Job Performance Review Interview Questions And Answers

An annual performance review involves a formal discussion about an employee's development and performance. The review is a planning process. It involves setting a plan of action for the next period and reviewing what has been achieved in the last period.

Here are 4 steps to use performance review to get promoted:
☛ State your intent to be promoted
☛ Define and agree the specific end-goals
☛ Set intermediate goals
☛ Deliver like hell

You will need to achieve your promotion with your manager. You could also use your first appraisal to assess and measure your current position against these goals objectively, by using direct feedback from your appraiser, self-assessment and 360 degree feedback from your colleagues, superiors and subordinates (if you manage any.)

This is an important test, as you are seeking feedback that you are:
a) on the right path to be promoted to the role you desire.
b) the time frame in which you want to achieve it is realistic.
c) there is a genuine opportunity that a vacancy exists, or could exist, to be promoted into.

Now that you know how to get there with the agreement and support of your manager your plan, roll up your sleeves and deliver with gusto and verve. Do not let anything get in your way. If you are faced with a challenge you can not overcome by yourself, ask for guidance from your manager. Use your one on one meetings to make course corrections and to receive coaching towards your goals.

Set smart objectives with your manager that challenge you to build on or change the required behaviors, competencies and skills in stages. Set these throughout the whole Performance Review Period.

A little preparation before the review can give you the confidence you need to handle a potentially difficult conversation:
☛ Attitude is Key
☛ Prepare and Reflect
☛ Practice Makes Perfect
☛ The Future

Benefits of delivering perfectly:
☛ It makes the whole process as transparent as possible, reducing the possibilities of subjectivity and discretion.
☛ You have a clear set of goals and measures throughout your Performance Appraisal Period in order to achieve your promotion.
☛ It encourages your manager to nurture your development towards your promotion.
☛ It is motivating.

Review your achievements and failures during the past year and write a brief summary of each one. This forces you to focus on outcomes, rather than on extraneous details. When your boss asks you about these items, draw on your prepared summary.

It can be hard to maintain a positive attitude when your boss questions your work. Although you may feel angry, upset or defensive, keep those feelings to yourself. Keep in mind that the purpose of the performance review is to help you become an even better employee. Your supervisor uses questions as tools to help you think about what you could have done differently in situations or what you can do better in the future. Answer questions truthfully, and take ownership of your part in any problems during the past year. You may feel less nervous about the review if you compile a list of questions you think your boss might ask.

With the right strategies, it is possible to recover from the most brutal negative review or even capitalize on a positive one. Here are some steps to respond to a job performance review:
☛ Behaving During Your Review
☛ Responding to Your Review

Goals are usually discussed at the end of performance reviews. Be prepared for questions about your goals by writing a list of things you would like to learn in the coming year or skills you want to improve. Include the reasons you chose these specific goals.

For example:
You may want to take a database management class to improve your skills and reduce the time you spend addressing database issues. If you can provide a solid argument for how the class would improve your job performance, your boss might be more willing to approve the request.

No matter whether you are given lavish praise or scathing criticism, your supervisor will want to see that you are taking the process seriously. One great way to do this is to have a brief list of talking points prepared beforehand (either written down or memorized). No matter how bad things get, a smart boss will have respect for an employee that puts in the extra effort necessary to get as much as possible from their review.
☛ Two things you will definitely want to be ready to talk about are your biggest accomplishments and your biggest challenges, these topics of conversation can lead to valuable advice from your supervisor.

Most reviews are a back and forth dialog between an employee and a supervisor, rather than a simple one-way lecture. You will probably be expected to open up about your feelings about your job, your successes, your struggles and your working relationships with your other employees. For this reason, it is best to show up alert, well-rested and prepared to talk all about your job. Try to stay focused on the conversation during your review your review demands your full attention, so do not let yourself daydream or lose track of the proceedings.
☛ For people who naturally get nervous before performance reviews, it probably will not be hard to muster the energy necessary to give the appearance of being alert and focused. In these cases, however, you may want to take steps to ensure you are not too jittery, avoid coffee, take deep breaths and if you can, get plenty of exercise the day before to keep yourself relaxed.

Most supervisors love when their employees have positive or insightful ideas about how they fit into the company as a whole. All companies want to be as cost-efficient as possible, they are always looking for ways to keep their costs low and get the greatest possible use out of their existing assets. Thus, showing that the work you do plays a role in the company's continued success can help paint yourself as a valuable employee even if your job is not an extremely important one.
☛ This is something you will definitely want to bring up if you are being heavily criticized during your review, showing that you understand what you mean to the company can tell your supervisor that the poor behavior you are being criticized for is not a result of you not taking your duties seriously.

