Appraisals play an important role in taking our careers forward. But many of us look at it as just a way of getting more money and commit errors that not only affects the outcome of the meeting but sometimes an entire career.

Do not be emotional: Remember that the appraisal meeting is intended to figure out performance issues and find solutions. As such, even small failures are bound to be mentioned in the meeting. But getting emotional about them will only make matters worse. Analyze the situation and figure out what went wrong. Approach the problem with a positive attitude and take the feedback in a constructive way. Your supervisors will love you for your readiness to learn from mistake and positive attitude.

Do not argue: Arguing against negative feedback only shows the negative aspects of your personality. Instead of getting into arguments, try to find out where the negative feedback is coming from. Try to understand the reasons and cooperate with the reviewer to solve the issue. Take support, if required. It will not only help you find the source of problem but also get support to solve it successfully.

Focus on personalities: This is where too many people go wrong. For appraisals gone wrong, they believe that it was because of the personal bias of the reviewers. While to a certain extent, it may be correct, but not always so. There may have been some real issues that lead to it. Try to understand and fix the issues so that they never arise again. Moreover, if you keep your work perfect, no personal bias can ever affect you.

Do not blame others: If things have to go wrong, they will. If there was something wrong with your performance, accept it. Blaming others for things gone wrong creates a negative impression. People start thinking of you as a person to avoid because if things go wrong, you may just blame them for it. Instead, take responsibility for your actions and instead of blaming others, think about rectifying the errors so that they do not happen again.

Be prepared: Not being prepared for the appraisal meeting does not only create a negative impression, it can screw up your meeting too. Go fully prepared for the meeting. Cull out all the data that proves your achievements. Analyze and find out what went wrong and the reasons behind the errors. Think about suggestions and solutions that can solve the issues. Preparing well helps you get an idea about how the meeting will go and create a positive impression.

Although appraisal meetings got a lot to do with your career growth, there is much more to it than meets the eye. An ideal appraisal aims at identifying achievements, strengths and weaknesses. It is more about performance management than just compensation revision. Look at it as a method of improving your performance and success will automatically come your way.

Thanks & Regards,

jitendra