6 Powerful Questions to Ask in Your Performance Review 

Performance reviews are a common way for companies to measure their employees’ work. They are also a powerful tool to help you improve your performance and build up a case for yourself around concrete achievements to win a job promotion or get a raise. In this article, we share 6 powerful questions to ask in your performance review and tips on how to prepare and use this opportunity to your advantage.

Statistics related to performance reviews reveal that 51% of employees believe theirs are inaccurate and 22% prefer to pretend to be sick rather than face one. If these statistics apply to you too, our 6 powerful questions to ask in your performance review can help you change that, even if you are expecting a bad performance review.

If your manager says you're doing a great job, this could mean you're about to receive a promotion. But, it could also mean that your performance is just OK, and your manager take the time to do a more thorough review. Here are some of the best questions to ask your manager during a performance review to help you find out which of these scenarios is the case.

Why Is it Important to Ask Your Own Questions in a Performance Review?

Asking your manager the right performance evaluation questions can be critical to your success, and here’s why:

• You’ll unveil better solutions to the challenges you’re facing.
• It unlocks more of yours and your team’s potential and increases productivity.
• You’ll get a better idea of the direction your career in the company is going.
• It demonstrates your willingness to listening, learning and growing.
• It allows you to build and maintain a good working relationship with your manager.

Remember that what you don’t ask for, you don’t get. That is to say that by not asking questions you miss out on learning important information for your career growth and on improving interpersonal bonding.

The Best 6 Powerful Questions to Ask in Your Performance Review

Many times, your manager will ask you to fill out a self-evaluation before your performance review. If that's not part of your company's process, it's still a good idea to write a summary of your achievements for your manager before the review.

This will help you tell your own story about your successes at work and guide you in preparing your own questions to ask during a performance review. Of course, try to avoid sounding too defensive when disagreeing with your manager, and don't feel like you need to explain every decision - good or bad - that you made at work.

Here are 6 open-ended questions you should ask your manager during a performance review, and why they’re useful:

1. How Can I Be More Supportive of the Team?

When you show that you’re interested in helping the wider team, it shows your manager that they can rely on you and gives them the confidence to ask you for help when it’s needed. This could help you gain experience at a higher level and a chance to shine as you take on more responsibility or tasks.

If you want to distinguish yourself as a leader you must care about your whole team’s growth and not just your own. You should also look for opportunities to create good working relationships, make yourself available to answer questions, empower others and encourage teamwork.

2. What Types of Challenges Is the Company Facing This Year, and How Does That Impact My Role?

Asking this in your performance review shows you’re interested in the bigger picture. Being plugged into your industry is important, and asking about the challenges the company faces demonstrates that you want to be a part of the solutions.

From your manager’s answer, you’ll be able to better understand the reasons behind some executive decisions and optimize your work towards common goals. Also, asking how the company’s challenges impact your role, helps you adjust your career plans and uncover if there is space for you to grow in the company or not.

3. What Would I Need to Do to Get the Highest Ratings, or a Promotion, on My Next Review?

Use the performance review as leverage for your next job promotion. If you think you’re ready for one, you must be upfront and ask your manager what you can do to get there. This kind of specific question makes it easy for your manager to provide concrete feedback or actionable steps you can take to improve your review ratings.

4. How Much Autonomy Do I Have to Reach These Goals?

Asking this powerful question in your performance review shows your manager your determination and proactiveness to go above and beyond to reach your goals. The answer to this question can give you an idea of how often you should communicate with your manager and what kind of progress reports they want as you work on projects.

When granted more autonomy, employees often have a greater degree of satisfaction, fulfillment, and engagement at work. If you believe that having more freedom to make choices at work can help you achieve your career goals faster and easier, now is the time to share that with your manager. For example, ask your manager to allow you to set your own schedule for daily tasks.

5. How Do You Measure My Progress?

Of all these 6 powerful questions to ask in your performance review, this one will help you better understand the criteria your manager uses to assess your performance at work. If you are seeking a raise, a promotion, or simply want to recover from a bad performance review, learning how your manager measures your progress is the key to identifying and setting your goals.

If your manager’s response seems too generic, don’t be afraid to ask for more specific details that will make it easier for you to make real progress at work. For example, you probably already know that quality and quantity are two common metrics used to evaluate your performance and progress. What you really need to know from your manager is how they measure these in your specific case.

6. Are There Additional Responsibilities I Can Take Ownership of?

Asking this question in your performance review tells your manager that you are ready to grow and do more than your current responsibilities. Once again, if you are on the hunt for a promotion or a raise, you need to show your manager that you are willing and able to do what’s required to get there.

This is one of the 6 powerful questions to ask in your performance review that you should ask only if you can really handle more responsibilities and what they entail. If, for example, your manager answers by giving you full authority on project prioritization, be aware that you’ll be the one accountable for whether a project falls behind or not, so consider if you’re ready for that.

Put These 6 Powerful Questions to Ask in Your Performance Review to the Test in a New Job

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