Ah, December. The month of Christmas parties, annual bonuses, and office Secret Santa – truly magical.
Or a bit stressful if you are preparing for your annual performance review.
Hey, just joking. You got this!
Here are three tips to inspire you to prepare for your annual reviews:
1. What have been your key achievements this year?
Forget the day-to-day tasks. Focus on the high-impact tasks/ projects where you made the most significant contributions. Use the CAR method to frame your accomplishments and remember them easily:
- Context: What was the situation / task ?
- Action: What specific steps did you take? i.e. What did you do?
- Result: What measurable outcomes did you achieve?
Example:
Context: Led a project to improve the company’s onboarding process.
Action: Developed a new training module that reduced onboarding time by 30%.
Result: Saved 200 hours annually, improving employee retention by 15%.
Pro Tip for Senior Executives: Align your achievements with the company’s strategic goals. Demonstrate how your work directly contributed to organisational success, such as revenue growth, cost reduction, or market expansion.
2. What soft and technical skills have you developed during the year?
Your review isn’t just about what you’ve done—it’s also about how you’ve grown. Think of skills you have developed throughout the year. Consider both technical and soft skills:
- Technical Skills: Did you complete a course or gain expertise in a new tool or regulation?
- Soft Skills: Have you improved in leadership, conflict resolution, or time management?
Example:
Attended a workshop on regulatory compliance and applied the knowledge to improve internal audit processes, ensuring continuous compliance with new standards.
Or:
Managed a challenging client relationship, strengthening your conflict resolution skills and resulting in a renewed contract worth X amount for the business.
These examples showcase continuous improvement and demonstrate your personal and professional development commitment.
3. Look at the next year: what would you like to learn? How would you like to develop?
A great review isn’t just retrospective—it’s forward-looking. Identify areas where you want to grow and tie those aspirations to the company’s objectives. Show how investing in your development will bring value to the business, the team , and yourself.
Example:
Goal: Develop financial modelling skills to enhance strategic forecasting.
Value: By mastering this skill, you’ll be able to assist senior leadership with financial analysis, freeing up their time for high-level decision-making.
Action: Propose on-the-job learning opportunities or request support for an external course.
Did not meet all your KPIs?
If you’ve fallen short on some KPIs, don’t panic. Instead:
- Acknowledge the shortfall honestly.
- Analyse the cause—what factors contributed to the gap?
- Propose corrective action—explain what steps you’ll take to improve.
- Identify support needs—whether it’s additional resources, training, or mentoring.
Approach your annual review as an opportunity to show your contributions, growth, and future aspirations.
Be strategic, intentional, and proactive.
You’ve got this!
Hello there! Thanks for reading so far. I am Fran, founder, headhunter & talent advisor of FM Search .
Why work with me if you are looking for a job?
You don’t. You work with me when you’re looking to build up your career.
I evaluate jobs career context, meaning that the focus is on creating value add, long term development and professional satisfaction.
If you would like to talk more connect with me on Linkedin here or e-mail fran@fmsearch.eu to set up a meeting.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice .
