There was a time when I dreaded performance reviews. I hated talking about myself at work. I thought self-evaluations were a waste of time, and then would be shocked when I didn't get promoted.
I thought my projects and contributions were obvious to everyone.
Then something changed. I started thinking about my career differently and it reflected in my performace reviews. I started to enjoy talking about what I had accomplished. I enjoyed seeing the work I was doing through the lens of the business. We all have complicated reasons why we go to work every day, but for me it got easier to reflect on my work when I made one shift in my mindset that changed everything.
At some point I had a realization: It's way easier for me to talk about someone else's achivevments than my own. I could look at my friends and coworkers and rattle off half a dozen things I had seen them done recently. Not only that, I was happy to advocate for them to others.
So I started looking at myself from the outside. I started pretending I was talking about someone else. "Look at all these things this person accomplished last month! They're really pushing themselves, here's a list of things you might have missed."
Which led to another realization: People miss things. They have their own stuff going on. That includes your manager. They shouldn't miss the big stuff, but there's probably plenty of work you do that slips through the cracks. Especially the soft skills work like mentorship and helping others out.
I started keeping track of my achievements as if I were looking over someone else's shoulder, paying attention to the work they're doing.
If you have trouble with self-reviews, maybe this will help you too. Keep track of your achievements. When review time comes and you have to tell someone what you accomplished, hand them your list. Better yet, go through the list regularly with them! Give them context around how you spend your time and why it's important. They might see an opportunity you're missing, or a place where you're spinning your wheels.
So advocate for yourself! Be your own manager, look over your own shoulder and take note of the good work. Keep track of what you're doing and then talk up your accomplishments when it's time. Pretend you're talking about someone else. Do whatever you need to to shine a light on your hard work.
