Each year, we go through annual performance reviews.
We prepare by looking at all the great things that we’ve done and note examples of situations so that we can share them with our superiors and showcase how much of an asset we are for the company, how we definitely deserve more than just a merit increase, and maybe how we’re ready for the next step.
A huge part of employee annual reviews is selling ourselves to the company. For some part, self-reflection also happens. We ask ourselves, “How can I get better?” These performance evaluations are helpful and important for professional development. But we must also remember that this employer-employee connection is mutualistic – a give-and-take relationship. It is also important for you to do an annual review of your job.
At the end of the year, evaluate whether your job is still the right one for you or not.
Often, we fall into the day-to-day routine and keep going. We chose to get into this position, we’re lucky to have this job and we choose to stay without much thinking.
Sometimes, the job is lucky to have you. Your connection to your role requires reciprocity. You do your work and you get a paycheck. But is that all that you look for in a job?
You can assess your current position and see if the time and effort you’re spending every day is giving you a return that’s worth all that. It’s important to make sure that there’s a balance and a mutual benefit there.
It’s not an easy thing, but it’s an important thing to make sure that you’re thriving, do an annual review of your job.
So, I’m gonna share with you how you can do an annual review of your job. Maybe you should even do it twice a year. It starts with asking the four questions to get you clarity.
💭 What do you want more of?
💭 What do you want less of?
💭 What is going well?
💭 What isn’t going well?
These are the 4 basic questions to ask yourself for each one of these categories:
🧐 The Company
Start with the 4 basic questions above and other areas will come up.
You can go through the company culture and values, the opportunities for growth and learning, the security and stability your company provides.
Are the company’s vision and values aligned with yours?
🧐 Your Boss
Having a great boss is like winning the lottery. They can make your work experience wonderful. It’s really important to make sure that your boss is delivering the things that you need, so you can, not only survive but also, thrive at work.
Your boss should be setting you up for success. So ask yourself the 4 questions about your boss.
🧐 Your Colleagues
Ask the same questions for your colleagues. These are your peers, co-workers that don’t necessarily report to you. Are your working relationships going well? Do you want to get to know them better and build your network?
🧐 Your Team
Start the same 4 questions for your team and use the answers to improve your team communication, relationship, productivity, and overall teamwork. Having an amazing, supportive team greatly impacts your work experience.
🧐 Your Role
Ask the same questions about the actual work that you do every day. What do you want to do more of? Which tasks don’t you particularly enjoy?
The answers to these 4 questions will help you gauge if this is still the right role for you.
Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, take some time to think about how you can make a plan to move things in a better direction.
Are you empowered to improve your situation?
Now, you might think that everything is actually great and on the right path. That’s awesome! You can also go and say, “For the most part, things are really good, but there are these other things that I like to see change.” Or you might go, “Yeah, there is a lot of improvement needed here.”
Whichever of those three scenarios you are in, you have to ask yourself whether or not you’re empowered to drive improvement. It doesn’t mean you do it by yourself. You’re going to have to have conversations and work together to come up with a plan to make it better.
Do you have the support of your boss, your colleagues, and your team? Once you have the answer to that, you’ll know whether or not it’s still a good fit for you to be in this role.
The next thing that you need to do is to take a look at what’s happening outside.
What might your options be outside of your company?
This is important because it will either affirm your decision to stay with your company or give you the confidence to move on and look for something else. Either way, you win.
Looking outside and understanding your options helps you say, “Yes, you know, this is the right place for me to be and I’m excited to be here.” Or it can give you the confidence to say, “This is not the best option for me, there are better options out there. And I feel confident now in exploring them.”
There are two ways to do this.
1️⃣ Reach out to recruiters or headhunters.
They know what’s out in the marketplace. They know what the salaries are, what job requirements are, they know what company cultures are. You can reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn and say, “Hey, I’m in this field and I’m just wondering what’s out there right now? It’s exploratory. I’m not necessarily planning on leaving, I just want to know what is out in the world.”
They will most likely respond and entertain these questions.
2️⃣ Leverage your network.
Reach out to your friends who work at other companies and just ask them, “What’s it like at your company for the role that I do? Any idea what those people make? Any idea what you know the day-to-day work looks like?”
You can ask these questions to people that you know who work at other companies. It gives you insight into what your options are. And it’s always good to know your options.
Leverage your network.
Take Action
Now that you know how to do an annual review of your job, I need you to take action.
You don’t have to do the annual review of your job right now. This does take time. What you can do right now is go into your phone, open up your calendar and block 90 minutes for you to do this annual review.
Set it BEFORE your annual review, so that you can be informed and feel good about whether or not you want to choose to stay with your employer or choose something else.
It’s not an easy thing, but it’s an important thing to make sure that you’re thriving, do an annual review of your job.
P.S. If you want more tips on taking control of your career and if you’re ready to take a step to thriving as a working mom, book a consultation call for my Career Ownership VIP Day here.
