It’s the season to start preparing for your annual career review. They can be a bit lame. You discuss what you did, agree a few objectives, tick the box and carry on.
Here’s how to turn your career review into a more fruitful conversation. Make it about your unique contribution, rather than a wish-list of where you see yourself in an imagined future.
Be clear on how you stand out from the rest.
This is what you want people to say about you when you are out of earshot. Control the narrative. What are you the go-to person for? What problems do you solve better than your peers? What doesn’t get done when you are away? I know you are kind and a hard worker, but you need to be more specific. Be marmite, not vanilla: in what context are you the obvious choice to have on the team?
Back this up with evidence.
Come armed with case studies of work that you were involved in that added the most value. It should be over and above your job description. Talk about outcomes: money saved, silos bridged, systems streamlined, time freed up, customers kept, problems fixed, juniors trained, processes simplified. If you aren’t sure of what you achieved, then ask your colleagues to remind you. Next year, keep a record.
Own the problem you want next.
Identify a gap or bottleneck and explain what you want to do about it. This is my take on how successful careers are built: solving problems for others. This is real talent: people who spot and fix problems and create opportunities. “I’d like to fix X’ is much more impressive than “I’d like a new challenge.” If this is a big leap, explain how you propose to manage/handover/streamline your current tasks. Also demonstrate that you see the bigger picture beyond your own role and function. That’s valuable for your promotion prospects.
If you are the line manager, use this as the structure for an inspiring career conversation. Feel free to share this with your teams to help them prepare.
There’s more information on my website about my career workshops and the other topics I speak on at conferences, kick-offs and team events.