Truthfully, no one in Corporate America is ever really excited to complete their Mid-Year reviews. In fact, it’s a huge burden for most because they simply aren’t prepared for it. Perhaps the best approach for tackling your review would be to just do it! I find that I procrastinate more when I don’t understand the reason why a review like this even exists. In an effort to assist my peers, I decided to be proactive and learn what it is the company is trying to accomplish by having everyone complete this type of review.
There are several factors that the Mid-Year Review uses to assess your progress. Its goal is to measure your growth within your current position, and set goals for you to accomplish by the time your Year End review is due. This review requires you to list the metrics you are currently meeting, and to create a performance plan to improve the metrics you aren’t, before the year ends. In addition to discussing your metrics, be sure to inquire with your Manager what other skills they would like to see you displaying at this time. Make note of their suggestions, as you will be able to capitalize on this by adding these additional skill sets to your Year End Review. Be sure to list all of your accomplishments in your review, and any areas you see that you have potential to grow in.
Although it is likely that you will have a one on one with your Manager for this review, do remember that this is not the time to request a pay increase. This meeting is primarily going to be used to review what you have done so far, and provide tips and strategies on how you should be aligning yourself to meet or exceed your metrics. It is best to walk into the meeting with an open mind and prepared to accept feedback based on your performance thus far. Do not take the constructive criticism personally, as this is business and the bottom line is money. Ultimately, this meeting should be used as a tool to monitor your progress and increase your chances of getting a pay raise at the end of the year.
You want to remain one step ahead, so if you’re smart you will run your own reports to see where you stand to make improvements and call it out before your Manager does. This not only shows that you’re proactive, but your manager will be impressed with the fact that you took the initiative to do a self-assessment before they required you to complete the review.
