Annual reviews have a way of sneaking up, but there’s no excuse for failing to prepare for them. In the days and weeks (and months, if you’re super organized!) ahead of your review, you should start figuring out what you want to come out of it. Do you want a raise? A promotion? Do you have a problem you need to get off your chest, or some advice about a better way the company should be doing things? Now’s the perfect time.
A successful annual review doesn’t just mean walking away with the top rating by your manager (though that’s always nice). It’s about having a dialogue about where the company is going and how you fit into that. It’s a time for real discussion about where you want to go next.
Here’s some advice to keep in mind as you prepare.
1. Know your worth. Before you step into your annual review meeting, make sure to do your homework on what someone like you should be earning. Services like Comparably’s company ratings and salary tools are very beneficial for this, offering the market comps for your role given your location, education, years of experience, and company size. Don’t walk into your review without this information.
2. Get a read on the company’s financial performance. You may know your department’s priorities like the back of your hand, but how well do you know the priorities of the company overall? What areas of the business are growing? What areas of the business are shrinking? Are there major initiatives going around, and are you aware of them? How did the company perform last quarter? Before you sit down with your manager, get a sense of what’s going on in the broader organization. It may help you stand out among your peers and sends a signal to your boss that you’re interested in helping the company get where it wants to be.
3. Look back at your calendar and notes. This step is crucial — in the discussion with your manager, you want to be able to draw upon examples of areas where you succeeded/struggled over the course of the year. Look through your calendar — chances are good that a certain meeting or event will trigger some sort of point of discussion for you and your manager. Jot down a few notes and carry them with you into the meeting.
Related: How to Ask for a Raise
4. Familiarize yourself with your last review. How many of us get our reviews, stare at them for a day or two, and then put them into a desk drawer, forgetting they even exist? Too many. Make sure that you really get in touch with what your boss or manager said about you last year. If they said you needed to improve upon your listening skills, offer up ways that you did. If they said you needed to expand your professional network and get closer to a few people in high-ranking management positions, come up with some of the people you did indeed meet. You don’t want to go in blindly, half-forgetting what was even said about you a year ago.
5. Pick a good time. We don’t mean morning vs. afternoon vs. evening, though if you have a strong preference, go for it. We do mean picking a time that works for both you and your boss. If it’s in the middle of a crazy project, it’s going to feel shoved in and rushed. Look for a time where you’re either in the middle of a less stressful project or where you know things will be quieter. Your boss may just want to get you in and out of the meeting, but it’s to your benefit to leave room to ask questions and plot your development at the company.
