Apedia

I Work Raise Great Percent People B Review

Front Performance Review Period

Listen to the Entire Lesson

A performance review period is a time when your manager reviews your work and tells you where you need to improve or where you have been doing well. Some smaller companies do not have a concrete review process. But large companies have a process in place. Some of them do a review two times a year, and some companies have a yearly review. Your review is sometimes dependent on how much raise you will get and sometimes even the bonus amount.

Because the review is different from company to company, I will use this lesson for sentences you need to say during the time you speak with your manager. I will not be going into the details and timeframe of the review.

If there is a process in place, then you probably have a template to write down your achievements over a certain time span. This is your chance to toot your own horn. So include everything you did and do not be modest. If you don't have a template to follow, then write down on a word document the achievements you made. It is also good to write down some places where you want to improve. Some people might think that telling your manager where you need to improve is basically admitting to having flaws, but great managers think a person who can identify their own problems and fix them are great employees.

Achievements

Everyone has certain responsibilities. You should use your responsibilities as a guide when you talk to your boss. The best way is to go through each responsibility and state how you successfully accomplished everything you were responsible for.

If you are a sales person, then the best metric is to use your sales number.

I have exceeded the average for all sales categories. I was in the top 3 for renewals, I was second in accessory sales, and the most in new services. Overall, I was the first in our store and third in the whole region."

If you are a computer engineer, then it will be a little different.

I finished all my assignments on time, I fixed the most amount of code errors, I did code reviews on numerous occasion, and I created a program that helped the installation process. This ultimately reduced the installation time by 40%."

Some General Statements

I feel I did a great job. I exceeded all my goals, and I made the most sales throughout the year."

I am very happy with my performance over the year. I completed all my projects and I even took on three additional assignments. I also helped the junior employees on a regular basis."

I'm happy with my results. The project I have been working on was a success. During the process, I managed to overcome all obstacles and finished on time. We have increased our revenue while decreasing cost."

I believe I am on track. This year I have learned a great deal. I am very familiar with all our tools and I even completed my first project successfully."

These are general sentences you can say, but if you have a list of accomplishments, you should say them one by one in a paragraph. But make sure you speak clearly and slow enough so the other person can keep up.

I have accomplished a great deal this year. I analyzed all monthly sales data, wrote up a thorough report for each one, I also created a process of submitting the report form that saved an hour for each report, I worked on four projects that were all successful, and I created a How-To document for new employees."

This is long, but it is actually very simple. All I am doing is stating each thing right after the other. You should make a list and basically say them all together. It's effective and short.

Self Improvement

If you are going to mention where you need improvement, it is very important to include how you are going to improve. This is similar to asking what is your weakness. If you mention a weakness, show them what steps you are taking to improve in that area. Finally, you must be certain it is ok to expose an area for improvement. I don't recommend doing this on your first review. After the first review, you will have a better idea if it will help to critique yourself.

I feel I need to be more technical. I realized how important it is to know different computer applications. In order to improve, I have researched some classes I can take, and I even bought a couple of books. In the next 3 months, I am going to concentrate on learning these new tools."

This is a good answer because it shows the manager that you are capable of finding your own faults. It also has a step by step process with a timeline on how you are going to improve.

Timeline is important because it shows that you are not going to procrastinate. If someone says, I'm going to read this book, you don't know when they are going to read it. It is much better when someone says they will read this book within 2 weeks.

Here is one more example.

An area I would like to improve is in planning. I plan all my work and I complete everything on time, but I feel if I do a better job at planning, I can be more efficient with my time. In order to work on this, I created a checklist of everything I should think about before starting a project. Using this checklist will make me think of potential obstacles that I wouldn't normally think about, verify that I am not forgetting something, and keep me on track to complete ahead of time. I am going to do this and see how much it improves my efficiency for the next 2 projects. Afterwards, I'll report how much it helped or didn't help."

