You are remarkable!

Yes, I’m talking to  you.  You are truly a remarkable individual.  Sometimes it takes someone else to remind you of this fact but it is still true.  Look at everything you have accomplished.  Now…all you need to do is stand up and shout to the world (or to those who make decisions regarding your salary and employment) what you have done.  Yep, you guessed it – it is mid-year performance evaluation time.  Time for you to remind your boss of everything you have done so far this year. 

Every time I have an evaluation, I am reminded of a situation over 12 years ago when I was working for a top accounting firm.  My main job was Executive Assistant to the Partner in Charge of the Accounting group but I was also the unofficial leader to the other administrative staff due to my role.  Aside from that, I also served as the back-up to the creative department and did a lot of work on proposals and internal communications.  I never made a big deal about letting my boss know all the special projects I was involved with or the many compliments I received from the other managers and staff regarding my performance.  I thought he knew what I was working on and knew how well I was performing.  Well, I was reminded by the HR Manager during a meeting that I needed to communicate these successes to my manager – a kind of “I DID IT!” mentality.  I learned that I had to be my own cheerleader and I had to take charge of my career because no one else was going to do it.  Years later that lead me to finally go back to school and obtain the degrees that I never thought I had the time to earn. Well, I DID IT! While I won’t tell you that it didn’t take a lot of time and effort – I was still able to do it. 

So if you are dreading your performance evaluation, here is my crack advice when it comes to preparing and attending that meeting:

1. Make a list of your accomplishments or special projects that you have been involved with during the year
2. If you have received kudos from others (in writing), bring copies of those as well
3. Be prepared to talk about what areas you need to improve (we can all improve somewhere)
4. Take feedback constructively
5. Review your goals for the year and make sure you are still on track to complete them
6. Think ahead and determine where you think you want to be in 5 years and start working towards that now.