Czaro Strategic Communications

You’ve documented your accomplishments and laid the groundwork for your annual performance review.

Now it’s time to analyze your job description. This is an extremely important component that most employees (and managers) don’t even consider.

When you read your job description you’ll probably be surprised by the inaccuracies. Your responsibilities, duties and competencies might be pretty close to reality or you might wonder if you’re looking at someone else’s position description.

Review every aspect and take notes. Cross off the things that you don’t do or that have changed and write in the updated information. Here are some key areas to carefully examine:

• Background. If the job description calls for 2-3 years experience and you have 5-8, you could be entitled to a salary adjustment depending on the rest of your findings.
• Education. Does the job description require a high school diploma and you have a bachelor’s degree? Did you just earn an MBA and the position only requires a bachelor’s degree? This could help you.
• Supervisory. Do you supervise 1-3 people and your job description indicates that you currently have a non-supervisory position? That’s certain to raise some eyebrows – in a good way.
• Responsibilities, duties and competencies. Spend the most time reviewing these areas. It might help if you build columns. List the current job description in one column. In the second column discard the outdated items. The third column is reserved for the new responsibilities and duties that you’ve acquired in recent months/years. This is where your journal of accomplishments will pay off the most.
• Blank slate. Now take your notes and rewrite your job description. Create an accurate depiction of your role in the organization. Be sure to leave the job title blank and point it out when you present your new job description at your annual performance review. This will give your boss (and the HR department) flexibility to make the best recommendation.
• Back at you. You’re bound to catch your boss off guard with all of your self-evaluation. Give your manager the opportunity to digest everything and set a follow-up meeting within the next two weeks.

Now how confident do you feel about your upcoming annual performance review? I hope – very.