During my tenure at Cisco, I participated in a project where I collaborated with a devops team and testing team to accomplish the resource allocation . At the end of the project, each intern received an evaluation from our direct supervisor. I was surprised to find that my performance rating was lower than I expected, given the contributions I felt I had made.
Task:I wanted to understand the basis for the rating and felt it was important to clarify any discrepancies between my self-assessment and the supervisor’s perception. My goal was to maintain a positive relationship while advocating for the work I had done.
Action:I requested a brief, one-on-one meeting with my supervisor. In that meeting, I calmly listened to their feedback to understand their perspective fully. Then, I shared specific examples of my contributions:
How I had taken the lead on documenting the current resource allocation and new resource allocation based on my experience.
My involvement in proper resource allocation resulted in 25% reduction of P1 issues due to resource allocation.
The additional responsibilities I took on to get all resource approvals and helm script changes went unnoticed.
I also provided the documentation and metrics I’d been tracking to illustrate the impact of my work. By centering the conversation on factual evidence and outcomes, I was able to highlight aspects of my contribution that might have been overlooked initially.
Result:After reviewing these points, my supervisor acknowledged that some of my behind-the-scenes work wasn’t fully visible to them. we agreed to have more frequent check-ins going forward. This experience taught me the value of proactive communication and documentation, ensuring that both my manager and I have a clear view of my responsibilities and achievements.
