I was just pointed to this great post by a 15-year Microsoft employee named John Porcaro on doing annual reviews. As we all know, the process can be tough, and John provides some great advice for getting through them and focusing on the important stuff. His tips are as follows, but you should definitely read the original post for the thinking and explanation behind them.

1. Take time to reflect
2. Think of your review as a living resume
3. Be thorough
4. Go with metrics
5. Make it about YOU
6. Don’t worry too much about missing an agreed-upon deadline
7. Don’t forget the “extra credit.”
8. If there’s something negative to say, bring it up yourself
9. Sometimes mistakes can be the best thing
10. Realize that half the equation is perception
11. Don’t sweat the review
12. Ask your manager to edit some of their negative comments
13. Don’t put it off until the last minute

What advice have you or your employees found helpful in completing reviews? Let me know and I’ll post the results here.

Props to Kinkoi Lo for the pointer.