No matter whether you are given lavish praise or scathing criticism, your supervisor will want to see that you are taking the process seriously. One great way to do this is to have a brief list of talking points prepared beforehand (either written down or memorized). No matter how bad things get, a smart boss will have respect for an employee that puts in the extra effort necessary to get as much as possible from their review.

☛ Two things you will definitely want to be ready to talk about are your biggest accomplishments and your biggest challenges, these topics of conversation can lead to valuable advice from your supervisor.