A job performance review is no place to be shy. Treat your review like a chance to be completely frank about any opinions you have about the job, whether they are positive or negative (without being rude, of course). This includes opinions about your pay, your working conditions, your coworkers and even your managers. You do not get this opportunity very often, normally, employees are expected to be much more guarded. Keep in mind, however, that the supervisor giving the review has the opportunity to be just as frank about you.
☛ If you are naturally shy or have a hard time talking about your closely held opinions, it can help to practice talking about these points beforehand with a close friend or a coworker you trust outside of work. You may also want to try body language-based confidence-boosting techniques, especially straightening your posture, talking slowly, looking the person you are talking to in the eye. These basic tricks can help you loosen up in a wide variety of stressful social situations, including those related to your job.

It can be stomach-churning to talk to a supervisor about problems you have with your job, especially if those problems have to do with their management style. However, since a performance review is likely one of the only times you will be directly asked about these things, it is an opportunity you will not usually want to pass up. Smart supervisors will appreciate polite criticism, they, too, have supervisors and they want to be able to demonstrate that they are doing everything they can to make their employees as happy and productive as possible.
☛ A positive performance review is an especially smart place to bring up things that are making your job harder. A supervisor who considers you a competent, valuable employee is much more likely to take your problems seriously than one who considers your work sub-par.

Here are a few steps to respond to critical job performance review:
☛ Consider your criticism objectively.
☛ Set reasonable goals for improvement.
☛ Get the help or training you need to improve.
☛ Look for opportunities to show your improvement.
☛ Keep the results of your review to yourself.
☛ Move forward.

Criticism is a very real possibility during your performance review. Nearly everyone has some aspect of their work that they can improve on, so try not to be offended or scared for your job security if you receive some gentle suggestions for improvement. Acknowledge the criticism and move on, do not lose your cool, even if you think your supervisor's criticisms are not particularly true.
☛ There is such a thing as criticism that is too harsh or personal for a job performance review. If, for instance, your supervisor insults you, makes inappropriate remarks about you, your family, or your personal life, or otherwise attacks you for something other than your work, hold your tongue during your review and contact your Human Resources department afterward to discuss your supervisor's behavior.

Once you have had a chance to calmly and objectively think about the criticism you have received, give yourself a few goals for improvement. These should be challenging, but completely within your grasp. Even more importantly, they should be sustainable the sorts of things you can achieve consistently. They should not be the sorts of things you can achieve once but will not be able to stick to this can leave you looking even worse than when you started.
☛ The best goals are ones with definite, quantifiable goals, not those focused on vague self-improvement. For instance, if you have been criticized for showing up late to work, it is much smarter to say to yourself, "I will go to bed at 11:00 PM and wake up at 7:00 AM every day so that I have plenty of time to make it to work," than it is to say, "I will try much harder to make it to work on time."

It is possible that the criticism you received during your review was a result of you simply not having the skills necessary to perform well in your job. If your supervisor did not lay out a path for you to get this training, contact the Human Resources Department and ask them for guidance.
☛ If your company is interested in grooming you for more responsibility, take your initial criticism as a hidden compliment, training is expensive and a sign that your company is invested in your growth with them.

Practice is the key to a confident delivery of your answers. Take a look at the list of questions you compiled and practice your response to each question. Ask a friend to critique your performance, or record yourself and listen to your answers. It is important that you answer each question completely and provide facts, figures or other information that back up your answer, if possible. Pay attention to your tone when you answer questions. Aim for a calm, positive tone, no matter what subject you discuss.

Example:
If your boss asks why you did not meet your sales goal for the second quarter, you can mention that supply shortages affected product deliveries during that quarter but that you put in extra time the remainder of the year and exceeded your yearly target. Supporting documents can be helpful when responding to questions. Magazine suggests that you bring a file of accolades and other proof of your accomplishments to the review.

It can be difficult, but try to keep a positive mood after a negative review. Being visibly sad or sullen on the job can reflect poorly on your work, making you look like an under-performer even if you are taking other steps to improve your output. It can also call unnecessary attention to yourself, prompting your coworkers to wonder or ask about your sudden change in mood. Since supervisors know that their employees' morale can affect the business's productivity, this can get you in even more trouble.