Common Questions for a Performance Review

A performance review is a meeting that your manager schedules so that you can talk about how you’re doing at work. During this meeting, they will go over your strengths and weaknesses. This is a chance for them to give you praise while also discussing the things that you could improve. The purpose of a performance review is to ensure you and your manager are on the same page. Oftentimes, a performance review is also when employers will discuss giving you a raise.

Learn more: How to Ask for a Raise

Follow these steps to effectively answer employee evaluation questions:

Learn to relax

If you are feeling nervous about your performance review, don’t worry. Managers use them as a tool to facilitate open communication and goal building. Even if your performance has been lacking lately, it’s likely that your manager has some positive things to share too. This conversation gives you the opportunity to learn more about how you’re doing at work and what you can improve moving forward. Think of this as an exciting opportunity to learn and grow.

Prepare for common questions

Get to know common performance review questions prior to your meeting. This way, you can think of more meaningful answers that will make the conversation more productive. It’s quite common for managers to ask about your accomplishments, goals, and feelings toward work.

Try not to be defensive

While you want to explain yourself, try not to be defensive in your answers. It’s good to be open to constructive criticism and feedback. When your manager praises you, accept the compliment. Many people are used to deflecting praise, but it’s a good thing to let yourself feel confident. If your manager wants you to explain something, don’t make excuses for yourself. Instead, try to be honest about your feelings and what you hope to work on moving forward.

Learn more: How to Use the STAR Method

Here are some common questions for a performance review:

• Do you think your team collaborates well?
• What do you hope to accomplish this year?
• Would position would you like to move into here?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• What are your areas for improvement?
• What goals are you working on right now?
• Do you like our company culture? If not, what could be improved?
• Do you need any additional resources to perform your job efficiently?
• Is my feedback straightforward to you? What can I improve to help you understand it better?
• How do you prefer to receive recognition for your accomplishments?
• Do you have any questions or concerns for me?

Use these sample answers as your guide when preparing for your job review questions:

Example: How can I be a better manager?

Over the past two years of working here, I have really enjoyed having you as my manager. One thing that would benefit our team would be having access to more learning opportunities. I think we all would appreciate it if you gave us the option to attend seminars or enroll in educational courses. By having a chance to learn more, I would be able to grow more in my role and offer more value to the company. Even creating more training materials or having training sessions for us would be helpful.

Example: What is your greatest accomplishment here?

Last month, I increased my sales by 10%. I have never had that significant of an increase before, so this was a pretty big deal for me. My actual goal was to increase my sales by 5%, so I was surprised when I added up the numbers. Since exceeding my goal, I have had the motivation to be more ambitious with my sales efforts. I want to eventually be the top salesperson at this company.

Example: What professional challenges do you hope to overcome?

I find that I often have a hard time giving presentations. I have pretty bad stage fright, which makes me uncomfortable when getting up in front of coworkers or clients. I understand that being able to give quality presentations is an important part of my career. I’m hoping that you would have some advice or resources to help me overcome this challenge.

Example: If you could change one thing about your role, what would it be?

When I applied for this job, I thought I was going to be able to work with clients more than I do. I really enjoy meeting with people and going over project briefs. If there was anyway more of my job could include this, I would be even happier working here. I would be willing to shadow next week’s meeting if that is an option. I think I could add a lot of value to client meetings.

Example: Do you feel like you get enough support in your role?

Ever since we hired our interns, my workload has become so much more manageable. As long as we continue to have these roles filled, I do feel like I have plenty of support in my role. The only thing I would add is having these performance reviews more often. Although once a year suffices, I think most of us would appreciate it if we met twice a year. This way, we can make sure we are always on the same page and have a better idea of our performance.