A well-prepared appraisal interview

It comes round every year… No, for once it’s not Christmas we’re talking about, but something else that for many employees is an annual event and for most of us is set to take place in the next few weeks – the appraisal interview.

To enable you to derive a personal gain from your next appraisal interview, Eric Ryf, Head of Courses on Conversational Skills at the Vice-Presidency for Personnel Development and Leadership, offers some tips:

Preparation – the be-all and end-all

“The importance of good interview preparation cannot be stressed enough,” underlines Eric Ryf. “Especially for the new ‘Dialog’ interview that the majority of ETH staff will complete this year, preparation is central for ensuring that the interview takes place on an equal footing.”

The following tips will help you to prepare:

• Regular notes: Jot down some examples during the year of how you find your work and collaboration with others. For example, what has gone particularly well this year – and what hasn’t? Why? What feedback have you received? How satisfied are you with your own performance, with collaboration in the team and with your supervisor? Where would you like to receive more support?
• Define targets: Think prior to the interview about what you wish to undertake in the coming year and how you can achieve these targets. Do you need support for this?
• How can I develop further? Continuous knowledge acquisition and further development are essential in a rapidly changing world. However, as Eric Ryf points out, this doesn’t necessarily always call for a six-month CAS programme. “There are many learning contents on the ETH learning platform Lifelong Learning Hub that do not take much time and can therefore be easily integrated into everyday work.”

The interview – an exchange on an equal footing

Careful preparation will not only raise your awareness of your own performance. “It can also have a positive impact on your self-confidence,” says Eric Ryf. “If I am well prepared, I can argue better in the interview as an employee if I am confronted with feedback that surprises me or that I do not agree with.”

Here are some further tips that can be helpful during both difficult and all other interviews:

• Participate actively in the interview: Listen carefully during the interview, ask again if something is unclear, and ask open wh-questions (“What can we do to improve our collaboration in the team?”).
• Objective and specific: It is particularly important to remain objective about difficult issues. “Whenever we criticise, we should always discuss examples of specific behaviour,” says Eric Ryf. “It is important to focus on the issue – and not on the person.” The aim should always be to achieve a mutual understanding.
• Expressing wishes: Another tip for effective communication is to link wishes to specific examples. For example, “I’d like you to support me more with project XY”.
• Avoid ‘always’ and ‘never’: Two small words with a big impact: “You always come too late”, “You never write minutes for team meetings”. ‘Always’ and ‘never’ are good ways of generalising individual cases. The result is that the other person feels got at and unfairly treated. “Not a good approach for a discussion on an equal footing. It’s therefore better to avoid the words ‘always’ and ‘never’,” recommends Eric Ryf. 
• Take a break: It can help to take a short break if a discussion becomes very difficult or comes to a standstill. “It can suffice just to go and get a coffee together,” says Eric Ryf. “Not just the exercise, which helps to reduce adrenalin and frustration, but also the change of scene is helpful. You can address the issue again afterwards.”

Stay in touch after the interview

The appraisal interview is over and the employee and supervisor have discussed the targets and expectations for the coming year. So what happens now? “It is important also to stay in touch after the interview,” underlines Eric Ryf. The DownloadDialog form (PDF, 125 KB) in which employee and supervisor record the key points of the interview can offer support here.

However, this does not have to contain every detail of what has been said. “The form is intended as an aid to discussion – and as an incentive to record the key points in it, such as the agreed targets,” says Eric Ryf. “An appraisal interview is deemed successful if employee and supervisor have a shared understanding at the end of where the journey is to take them in the next 12 months. Record this in writing in the form and agree where to store it.”

Moreover, a glance at the key points recorded in writing will help you prepare for the next interview. For one thing is certain: the next appraisal interview is bound to come round. Every year – just like Christmas.