Performance Reviews for Contract Employees

I’ve recently had some discussions with a few of my coworkers, who are contract employees, regarding their interest in performance reviews.  While it is uncommon for most contract employees to get performance reviews, there’s no reason why a contract employee can’t do their own performance review. In fact, conducting a self-review from to time is a really good idea.

Besides receiving a contract extension or the “no news is good news” scenario, how does a contract employee decide how well they’ve been performing? Four areas of reflection could include: Accomplishments, Strengths, Areas for Improvement, and Goals.

Accomplishments

List three things you accomplished in the last year that you’re the most proud of doing. Focus on the things that demonstrated your work quality. These things should distinguish you from the competition. Here are a few questions to help reflect:

• Are you proud of the projects that you’ve recently completed? Having pride in your work is an important element of being satisfied with what you do.
• Do you feel that projects that you work on represent your best work? Occasionally, first-time freelancers are forced to take on projects that don’t really reflect their abilities. However, you should be able to move past this point.
• Have you done any projects that you would be willing to add to your portfolio? You should be constantly building and enhancing your professional portfolio with your most recent work.
• What project did you enjoy the most? If there was a project that you particularly enjoyed, it may be a good idea to look for similar projects.

Strengths

List three things that you do well. These are your skills that need to be kept up to date. Don’t be afraid to ask peers or previous employers from the past year for feedback. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

• Have you learned anything new about your field recently? No matter what your field is, there are new developments almost every day. Keep up.
• What sets me apart from other artist that have similar skills?

Areas for Improvement

Perhaps the most important section is the “Areas For Improvement”. In this area, focus on those weaknesses that can be improved with some kind of development plan. For example, if you’re a texture artist but don’t know Mari and are finding that a lot of studios are requiring the software, perhaps taking a course will help improve your skills. List three ares for improvement. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

• If you had to do your recent projects again, what would you do differently?
• What project did you find the most challenging? If a project was particularly difficult, it’s important to find out why.
• Do you feel your current skills are up to date? Be honest. Are your skills really up to date?
• Is there an area of your field that you need to learn more about?

Goals

To complete your performance review, it is important to review your short and long range goals. Perhaps your goal is to be a lead on a project. How much closer are you to that goal?

Do you do performance reviews as a contract employee? What works well for you?