Cologne / Berlin (dpa / tmn) – “Take me no further anyway” a lot of people are probably thinking when the manager asks them for a so-called employee interview or annual interview. And wait and see what happens.
Most important, however, is good preparation. Often the assessment interview is based on a standardized process, as Bernd Slaghuis, career coach from Cologne explains: In other words, questionnaires that are filled out for assessment and documentation in order to create a comparable basis for all employees.
Above all, the personal attitude with which you initiate such a conversation is important: “Employees should not only listen passively to what went well and what did not work, the amount of their bonus and what are the formal goals for the next year. You also need to actively tackle the things that are important to you. “
Know typical subjects
But what are the issues on the agenda? There are aspects that come up over and over again in employee appraisals, as Marlene Pöhlmann of personnel services provider Robert Half explains.
Basically, it’s about recording a status quo – that is, the manager’s impression of the employee. In addition, the conversation mostly revolves around the comparison of performance, as well as strengths, weaknesses and criticisms: “Where am I in the company? And how can I grow further?”
Eliminate the rough direction of the conversation
Employees also have the option of pretending to the manager what the conversation should look like: for example, you can ask what the supervisor expects – whether you should prepare or contribute yourself, advises Pöhlmann. So you can select an approximate direction of the conversation.
A look at the documents from the last interview with an employee may also be worth it: what has gone well since the last interview? What goals have I achieved? What maybe didn’t go so well and what is the reason? “If you prepare for the negatives, you can react in a more professional way or maybe solve these problems yourself,” says Slaghuis.
Shine with your own ideas
Experts agree that anyone who has something to criticize can do so at an employee review meeting. It is important to stay professional and factual. And: one should not stop at the simple criticism, advises Pöhlmann: it is better to make an alternative proposal right away. “Often times you can even put the actual criticism under your suggestions for improvement.”
If some workflows aren’t working well, you could say, “We can work a lot more efficiently if we do it this way – and then explain his idea.” According to Pöhlmann, it is precisely this area in which an employee can shine.
Don’t respond to criticism with a defensive attitude
But what if the conversation is not going well at all and there is a lot more negative comments than expected? Pöhlmann advises: “You should take the technical review with you and, after the conversation, think about how you can do it better.” Before it gets too emotional or you only react defensively, you should make a second date to talk about it again.
It is important to document the results of the employee review meeting. So you don’t lose your focus until the next conversation and you are covered when agreements are made in writing, Pöhlmann explains. “It creates engagement and often a double bottom is great.”
