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Things to Never Say at Your Performance Review

Performance reviews can be uncomfortable, to put it mildly, especially if you’re only getting feedback once a year. And when you’re uncomfortable, your words don’t always come so easily—sometimes they come out alarmingly wrong! You don’t want to botch this valuable opportunity to showcase your hard work, especially if you plan to ask for a raise at the end.

If you want to make the best impression at your next performance review, do not under any circumstances say these five things!

“It really was a team effort”

This is your performance review. Toot your own horn. Let it be tooted. Toot like there is no tomorrow. This session is all about your value-add to the company, so don’t deflect your personal accomplishments onto others. Save the humble “team effort” for the morning staff meeting and just accept the darn compliment. You earned it. Toot toot!

 “That’s not fair!”

Life isn’t always fair and sadly neither is work. Before you say something that will make you sound like a petulant four-year-old, ask yourself why something doesn’t seem fair. Think, the idea of fairness usually has an emotional connection. It could be you have hurt feelings, and those are valid, too. Just be sure to use facts and examples to discuss what you don’t feel is fair, and try not to make a scene.

“I just cannot work with Rachel”

Everyone knows Rachel is the office bulldozer, but your performance review is not the time to bring up your concerns about her. This session is about highlighting your great work, not your interpersonal challenges or the performance of others (which will not help you get a fabulous raise). Keep the focus on how awesome you are.

“Can I have a raise now?”

Unless you work for a company that has automatic merit-based increases, you’ll probably need to ask for a raise now and again. The performance review is a great time to do it! Make a case that shows why your value-add deserves an increase in compensation. Come prepared with your achievements and the results they’ve yielded for the company, and then you can talk about why you deserve a raise.

“That’s not my strong suit”

Nobody is good at everything. But since performance reviews focus on past performance and future goals, saying you’re not good at something undercuts your potential and shows an unwillingness to grow. Maybe you haven’t been so successful at bringing in new clients; instead of saying you’re not good at that, tell your boss you’re willing to put in the effort to get better. And if your boss wants you to give a series of department trainings this year but you’re not confident in your public speaking, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Show you’re up for the challenge. You’ve got this!

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