Job Appraisal

[afcjan]

tomorrow when I go back to work I have got my appraisal, my job may depend on it, any tips on what to say or not say please....

[mushroom25]

what did you agree to at your last appraisal, and did you achieve it?

[legendis.god]

Be honest .

[im.legend]

afcja i wouldnt take ANY advise from legend. The guy runs a sex shop for sexually depraved spaniards

i rest my case

good luck with your appraisal !!!

[mushroom25]

obviously you need to "big up" your successes. but at the same time be very aware of areas where you might not have achieved because you're likely to be ambushed by questions on those. highlight situations where non-achievement was ouside your means, and how you have (or could have) circumvented them.

obviously you don't know what your appraiser is going to hit you with; try not to be just reactive, but don't lead with anything other than succeses, as the appraiser could begin to pick you apart.

appraisal shouldn't be about finding fault, but with rewarding the achiever. however in times of recession it's used by many companies as a tool for rooting out the under-performer. that's why our union persuaded our company to abandon appraisals some years ago.

[craft1948]

and if there are any negatives don't make excuses or argue. If they weren't highlighted in 1 to 1's ask why not but also ask for suggestions to improve your areas of weakness....

[saxy_jag]

An appraisal shouldn't be a situation whereby you have to justify your position with the company, nor should it be an opportunity for your manager to tell you all your faults. I used to think it was because this was always how mine turned out.

When I started working for my current employer, I was pleasantly surprised. I was given a crib sheet beforehand outlining what would be discussed - performance, achievements, areas for improvement, training needs etc etc. and my subsequent appraisals have always been preceded by my being given a copy of the notes from the previous one. I've also been pleasantly surprised when my boss has told me what she thinks I've done well, as well as where she feels I need to improve (with the result that we usually tend to agree on the latter).

So yes, afcjan, emphasise what you feel you've done well, but keep in mind what's not gone so well and be prepared to discuss that. It could simply be a matter of training. My biggest bugbear is that of time management, for instance. I'm not good at it. But we discuss this in appraisals and because my boss is aware of it she is tremendously supportive in my efforts to get it under control. Means we can work on the problem together without there being any worker/manager resentment. To me, that's the whole point of having regular appraisals.