Although many employees dread the thought of an annual job evaluation, the review provides valuable feedback on both positive and negative aspects of your performance. Completed evaluations are often necessary before the human resources or payroll department can process a raise. If your evaluation is overdue, it might be time to tactfully convince your boss to find the time to review your performance.

Schedule a Meeting

Contact your supervisor and ask him to schedule a meeting to discuss your evaluation. He might have forgotten that your evaluation is due, and a little reminder just might prompt him to start work on your review. Make your request tactful and respectful, even if you’ve reminded him about the issue in the past. If the tone of your request is angry or sarcastic, that behavior might just be uppermost in his mind when he begins writing the evaluation.

Provide a List of Accomplishments

Events that happened during the most recent months tend to be most memorable, whether they occur in your personal life or at work. The ERC website notes that the “recency” effect can affect the accuracy of your review because your boss only focuses on your recent performance, not your performance during the entire year. You don’t want your boss to forget about your great first quarter, particularly if the last quarter hasn’t been quite as impressive. Give your supervisor a list that details your accomplishments during the past year. Once he has that list in hand, writing the review might not seem so daunting. Submit your list well in advance of your evaluation meeting to allow him time to review your accomplishments.

Offer Help

Your manager’s busy schedule might make it difficult for him even think about reviews. If that’s the case, writing and scheduling reviews are probably at the bottom of his “to do” list. If your manager has mentioned that he’d love to work on your review but he just doesn’t have the time, offer to assist him with some of his projects. You’ll help him free up some of his time and might just earn extra points for your willingness to lend a hand when needed.

Set Personal Goals

Goal setting is an important part of the review process. Your manager might be unable or unwilling to perform your evaluation, but you can still set a few goals for yourself for the year. For example, you might decide that you need to improve your PowerPoint skills or you’d like to increase your sales 10 percent over last year’s total. You can begin working on these goals even if you haven’t been given an evaluation.