When you realize that half of the year has already passed, and if you work for a slightly larger company, it’s time for your mid-year performance review (if your company doesn’t have this process, you should informally request it from your manager). Like many others, you’re staring at a blank document, wondering what to write about yourself and how to summarize everything you’ve accomplished so far in a few paragraphs. In these moments, many people ask themselves:

“I don’t understand why I should invest time in this. Everyone on my team, including my manager, knows how well I’ve done my job.”

The truth is, often people can’t see this objectively and analytically, and it’s much easier for them to remember our negative interactions (after all, everyone has a bad day) than what we’ve done well.

If you’re aiming for a promotion and, consequently, a salary increase, it will be much easier for your manager to advocate for that promotion if you both put together a strong review package.

Review Package

As individual contributors, it’s always important to remember that our performance is evaluated across three dimensions:

• Delivery
• Impact (both within and outside the team)
• Overall evolution

These dimensions should be present in your written feedback. It’s important to note that your review doesn’t solely depend on what you write about yourself. A good review package includes:

• A list of your most significant accomplishments
• Feedback from people within and outside your team
• A timeline that illustrates your progress over the period

If this sounds familiar, it’s because I touched on it a bit here when we discussed horizontal and vertical growth.

One important tool to achieve this is to have a brag document, Julia Evans putted together here an awesome article and template for that!

Marketing Yourself is a Year-Round Duty

“Great, I’ve made a list of everyone I’ve helped and everything I’ve delivered. Now I just have to sit back and wait for my promotion, since it’s proven that I deserve it.”

In reality, a promotion or a salary increase is the result of an entire period of dedication. Don’t wait until the performance review cycle to gather feedback or have a conversation with your manager about your accomplishments. It’s important to consistently document your own feedback with as much detail as possible…

…that’s why you shouldn’t start writing the feedback when the cycle begins. Instead, you should finish it at the beginning of the cycle.

Although it may seem like a demanding task, as a personal viewpoint, it’s essential to recognize that you are a professional being paid to execute your job. The way you effectively showcase your expertise is what distinguishes you from others in the competitive job market.

Therefore, don’t wait until the performance review period to start gathering feedback or discussing your accomplishments with your manager. Consistently and diligently document your own progress throughout the year, ensuring to provide thorough and detailed feedback. By doing so, you demonstrate your commitment to growth and make a compelling case for your promotion or salary increase.