Sitting though a performance review can be a nerve wracking experience, especially if you don’t know what to expect. Nevertheless, performance reviews are intended to be a helpful tool for both you and your supervisor to discuss and review your performance as well as goals for the future. For that reason, it’s important to take your review seriously and ensure you have all the tools you need to make the most of the evaluation. To prepare for your upcoming end-of-year review, take a look at these four best practices:

Honestly evaluate your performance

It’s important to take a moment and think back on your work performance before going into your review. To do this, prepare a summary of your accomplishments and examples of areas where you think you need to make improvements. This way, you can have a strategic conversation with your supervisor about your performance and how you can best achieve your goals.

Plan next year’s professional goals before your meeting

That being said, year-end reviews are almost always concluded by discussing a plan of action for the upcoming year. Supervisors will generally suggest goals for you that they believe are in your best interest, but it’s also important to independently create goals for yourself. Reflect on your year and ask yourself questions such as:

• Did you master any new skills that you hope to further develop in the new year?
• Are there any areas of your performance that you believe you could improve? If so, how?
• What are your professional goals for the next year? How do you plan on reaching those?

By evaluating your goals, you’re communicating to your supervisor that you are invested in your own growth and are willing to put the work into being successful.

Handle the review professionally

While a year-end review is an evaluation of your performance, it’s also a chance to start a conversation about your career. Chances are, your supervisor will have a list of things you do very well and others that could use improvement, so it’s imperative to take your feedback professionally. Not everyone is perfect, so try to not be offended when offered a few areas in which you could improve upon; simply own it and vocalize a plan on how you’ll make changes in the upcoming year.

Verbally summarize your plan of action

Summarizing the feedback you’ve received is a great way to illustrate that you’ve taken the review seriously. The amount of ground covered and material discussed during a review can sometimes feel overwhelming, so recapping what you’ve taken away can help to eliminate any confusion surrounding your review.

The key to calming your nerves and gaining valuable insight from your review is to be ready for any type of feedback. Stay calm, take notes when needed, and be prepared to develop a plan with your supervisor to reach your future goals!