NEVER Say this ONE Thing in your Software Dev Performance Review

Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

At the end of the year, you should go through your targets and objectives. These are commonly framed as high-stakes one-on-one with your manager.

A good performance review can:

• put you on the path to promotion

• gain a raise

• boost your status within the organization

You should have a look at how your objectives are progressing before your meeting so you know the direction that the discussion will take well before the meeting.

The following certainly isn’t true:

Great programmers perform, management just gets in the way.

but if you do believe that you still need to manage your manager.

There’s one thing that not only goes against that idea but has the potential to derail your whole career.

Here’s that one thing you should never say:

That’s not my job.

There are other variations of this proclamation.

It’s not in my job description.

That’s Sharon’s responsibility.

Obviously, you might not work with Sharon. Even if you don’t, you might have a Sharon character in your life.

It isn’t my job, responsibility, or business.

The job of a software developer is quite simple. You need to 

• write software

• maintain software

• ???

• profit

So, what things that an employee might say aren’t their job, and what should they say instead?

Improving technical skills.

Does ??? contain the hours of improving your skill? Study? Focus. You’ll be lucky.

Many employers would state that you should be keeping your skills fresh in your own time (for right or wrong). They might say you need to be exposed to new types of work to keep moving forwards in your career and to keep pushing yourself.

What you should say: What support can you give me? How can I make sure that my work is of sufficient quality?

Outside the job scope

Lots of work isn’t noted in a job description. If you want to be a top performer you need to go above and beyond in order to make your project better. Revealing that you’re not prepared to do anything more than your basic job description? You’re likely telling your manager that you’re not easy to work with and aren’t part of a team moving toward change.

This doesn’t mean that a top developer doesn’t hold their ground. But it does mean that top developers should be willing to do more than the minimum.

I’m the best developer though, what does it matter?

What you should say: How does this support my growth and journey in the company?

No. Not my problem

Are you one of those developers who throw things over the wall to testers? Who thinks that quality is for someone else to take care of? 
There are many variations of this. Shirking ownership is a habit, it shouldn’t be but is super-common in the development community.

What you should say: How can I help?

Conclusion

Take responsibility. Do your work well. You’ll be rewarded.

That, and other fairy tales.