Reflect on the Past Year

Take time to think about all you have done in the past year in terms of responsibilities, goals, achievements, or challenges.

Review Your Goals and PDQ or Work Performance Standards

For classified staff, review your work performance standards form to see what your responsibilities and job duties were and if you have met them.

If you are a professional employee, your supervisor most likely will review your last year’s goals and position description questionnaire (PDQ). Before your evaluation, review your documents to assess how you met your goals and responsibilities. It’s also a good idea to complete a written self-evaluation. This gives you an opportunity to discuss your performance from your perspective and make sure your achievements are noted.

Get Specific When Talking with Your Supervisor

Be specific about how you achieved your goals. Also if you weren’t able to meet a certain goal, explain why.

Provide Solutions

If you had challenges or difficulties in the past year, talk with your supervisor about possible solutions. Try to propose a realistic plan for improvement. For example, if you had difficulties meeting deadlines, work with your supervisor to develop a process for approaching tasks. This could involve creating a task list that includes start and end dates to help keep you on track.

Plan for the Future

With the university engaged in a campuswide planning process, new goals could arise for your department. Think about how you could contribute to your department in a different capacity. Also, talk with your supervisor about training courses or conferences that could help you develop new skills.

Digest and Review

After you meet with your supervisor for your evaluation, set aside time to thoroughly read your review. Take time to think about the information presented during your evaluation before you sign it.

Check in Throughout the Year with Your Supervisor

Talk with your supervisor regularly about your performance throughout the year. Take advantage of your one-on-one meetings to monitor your progress. If you don’t have regularly scheduled meetings, email your supervisor and update him or her on your progress and ask for feedback.