Your 2026 Annual Review

Why we ask this

We need a baseline snapshot of your role and situation before diving into your year. Most of this is pre-filled — we just want you to confirm it's accurate.

How to approach it

• •Confirm your role, manager, and department are correct
• •Update your work mode if it changed during the year
• •Describe your role in your own words — not your official JD, but what you actually do

Example of a good response

"This year I focused on three areas: migrating our backend services to a new architecture (completed Q2), building the client reporting dashboard (launched Q3), and mentoring two junior developers who joined in January."

Common mistake

Writing a job description instead of what you actually did this year. We know your role — tell us what happened this year specifically.

Why we ask this

Your most significant accomplishments with detail and evidence. This is the heart of the review — what you actually shipped, solved, or moved this year.

How to approach it

• •Pick 2-3 accomplishments you're genuinely proud of
• •For each: what was the problem, what did YOU specifically do, what was the measurable result?
• •Use numbers — percentages, counts, time saved, revenue impacted

Example of a good response

"Our client onboarding took 14 days. I mapped the process, found 3 bottlenecks, and built an automated workflow. Onboarding dropped to 5 days. 23 clients went through the new process with zero escalations."

Common mistake

Being too modest. If you saved the company time, money, or effort — say it clearly with numbers. This is the place to show your impact.

Why we ask this

Working style and collaboration patterns matter as much as output. We want to understand how you show up with others, handle disagreements, and navigate ambiguity.

How to approach it

• •Be honest about your actual style — there's no 'right' answer here
• •Describe what you actually do, not what you think you should do
• •Include a specific example where possible

Example of a good response

"When I disagree with a decision, I write up my concerns with data and share them before the meeting. This year I did this for the API versioning decision — shared a doc with 3 specific risks, and the team adjusted the plan."

Common mistake

Describing how you think you should work instead of how you actually work. We're not looking for ideal answers — we're looking for honest ones.

Why we ask this

Links or descriptions of actual work are your proof points. They help verify claims and understand the depth of your contributions.

How to approach it

• •Pick 1-3 pieces of work that best represent your year
• •A code PR, client proposal, campaign report, or process doc all count
• •If you don't have links, describe the work in enough detail that someone could understand what you did and why it mattered

Example of a good response

A GitHub PR link to a migration with 2,400 lines, a caption explaining what changed, and a note on the impact (reduced deployment time from 45 min to 12 min).

Common mistake

Submitting nothing. Even without formal artifacts, describe your most impactful work. Everyone has evidence — it might just not be in a formal document.

Why we ask this

AI fluency is becoming a core work skill. We want to understand your actual usage — tools, habits, what works for you and what doesn't.

How to approach it

• •Be honest about your actual usage, not what you think we want to hear
• •Name specific tools and specific use cases
• •It's fine to say you don't use AI much — we're measuring readiness, not judging you

Example of a good response

"I use GitHub Copilot daily for boilerplate code. I use Claude for reviewing technical documents. I don't use AI for architecture decisions — I don't trust it enough for that yet."

Common mistake

Overstating your AI usage to look good. An honest 'I'm not sure how AI helps in my role' is more useful than a vague 'I use AI all the time.'

Why we ask this

Your goals tell us where you want to go and help us support you. Specific near-term goals also give us something to revisit in the next cycle.

How to approach it

• •Be concrete for 3 months — what specifically will you finish?
• •Be directional for 6 months — what are you aiming toward?
• •Be ambitious for 12 months — where do you want to be?

Example of a good response

"3 months: Complete the data pipeline migration (60% done, target April 15). 6 months: Launch automated alerting, reduce MTTR from 45 to under 15 min. 12 months: Move into tech lead covering both backend services."

Common mistake

Being vague at every timeframe. 'Grow as a professional' is not a goal. 'Complete the AWS Solutions Architect cert by June' is.

Why we ask this

This is your open channel. If you need something from the company — training, clarity on your role, a career conversation — say it here. This section is read carefully.

How to approach it

• •Name what you need: training budget, clearer role definition, better tooling, a career path conversation
• •Add any final context your manager should know
• •It's okay to be direct — this is a private conversation between you, your manager, and HR

Example of a good response

"I'd like clarity on the path to Senior Engineer — what the expectations are and whether there's a timeline. I'd also like to explore attending one technical conference this year."

Common mistake

Leaving this blank. Even 'everything is fine, I just want more autonomy on architecture decisions' is useful signal.

Why we ask this

We want your honest read of your own impact and contribution. This isn't a negotiation — it's a reflection exercise that helps us understand how you see your own growth.

How to approach it

• •Think about how your scope or impact grew compared to last year
• •Base your ask on professional contribution, not personal needs
• •Your manager submits their recommendation independently — neither of you sees the other's input first

Example of a good response

"I'm asking for 9% because I took full ownership of the client reporting system (previously split across two people) and delivered it 3 weeks ahead of schedule."

Common mistake

Asking for a number without justification, or justifying based on personal needs ('I need X because of expenses') rather than professional contribution.