Compensation

Reviews are another time period where you get a raise and a bonus. If you work in a large company, then it will be hard to complain and get something changed. But if you work in a small company, you can ask for a larger raise. However, you must be in a position where the company will suffer if you leave the company. If you are replaceable, then the company doesn't have to give you a good raise. Just in case you are in one of these situations, here are some example sentences.

If you know you did more than anybody else, then here is a statement you can make to your manager.

I have done more and better work than anybody else. I have learned everything on my own in the first three months without any training, and I have been a great employee. An 8 percent raise is not what I had in mind. I want a minimum 20 percent raise."

If they agree with you, then they might give you a larger raise, but they will question the 20 percent raise. You should know the average pay in your field and use that as ammunition.

I agree that you have performed well, but 20 percent is a large raise. Where did you get that number from?"

If you researched, then you can answer calmly with facts that your manager cannot disagree with.

I have researched the pay for 5 different companies for someone with my experience and skill set. On average, they are being paid 25 percent more than me. I don't expect to get paid more than the other people because this is a smaller company, but I should get what I deserve and that is at least 20 percent."

If you have to go on frequent business trips, then you can include that as well.

The average pay for workers who have to go on frequent business trips is significantly higher than what I am being paid. There is no overtime pay here and all the extra work is not compensated for. I feel it is fair to get a larger raise due to the amount of quality work I do and the frequent business trips required for this position."

Large companies have a process in place and most people will get a similar raise. If you get a small raise and you know you cannot fight for a larger raise, then you can at least ask what the average raise is.

A three percent raise barely covers inflation. What was the average raise throughout the company?"

Most of the time, the answer will be very similar to what you got.

I did very well this year and exceeded all my goals. Why am I only receiving a four percent raise?"

Sometimes even great employees will get a small raise in a large company. It might seem small, but if the company is struggling financially, they might not give anybody raises. Here is an example of what you might hear for the question above.

You actually got the maximum raise this year. Most of the people didn't get anything. Some people got a two percent raise. So you should actually be happy with your raise. The economy is down and the company needs to save money. They can't give large raises this year."

Performance Review - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.

1

Listen All  |   Person A  |   Person B

A: "It's that time of year again."
B: "Yeah. I always get nervous during this time."
A: "It shouldn't go too bad."
B: "So, how did I do this year?"
A: "Let me first ask you how you feel about your performance?"
B: "I think I improved a lot and made a lot of great contributions. I completed all my assignments ahead of schedule, I volunteered for two more extra projects, and mentored couple of our newer employees."
A: "I agree. You did great this year. I got your rating back from upper management and it's not bad, but it's not the best. You received a 3.5, a 4 percent raise, and an 8 percent bonus."
B: "I got a 3.5? Why? I was really expecting a 4 this year. I really worked hard."
A: "Unfortunately, we can't give everyone a 4. There were a lot of people who did great this year and we only had a few 4's to give. You barely missed the cut."
B: "What could I have done to get a 4? I thought I did everything to deserve one."
A: "I agree. I think you should have received a four, but the only thing I can suggest is for you to be more visible. The people who beat you this year didn't necessarily do better work than you, it's just that people knew the work they were doing more than yours. You need to stand out a little better."
B: "How do I do that? It doesn't make sense. If I work my ass off and I do great work, why does it matter if I show off or not?"
A: "If 3 people are equal in their work, the only deciding factor is how much of the work they know about. Since upper management cannot know the details of everything, they mainly see the people who are visible. You can do this by taking on projects that affect the whole team so everyone can see, or you can be pro-active in finding places for improvements and sending out a mail to management with your ideas."
B: "If I did a great job, why did I only get a 4 percent raise?"
A: "You got a high raise comparing to other people. The average raise throughout the company was 2 percent. They cut back a lot on raises due to the slow economy."
B: "I'm a little disappointed, I'll see you tomorrow."
A: "Ok. Think about what I said and we'll try to give you more assignments with more visibility."

Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.

Next card: I time company b leaving leave person work

Previous card: I office b person cubicle manager small sit

Up to card list: TalkEnglish Offline Package M4R4M