Ask For Performance Reviews Before Crying If Laid Off
Laid off? Know someone who has been? Give them this good advice, via a good post on Philly.com about what to ask your employer after you’ve been laid off (and before you storm home in a tearful rage.)
One I’d never have thought to ask for:
Request copies of your performance reviews. Positive evaluations boost your self-esteem and come in handy when you update your resume.
“Also, if and when job interviewers ask why you left, you can say, ‘My previous company had economic-driven layoffs, and many top performers were let go. I consistently received high performance ratings, which I’m happy to share with you,’” says Michael Neece, chief strategy officer, PongoRésumé.com, Northborough, Mass.
Related Posts:
Filed Under: Cover Letters & Resumes • Managing Your Career • Working Moms Resources
About the Author: Julie Power is a writer and editor with experience in both the United States and Australia. After living in the United States for 16 years, she recently returned to live in Sydney with her husband and twin boys (9 years old).
Follow @juliepower
MomsToWork RSS Feed
This is excellent advice, and in face I would suggest asking for a copy of your entire personnel file. That should include your hire letter, any notes or e-mails about your performance that your manager has saved (as a manager, I was encouraged to put things like this in my direct reports’ folders) and stuff you might not even know is in there. When I resigned and asked for a copy of my personnel file, it blew them away — the manager sputtered and said “I’ve never heard of anything like this.” But they did it.