We understand that companies have to do them, and we may even look forward to them, as they’re our chance to get promoted. But, still, we get slapped with so-called constructive criticism, and we have to write extensive comments about everything we’ve done over the past six months to a year. Additionally, reviews are inevitably biased toward your most recent work since that’s freshest in people’s minds. To make the most of the review process, try the following tips. 1. Track Your Accomplishments as You Go If you’ve decided to e-mail your manager with your weekly progress, then great! You may not even need to do this at all. Otherwise, it may help to have an easily accessible file where you list your biggest accomplishments. When one task is more or less wrapped up, write up your review-ready blurb right then and there. You’ll be able to remember all the details, hardest parts, and lessons learned much better than you will after several months have passed. If you’ve been storing this file on your work computer and you leave the company, consider taking this file with you.
