How To Survive A Bad Performance Review (And Move To Your Dream Career)
So you got your yearly performance review, and it was anything but stellar? Congratulations. You're not doomed to remain in a career that you despise for the foreseeable future. It's time to get your priorities straight, take action, and move on to a job that fulfills you.
In this post, we'll cover what you should do when (not if) performance reviews go bad.
If you're in an industry with performance review systems, you've probably been evaluated at some point or another. Whether it was a yearly review at work, or a more rigorous assessment conducted by your boss every month, you'll have to face the music on occasion.
Despite the fact that most managers and supervisors like to keep track of worker-to-supervisor ratios, there's no reason to fear feedback from them when they don't come across as glowing as they could. Most of us can handle honest feedback from a superior without falling to pieces.
But let's say that you're like me, and your performance review was anything but positive. Let's explore some ideas for what happens when you get a negative review:
Step 1 - Reflect on Your Review
Reflecting on the performance review involves thinking about the different aspects of your job that you might be getting dinged on. Do you work too slowly? Are your skills lacking in any way? Did they just not like your attitude? Think hard about what they actually said to you, or have them reiterate it.
Step 2 - Figure Out What's Wrong
Once you've got a solid list of all the things that are wrong with your work, it's time to reflect on where you're going wrong. Perhaps you're spending too much time socializing at the office, or not finishing your deadlines on time. Maybe your coworkers don't like you and it's affecting how they treat you.
For example, if I were in this situation, I'd probably think about how my job performance is suffering because I'm spending so much time using social media and trolling the Internet (which is what I'm doing right now).
Step 3 - Fix the Problem
The final piece of this puzzle is to decide that you're going to fix the problem. If you're spending too much time on the Internet, it's high time to change your ways. If you've been using social media at work, delete those apps and find something new to do with your life.
If your coworkers don't like you, consider whether or not they might be right. Are you making a good impression on them? You may have to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself about what they're saying.
Step 4 - Prepare Yourself For Rejection
When getting a performance review, you're probably expecting to be given some constructive feedback. Maybe they'll tell you that you need to lose weight, or stop spending all your time on the Internet. You should prepare yourself for less-than-favorable feedback however. Perhaps you'll be told that you have some skills in a different department than what you've been doing. Or maybe your boss will tell you that he's going to give this whole performance review thing up entirely and hand it off to another employee.
This can be rough, but it's something that you'll have to prepare for.
Step 5 - Take It in, And Move On
Once you've figured out what went wrong, and how to fix it, you're ready to move on. Whether or not your boss was actually willing to listen, or decided that he likes the sound of his own voice too much, ask him how you could get yourself into a better situation. Maybe they can't afford to compensate you as well as they would like right now. Keep looking within yourself and figure out where the problem is that needs fixing.
Perhaps you're looking for a new job and have been searching online for one. If your boss has given you a positive review, and you've determined that the problem is that your performance is suffering from being on the Internet too much, take advantage of it.
Step 6 - Get Excited!
You've come this far! You did it. You stayed strong and got through a bad performance review and are ready to move on to your next job. Before you do this, however, make sure you finish things up at work first. For example, perhaps your last day at work is right around the corner.
If you're working in an industry that has a performance review system, my suggestion would be acting now while it's still early in the game. Don't wait until it's too late and your boss is stuck with someone who's underperforming.
Step 7 - Look Inwards & Start Working On Yourself
The worst thing that you can do is keep putting yourself down. It will only serve to reinforce the negativity that you already have within yourself and make things worse for you. The best thing about this whole process is that you are in control of how much damage you do to yourself without any guidance from your employer.
Are you moving forward in your career, or is it time to find new opportunities elsewhere? There's no shame in looking for new opportunities. Your boss can say whatever he wants about your performance, but there are other jobs out there that might be a better fit for you.
Step 8 - Look For the Good in Everything
When the worst happens and someone tells you that they don't like the way that you work, don't let it get to you. It can be tough to hear sometimes, but just remind yourself that they're trying to help you. They aren't doing this because they want your life to be worse than it currently is.
If this all sounds like it's too much to handle what you should do is look for the good in everything. Maybe you can get a new job, or perhaps your performance review isn't as bad as you thought.
Regardless of where you go from here, take time to reflect on where you're at and what you have learned from this experience.
And remember, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to performing well on your performance review. It's just an opportunity for someone in a managerial role to give some feedback and let you know how they feel about your performance.
Conclusion
Do you have any job performance review tips? Any experience with performance reviews that you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image Source: Flickr Creative Commons by Andrés Nieto
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