How to Leverage Your Performance Review to Get Paid More!

Let's be honest: most people, myself included, hate self-reviews. They rush through them, undersell their achievements, and wonder why their career is not accelerating.

Here's the reality check you need: your self-review isn't just admin. It's a legal document that follows you around the company. Every future boss will read it. 

Stop Sabotaging Yourself

The biggest crime in self-reviews? Underselling yourself. Women are particularly guilty of this, downplaying their wins like they're apologising for existing. "I think I might have possibly contributed to the project's success, perhaps..."

No. Stop it.

When you undersell your achievements, you're literally handing your boss a script for why you don't deserve more money. They're not mind readers - if you don't tell them you smashed your targets, how are they supposed to know? Your modesty is costing you.

Write down what you actually did. Use numbers. Use impact.

Balance Is Everything

Your boss wants to see self-awareness. That means equal airtime for wins and areas for improvement. Not because you're rubbish at your job, but because people who can honestly assess themselves are the ones who get promoted.

The sweet spot? For every paragraph about your achievements, write a paragraph about what you'd do differently. Show you're reflective, not defensive. 

Attention to detail matters.

This might sound petty, but spelling and grammar mistakes in your self-review are a red flag. It suggests you don't care enough to check your work.

Remember: this document lives forever in your employee file. The boss who might promote you in three years' time will read this. Do you want them thinking you're detail-oriented or sloppy?

Your Career, Your Responsibility

Here's the uncomfortable truth: your boss isn't more invested in your career than you are. If you treat your self-review like a chore you need to tick off, they'll treat your development the same way. The effort you put into documenting your year signals how seriously you take your professional growth. 

Make It Count

Your self-review is one of the few times you get to control the narrative about your performance. It's your chance to remind your boss why you're valuable, where you're headed, and why investing in you makes business sense.

Take it seriously, because your future self will thank you when that promotion comes through - or curse you when it doesn't.

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.