Performance reviews are precarious for both the employee and the supervisor. Employees work hard and want to get accurate acknowledgement and compensation for it. Unfortunately, not all supervisors are good at giving feedback and can feel avoidant because they fear the employee’s response. Make it easier on yourself this year by following these five ways to get a better performance review and ask for a higher year-end bonus.

Start as soon as you get hired. Make sure you know exactly what your job description says you were hired to do. If anything is unclear, seek clarification. Ask to see the annual evaluation tool that will be utilised and any performance metrics the company looks for so that you can target these metrics (e.g., increased revenue, client referrals, increased process efficiency, etc.). When it comes time for the evaluation and any salary negotiations, you will want to speak specifically to your contribution on these metrics. If there is no official evaluation tool or review structure, ask your supervisor to look over the job description with you and define how much weight or value each item carries when it is evaluation or raise time. Collaborate with your supervisor on specific achievable goals. Put them in writing so that you can bring them out at the annual evaluation and show your progress and success.

Keep track as you go along. Do not expect that your supervisor is paying close attention to your daily efforts or that your successes from ten months ago will be remembered at review time. Keep a log of weekly or monthly performance highlights as the year progresses. Simply note things on your calendar or in a document on your desktop or phone. If you forget to do this, when evaluation time rolls around, scroll back through your sent email folder and take a look at what you successfully attended to and handled. Whenever possible, try to describe your achievements in numbers to provide verifiable proof of your worth to the company (e.g. new customers or investors, cost-savings, contribution to company vision, awards received). This will help when you ask for a raise. Note: throughout the year, regularly check the initial goals you made with your supervisor and assess your progress no less than monthly. If you are not making progress on your goals, absolutely ask for support or additional guidance with them.

Ask for feedback throughout the year. Many new employees receive a 90-day review after hire. If your employer does not do this, ask for one. Seek candid feedback at this early stage about how you are doing and what rating you would receive if the annual evaluation was completed that day. Make it easy on your employer by asking for feedback often and responding openly and positively to their honesty. Avoid defensiveness or justifications. When appropriate, calmly address any misperceptions they may have by offering clear data to more accurately illustrate your performance. If you are comfortable, ask your peers and customers for feedback too. This extra insight will boost your ability to receive high evaluation marks and the raise you deserve.

Prepare for the evaluation meeting. It should be just that: a meeting. In person. Not an email with your evaluation attached, not an assessment in your in-box asking you to sign. This should be an in-person conversation so that you can represent yourself and make your case. Firmly request the face-to-face even if you have to push hard for it. Complete the annual self-evaluation ahead of time and offer to share that with your supervisor in advance. This can relieve any worry the supervisor has about telling you unexpected feedback. If you write it well and include the specific examples you gathered throughout the year, it will be easier to get the score you are anticipating. Make sure you clearly understand any criteria that exist for receiving a raise or bonus and speak specifically about your success on these measures.

Be mindful of your presence. Your goal in the evaluation meeting is to communicate and present yourself in a way that will make your supervisor want to rate you highly and give you a reward. Try to set the meeting at a time that your boss is typically in a good mood and when you have the most mental acuity to represent yourself. Minimise emotional reasoning such as “I really care about the work I do” and focus on facts and data that can be provided to upper management to justify your raise or bonus such as, “I invested several extra hours one weekend with Ms. Jones to resolve this difficult issue and then received three new client referrals from her.” Attend to your body language: have steady eye contact, sit up straight, lean slightly forward, and keep your hands visible and avoid fidgeting.

Performance reviews carry a lot of weight, emotionally and monetarily. Follow these tips and you will position yourself for a positive outcome on both measures.

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5 Ways to Get a Better Performance Review and Ask for a Higher Year-End Bonus