Three Deadly Mistakes to Make at Your Performance Appraisal

Usually if something goes wrong at the performance appraisal, it's not the employee's fault. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of management. But believe it or not, there are a few things the employee can do to contribute to heir own downfall that they may not even realize until after the deed is done. Here are a few things to keep in mind (and be wary of) at your next performance appraisal:

First, don't pay so much attention to the paperwork. If you let the bureaucratic process trip you up, you've lost the game before even taking a step into the meeting room. The entire point of these appraisals is to ensure the company and its employees are making steady progress and adequately handling the obstacles in their path, not to make sure you know how to fill out a form.

The next, and perhaps biggest, reason employees fail their performance appraisal is by not preparing enough ahead of time. By making sure you're prepared before heading into the meeting, you automatically lower your own anxiety level and take on an air of confidence that management will see immediately. By walking in unprepared you take on a more passive, not proactive, role in your review and leave yourself open for questions for which you have no answer. This won't help you look good in the eyes of your employer, nor will it be a helpful meeting for them to accurately assess your department's progress, resulting in a memory of a distasteful encounter with you.

Along the same lines as being unprepared, walking into the meeting with a defensive attitude spells disaster before you even set foot into the room. Every one of us likes to think we're doing the absolute best that we can at our job, and even the mere perception that someone is being critical of our efforts is enough to set us on edge. Whether that criticism is constructive or not doesn't even enter our minds. If you're automatically on the defensive at the appraisal, it's unrealistic to think that anything can be accomplished with that frame of mind. Of course, you should certainly feel free to express your own concerns and opinions, but it should be framed in the context of a professional discussion rather than the "us against them" mentality.

It's true that, for the most part, it's the management's responsibility to make sure the performance appraisal goes smoothly, but the employee also bears a certain obligation to come in prepared, confident and open for a serious discussion about the department's progress. Communication is important in such meetings, and making sure you do your part will go a long way in establishing a positive meeting.