An employee performance appraisal needs to have value for the employee to be effective. Employees should not sit and allow a performance review meeting to be a one-way conversation. Several tips for employees on performance appraisals can help to make the performance review process effective and part of the employee's professional development.

Keep Notes

For the employee to have any way of supporting their good work from the previous year, he needs to keep a detailed record during the year. Keep a notebook in your desk and make a note each time you had a major or minor accomplishment, and when something went wrong. For the accomplishments you should note who you worked with, the role you played and how the company benefited. When you make a note of something that went wrong, be sure to mark down your part in the crisis so you can take full responsibility for it, but also note what you learned from it so you can let your manager know that you are learning from your mistakes.

Have Questions

The performance appraisal is as much for the benefit of the employee as it is for the manager or the company. Before your review meeting, develop a list of questions that you would like to ask your manager. It is acceptable to ask questions regarding advancement in the company, how to get a raise and how you can take on more responsibility. Review your notes from the past year and develop questions on how you can improve your performance. Keep your questions short, and limit the number of questions you ask. As you discuss the questions with your manager, write down the answers so you can refer to them later.

Be Honest

If you continually rate yourself with the highest grades possible in all areas, then your manager may not feel as though you take your job or your career seriously. When you fill out your self-evaluation, be as objective as possible. Refer to your notes from the year and give yourself an honest evaluation of your performance. If you feel you deserve a low score in an area then mark it down, but make a note to discuss it with your manager to find out how you can improve your performance.