How can grant administrators use performance evaluations to advance their careers?

1 Identify your accomplishments

Before your performance evaluation, take some time to review your work over the past year and identify your major accomplishments. Think about how you contributed to the success of your projects, programs, and organization. How did you meet or exceed your objectives, deliverables, and deadlines? How did you demonstrate your grant administration skills, such as budgeting, reporting, compliance, and communication? How did you solve problems, overcome challenges, and improve processes? Write down specific examples and evidence of your achievements and be ready to share them with your evaluator.

2 Communicate your value

During your performance evaluation, use the examples you prepared to communicate your value to your evaluator. Highlight how your accomplishments aligned with the mission, vision, and goals of your organization and the grantors. Show how you used your skills and knowledge to add value to your projects and programs. Explain how you learned from your mistakes and feedback and how you applied them to improve your performance. Be confident, honest, and respectful in your communication and listen to your evaluator's comments and questions.

4 Seek feedback

Performance evaluations are not the only time to seek feedback on your grant administration work. You should also seek feedback from your colleagues, supervisors, grantors, and beneficiaries on a regular basis. Feedback can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, learn from best practices and lessons learned, and adjust your strategies and actions accordingly. Feedback can also help you build relationships, trust, and credibility with your stakeholders. Ask for feedback in a constructive and respectful way and be open to suggestions and criticism.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?