Appraisals, Performance Review Systems or whatever they are called by your employer, are treated very differently from one organisation to another.

Some firms take appraisals seriously, fully utilising them to the benefit of both employer and employee. Other companies, however, view the whole process as nothing more than a ‘tick the box’ exercise.

Regardless of how your organisation views it, your end of year review can be an important part of your career development. Here are some ways in which you can use your appraisal to your advantage.

Find Out How You’re Doing

While you won’t know what your line manager is going to say word for word, your appraisal meeting shouldn’t have too many surprises. If you’ve been receiving regular performance updates, you should have a fair idea of how you are progressing.

However, different managers have different ideas about feedback and how often it’s delivered. So, if it isn’t always easy to pin your boss down during the course of the year, use the meeting to find out exactly how well your are performing and what he or she thinks of you.

Highlight any Concerns

Any good appraisal meeting should be a two-way street. So, while any positive or negative feedback should not be new to you, the same should apply to any issues you have.

However, sitting down with your manager is an opportunity to discuss any problems or worries you have in more depth. It’s also a chance to push for an answer on any concerns you have raised during the course of the year.

Use Supporting Evidence

As mentioned above, you should be kept up to date regarding how you are performing against any targets set for you. Being aware of your results during the year puts you in a far stronger position as your approach the meeting with your boss.

If you want to challenge your appraisal grading, ask for a pay rise or show that you are ready for more challenges or responsibility, you can back up your claims with cold hard facts.

Plan Your Career

While an appraisal is largely a review of the year just past, it is also about looking ahead. If you are interested in progressing within your organisation, use the process to your advantage.

You can agree with your manager on objectives or targets that you can help you to move forward. This could include training (online, in-house or external), secondments or additional tasks. Seeing a clear route to the career you want can be a real boost to your confidence and motivation.

Formalise Any Requests

How often have you asked your supervisor about going on a training course or being allowed to complete a specific task? They agree and tell you they’ll sort it…then nothing. Your request has gone in one ear and out of the other.

By raising any issues of this kind at your appraisal, the manager involved will not only be obliged to record what you have asked, they’ll also need to revisit it in twelve months’ time. And if you haven’t been granted what you asked for, you’ll be perfectly entitled to query why not.