The DIY Annual Performance Review for Freelancers

One of the biggest perks of going freelance is that you get to leave all the red tape behind. You no longer have to deal with some of the more boring aspects of working in a big business, such as the annual performance review.

Rather than jumping through hoops just to please your supervisor, you can start to look at your career development as a worthwhile task. While most workers might dread their annual review, it can be a useful tool. It’s important that freelancers and small business owners create a constructor that is similar to the annual review. This is the best way to ensure your business is always moving forward.

Here are the steps you need to take to perform your own DIY annual performance review.

Look at your achievements

The first step is to identify what you have achieved in the past year. Look at earnings, business growth and any positive pieces of feedback you may have received. Before you move on to setting goals, look at everything you’ve achieved so far. What’s missing from this list?

Set goals for the year ahead

The next step is to identify where you want to be a year from now. These goals can be very specific, in terms of increasing your earning potential, or they can be more abstract, like improving your client relationship management skills. Make sure that every goal has a measurable deliverable attached to it. It’s no good making broad goals if there is no way for you to determine if you’ve achieved it.

Find a mentor

Getting a second opinion on your progress is a great way to ensure you are continually pushing your career forward. As a freelancer, it’s very easy to get set in your ways and stop pushing yourself to progress. After all, if a method is working for you, why change it? Finding a mentor who you respect is a good way to ensure you are being critical of your career progression and setting appropriate goals. A good mentor will also be able to help you weed out your weaknesses, which might not always be evident to you.

Invest in training

Putting some money on the line by paying for training opportunities is a good way to ensure you are pushing yourself to progress. Having extra qualifications under your belt can make it easier to charge more for your services or allow you to sell new services. If it’s appropriate to do so, you can consult with your clients to find out what skills and services they would find beneficial.

Once you have your action points, make sure you refer to this document throughout the year. When it comes to your next performance review, you’ll have an accurate record of how far you’ve come and will have a strong foundation for setting more goals for the future.

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