Questions to Ask to Get the Most Out of Your Performance Review

Performance reviews offer a great opportunity to showcase your achievements, tell your manager about your strengths, highlight all the good work you’ve been doing, and more importantly, get valuable feedback for future performance. But only if you know how to ace it!

Which is where we come in, with the right questions you need to ask during the review so you’ll get all the answers you need for career development that really works. If you hardly get a chance to have regular one-on-ones with your manager or sit down with them to get a brain dump of feedback on how you’re doing, then your performance review is your best bet. Sure, it’s also a time for your manager to tell you exactly how you’re doing but you should also take the initiative to find out more rather than just sit, receive, and that’s it.

Use that performance review to your maximum advantage by coming prepared with questions. Not sure what to ask if this is your first review? Here are some tips from us.

“What do you think about my communication or leadership skills? What am I good at and what should I improve on?”
Hopefully, your manager gives you a rundown on what you’re good at and what you’re not. But if you want to get feedback on something specific, then you gotta ask. The question above is perfectly crafted for this and you can replace communication or leadership with something else that’s more specific to what you want to know about. Not only will the answer help you in your current role, but it gives you a good overview on what you’re good at and how you can take advantage of that… or on the flipside, what you may be missing in terms of skills and how you can work on it. Either way, it provides valuable insight straight from the boss and that’s feedback that really helps.

“Is there room for growth in our department? If so, what are the areas I should focus on?”
Everyone wants some form of career development. This question puts you in the right direction for that! If you plan to stay with your company for a while, you need to know if there’s room for you to grow. The answer from your manager will provide you insight into whether your manager thinks there’s room for growth not only for you but also for the team, be it more work, different clients and different scopes. Essentially, the answer should give you a picture of what the manager has planned for the team. And by knowing how you can prepare for this expansion, you’ll ensure that your growth will align with what your manager is looking for.

“What would make a good candidate for a promotion?”
OK, so you’re gunning for a promotion. But unless you know exactly what your manager is looking for, it will be like planning for something right off the bat. Why this question? Because it helps you understand exactly what you should do to achieve this goal! Your manager’s answer should include the things your manager wishes to see you improve on so you can at least be considered for a promotion. Perhaps she wants to see you take on a more leadership role or take on harder assignments to see if you’re ready for the next step. Your manager might also explain the company’s process for a promotion and what you can do to prepare for it. The answer you get from this question will steer you in the right direction for bigger roles, bigger responsibilities.

“What would you like to see from me in our next performance review?”
Take this as a KPI index that’s straight from your manager! In addition to figuring out what skills you should be working on after your performance review, the answer will ensure that you’re crystal clear on your manager’s expectations of you. After all, you don’t know if you’re hitting all these expectations if you don’t even know what they are in the first place! Make sure you work on this list together with your manager – talk about what’s needed and what would constitute as hitting them. When the next performance review comes along, you’ll have something to look back at together to evaluate how far you’ve come.

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash.