It’s hard to like performance appraisals, whether they’re the traditional type or the 360-degree version. At one extreme, they’re an annual ritual at which bosses or their nominees list a litany of your flaws and then send you away to reduce or eliminate them. At the other extreme, however, they’re a wonderful opportunity to discuss openly your job performance with your boss. If you show some initiative, you’ll get a great deal from an appraisal interview, as the following points in our eight-page e-Topic: How to prepared for your own performance appraisal will reveal…

1. Become a participant rather than a target.
2. Talk to others about their interviews.
3. Be prepared to assert your position.
4. Get your documentation right.
5. Rehearse.
6. Confirm the interview.
7. And finally…

The e-Topic elaborates upon those strategies and concludes with a wealth of useful hints, advice, anecdotes and inspiration to help the reader better understand and implement the core material presented.

Do you want a brief fragment from the wealth of practical information in this e-Topic?
“Documentation to support your case is important. It should include a variety of data, supported by examples wherever possible, that will help you to lead the discussion and respond to any queries. If salary increases are linked to performance appraisals, your prepared argument and supporting evidence should lead to acknowledgement of your worth. The effort that goes into your preparation may help make your job secure; and the accumulated data will serve as a valuable addition to your résumé and portfolio in interviews for further promotions…”

Simple, step-by-step solutions to your management problems and issues – that’s the aim of our e-Topics series. For busy managers, it’s literally management2go!