Performance Review Preparation Sheet

Who this is for

Your side of the appraisal, written before the meeting. It sets each objective you were given against what you did and the evidence for it, then asks what went well, what was difficult, what you want next and what support you need — so you walk in with notes rather than nerves.

Employees preparing for an annual or mid-year review, a probation meeting or a one-to-one where their year is on the table.

What this helps you track

• Each objective set against what you actually did and the evidence for it
• Your own view of how each one went, before you hear anyone else's
• What went well and what was difficult, in your own words
• What you want next and what you need to get there
• The questions you mean to ask, written down so they get asked

How to use it

1. Fill in the period the review covers, your role, who is reviewing you and the date of the meeting.
2. Copy each objective you were set into the table, then write what you did against it and where the evidence is — a report, a figure, an email, a person who saw it.
3. Give your own view of each one in a few words, honestly.
4. Answer the four prompts. Keep the difficult one factual: what happened, what got in the way.
5. List the questions you want to ask and the things you want to raise. Take the sheet in with you.
6. After the meeting, note what was agreed on the back or in the notes area and keep it for next time.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is this the review form?

No. The employer's performance review form is the record the manager completes. This is the employee's own preparation, kept by the employee, which makes that conversation better informed from both sides.

What if I was not given objectives?

Write down what you understood the job to be for the period and treat those as the objectives. Saying so in the meeting is a reasonable thing to raise.

Should I mention the difficult things?

That is your call. The prompt is there because a review that only lists successes is less useful to you, and because difficulties usually come up anyway — better with your account of them ready.

Can I use it for a probation review?

Yes. The period is shorter and the objectives may be the ones from your induction, but the structure is the same.