How to Handle Criticism in a Job Performance Review
Your ego may take a hit when you receive negative feedback, even if it is delivered in a constructive manner. This is especially true in a professional environment where your boss's perception of you can impact your income. When you find yourself in the middle of a poor job performance review, show your boss that you are a professional who can roll with the punches.
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Instructions
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Keep your emotions in check. It is difficult to hear that you have not lived up to your employer's expectations, but the best way to handle it is to listen to the criticism in a calm and professional manner. Becoming defensive in the heat of the moment is a surefire way to paint you in an uncooperative and unprofessional light to your boss and reinforce the negative feedback.
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Ask questions and seek specific examples of the issue at hand, particularly if you feel that the negative feedback is inaccurate. Do not make the review into a debate or interrogation, but let your boss know that you want to truly understand what went wrong so that you can learn and grow from the experience.
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Leave all excuses at the door, and own up to what went wrong. No matter how many reasons you have for not accomplishing what your boss expected of you, giving a list of excuses is sure to backfire.
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Turn the negative into a positive learning experience. In a 2009 Associated Press article on MSNBC.com, workplace consultant and author B.J. Gallagher recommended that you come into your performance review intending to make it a learning experience, whether the feedback is positive or negative. Begin a conversation with your boss discussing what you can do in the future to correct the problems. Make it a productive give-and-take session that will end the meeting on a positive note as well as show your employer that you want to become a better employee.
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Schedule a follow-up meeting with your supervisor and be prepared to enter that meeting with tangible examples of how your performance has improved since the negative review. If you do not keep your manager informed of your progress, you risk having him treat you as a poor performer until next year's review.
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Tips & Warnings
Prepare yourself before your performance review. Career specialist company Hudson Highland Group recommends that you go into your interview with a list of the things you have accomplished during the past year and be prepared to discuss them with the boss. Using this technique, you can end the meeting with the positive aspects of your job performance top of mind with your manager.
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