware of all the great things you've done, especially the many small things that can really add up and make a difference.

You can use this information as background for your discussion with your manager during your performance meeting. You could also submit it to your manager before your review to help them in their preparation.

Do a self-evaluation

Complete a self-evaluation using the performance plan set up for you at the beginning of the cycle.  Go through each competency and goal listed, and rate your performance. Be honest in your ratings and your review. The goal of this exercise is not to campaign for good ratings, but rather to share your perception of your performance with your manager before your meeting.

You can use the details from your list of accomplishments and journal notes to provide summaries of your goal performance. List or cite specific examples of your work to back up your ratings.

Ideally, you should share your self-evaluation with your manager before your meeting. It will help them prepare and flag any differences in perception in advance.

Prepare a list of areas for development

As you prepare for your evaluation, identify any areas where you felt you struggled. Or take note of where others may have mentioned your performance lacked. Also, identify areas where you would like to expand your skills, experience and expertise or share them with others as part of your career growth and progression.

Be honest about your struggles. When you meet with your manager, ask for coaching, mentoring, training or other support to develop, improve or be more successful. No one is perfect. Everyone should be continually learning and developing.

You should also think about your career plans, and be prepared to talk to your manager about them. What skills, knowledge or experience do you need to develop to help you achieve these goals?

Prepare an open mind

Often we come to our performance meeting with our manager feeling a bit defensive. We may be bracing ourselves to hear criticism, or jockeying for ratings/positioning that affect our compensation and advancement.

Unfortunately, when we're defensive, we don't listen very well. Prepare for your performance meeting by trying to relax and let go of any defensiveness. Your goal should be to listen deeply to the feedback your manager provides you.

Recommended resource

Got five minutes? Check out a short video on gathering information for your evaluation through LinkedIn Learning. 

  1. Login to your 
  2. Open the CU Resources dropdown menu
  3. Click Training
  4. Click the LinkedIn Learning tile
  5. Search course: The Future of Performance Management
    1. Video: Self-driven performance management