Provisional Blog

As one of Coeur d’Alene’s top employment agencies, we know that there are some people in this world that actually look forward to performance reviews. These are the same people who enjoy going to the dentist and proofreading Chinese food menus.

However, if you’re like most people, you fall into the former category, not the latter – and prepping for a performance review can be stressful.

But rather than dreading your review, look at it an opportunity to improve performance and strengthen your position within the company. Here’s how:

Keep an open mind.

Even if you’ve done a great job, you’re not perfect. Therefore, your boss will probably have some constructive feedback to offer you. If he or she does, take it with an open mind. Don’t get defensive and dismissive. Instead, view it as an opportunity to shore up your weaknesses and build on your successes in the future.

Prove your worth.

Before your performance review, put together a summary of accomplishments and goals you’ve met throughout the year. Give specific, concrete examples of how you’ve contributed in a positive way to your company. Toot your own horn a little bit. Your boss may not know about every piece of positive client feedback you’ve gotten, or an instance when you put out a fire with some quick thinking, so now’s the time to show how you’ve gone above and beyond.

Demonstrate growth.

If in your last performance review, your boss pointed out a weak spot, then be prepared to show how you’ve overcome it throughout the course of the year.

Be proactive.

If you know areas where you need to improve, then develop a plan for how to overcome those issues and meet expectations before you go into the meeting. Your boss will be impressed with your proactive nature and likely relieved that you’re already aware of your weaknesses.

Avoid nasty surprises.

As one of Coeur d’Alene’s top employment agencies, we know there’s nothing worse than going into a performance review thinking it will be a positive experience, and then walking away stunned due to all the negative feedback your boss gave you.

To avoid this kind of situation, seek input from your boss throughout the year. Check in with him or her periodically; offer a status report on your progress and ask for thoughts or feedback. Use that as a guide to address – and hopefully overcome – any shortcomings before your performance review.

After your job interview, all you have to do is sit back and wait for the telephone to ring, right? If that’s what you think, then you’re sadly mistaken. The period after a job interview is critical – and can truly set you apart from the other Coeur d’Alene job candidates, if you handle it right.

Here are some action steps you should take after the interview:

Action Step #1: Make notes.

Write down the details of how the interview went. Also, write down some of the positive areas you can reinforce in your thank you note.

Action Step #2: Send a thank you note.

Many times, candidates don’t think they need to send a note if the interview went well. But that’s simply not true. The post interview thank you note provides you with an opportunity to thank the hiring manager (a little apple polishing never hurt!) and to reiterate why you’d be a good fit for the position. If you don’t send a thank you note, you’ll miss out on this additional opportunity to sell yourself.

With that said, when writing a thank you note, make sure it’s short a sweet. Hiring managers are busy people and a long and windy note will annoy them.

Action Step #3: Alert your references.

Contact any references you gave to the hiring manager. Give your references some information about the particular job and the company. You may even want to ask your references to contact you once the hiring manager gets in touch with them to find out how the conversation went. If a reference is contacted, make sure you send along a thank you note letting them know how much you appreciate their time and support.

Action Step #4: Follow up, but don’t harass.

If the hiring manager doesn’t get back to you within the specified time period, it’s perfectly acceptable to contact them in order to inquire about the status of your application. Simply thank them again for the opportunity to interview and then ask when a decision will likely be made. Be professional, though. Don’t flood the hiring manager with voice mails and emails.

Action Step #5: Continue your job search.

Even if you think you’re a shoo in for the position, keep looking. You never know when a better job opportunity could come along. Plus, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket until you’ve actually been extended the offer.

If you’d like more interview tips, or need help finding a job, please contact Provisional. As a leading employment agency serving Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and the Northwest, we can offer you access to a variety of rewarding job opportunities in accounting, healthcare, legal, technical, and office fields.

Contact Provisional today to learn more.