The Ultimate List of 150+ Performance Review Questions for Effective Evaluations

Performance review questions are key to employee growth by aligning goals, increasing productivity and continuous development. A good performance review isn’t just a tick box exercise — it’s a tool to share feedback and recognition, and identify areas for improvement.

This guide gives you 150+ performance review questions for employees, managers and HR teams. Whether you’re leading a team or being reviewed yourself, these questions will help you have meaningful conversations, set clear expectations and support professional growth.

Why Is Asking the Right Performance Review Questions Important?

Asking the right employee performance review questions is important as it offers a deeper understanding of employees' performance and level of engagement. It is also beneficial in identifying their growth potential and training them in the right direction.

Key reasons behind asking the right performance review questions for employees: 

• Encourages two-way conversations instead of one-sided feedback
• Helps employees gain clarity on strengths, weaknesses, and career paths
• It gives managers a structured approach to delivering effective feedback
• Supports HR teams in standardizing performance review processes

150+ Performance Review Questions Categorized by Role & Purpose

Questions to ask during a performance review, by roles and purpose, can be based on: 

• Overall performance 
• Technical skills
• Soft skills
• Teamwork
• Goal Achievement
• Leadership
• Developmental Needs
• Work Environment

With specific employee performance review questions tailored around the employee's role within your organization, you pave the way for a more transparent conversation. Let's focus on each aspect of performance review questions and answers step-by-step: 

A. General Performance Review Questions for Employees 

General performance review questions for employees should involve questions on their achievements, goals, skills, and career development. These questions can help you evaluate their engagement levels with the team, as well as their collaboration and motivation. Consider these critical factors:

• Your questions should be tailored to specific roles.
• Focus more on including questions related to behavior.
• Aim to create a positive and open-ended dialogue.

Questions:

1. What accomplishments are you most proud of this year?
2. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
3. What skills have you developed or improved since your last review?
4. How do you think your role has evolved over the past six months?
5. What areas do you need to improve on?
6. What training opportunities do you feel you need?
7. What keeps you motivated at work?
8. Any piece of advice to your juniors?
9. What is the one thing that holds you back in this organization?
10. Are you happy with your current responsibilities?
11. What is the one process that keeps you on your toes?
12. Do you have long-term goals here?
13. Do you need any support with your goals?
14. How can I, as a manager, support you in your challenges?
15. What do you think are your strong skills?
16. Are there any skills you need to work on?

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: After discussing accomplishments and challenges, set a goal to enhance a specific skill by 15% over the next quarter.
• Follow-Up: Schedule a mid-quarter check-in to assess progress and adjust strategies as needed.

B. Performance Review Questions for Managers

Performance review questions for managers are beneficial in evaluating employees' and managers' strengths and areas of improvement. Such questions have helped set clear goals and expectations. In this section, you may include questions related to strengths, goals, areas of improvement, company culture, job satisfaction, and organizational announcements. The possible set of questions to ask in a performance review for managers includes: 

Questions:

17. How do you think your leadership has impacted your team?
18. What strategies have you used to develop your team members?
19. How do you measure your success as a manager?
20. What leadership skills do you want to strengthen?
21. How do you handle conflicts within your team?
22. How often do you check your employees' well-being?
23. Do you have open conversations with your team?
24. What positive interactions would you like to highlight with your team members?
25. How is the atmosphere within your team?
26. If you want to recognize one of your team members, who will they be? And Why?
27. Is your team accomplishing all the set objectives and goals?
28. What are the current challenges your team is dealing with?
29. Does your team need any additional supporting tools or software?
30. What types of projects do you anticipate for your team next?
31. How are you handling team conflicts, if any?
32. How often do you revise your team goals and objectives?

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Identify a leadership skill to improve and aim for a 20% increase in team engagement scores within six months.
• Follow-Up: Implement a monthly feedback loop with team members to track leadership impact.

C. 360-Degree Performance Review Questions 

Three hundred sixty performance review questions typically focus on employees' strengths, improvement areas, communication style, teamwork ability, and time management skills. It helps you obtain a fair idea of the overall contribution of your employees, along with feedback from peers and cross-functional colleagues. Here are some of the best 360 performance review questions for employees: 

Questions:

33. How effectively does this employee collaborate with peers?
34. How well does this employee contribute to a positive team culture?
35. Does this employee take constructive feedback well?
36. How does this employee handle high-pressure situations?
37. What are this employee's most significant strengths from your perspective?
38. What do you do differently to overcome this quarter's challenges?
39. What three skills would you like to focus on in the next quarter?
40. How will you make yourself more effective in your current role?
41. Are you effective in handling your tasks?
42. Are you consistent in meeting your deadlines?
43. Do you feel overwhelmed with the work?
44. How are you managing your work-life balance?
45. How are you responding to team conflicts and disagreements?
46. Do you seek support from your colleagues if you are overwhelmed?
47. How is your rapport with peers?
48. One way you can keep your team inspired?

‍Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Set a goal for the employee to lead a team project, aiming for a 10% improvement in team collaboration metrics.
• Follow-Up: Conduct a post-project review to evaluate team dynamics and individual contributions.

D. Questions to Ask During a Performance Review as a Manager 

As a manager, you may be worried about how your employee is performing. You can quickly evaluate the performance of your team members with a structured performance review template. Your questions to ask during a performance review as a manager should include: 

‍Questions:

49. What motivates you the most in your role?
50. What aspects of your job do you find most challenging?
51. Do you feel you have enough support from leadership?
52. What can I do to help you grow professionally?
53. How do you prefer to receive feedback?
54. How did you meet all your goals?
55. Did you face any challenges while working on your current quarter objectives?
56. Were you able to resolve your challenges on your own, or did you opt for peer support?
57. Where do you see yourself on a scale of 1-5 in the current quarter?
58. Did your conversation improve with your stakeholders?
59. Looking back, identify a project you would have approached differently.
60. How did you manage ad-hoc and business priorities in this quarter?
61. What skills did you develop newly in this quarter?
62. What are your learnings from this quarter?
63. Do you feel motivated or disheartened by your achievements this quarter?
64. Are your roles and responsibilities aligned with your career in the organization?

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Develop a personalized development plan to increase job satisfaction scores by 15% over the next review period.
• Follow-up: Schedule regular one-on-one meetings to provide support and adjust the development plan as needed.

E. Questions to Ask in a Performance Review as an Employee

As an employee, you, too, should have the right to ask questions during your performance review. From a third person's perspective, your questions in the performance review should include your strengths, alignment with company goals, specific projects, feedback regarding your communication and engagement style, and so on. Here are some examples of the best performance review questions to ask as an Employee:

Questions:

65. What skills should I focus on developing?
66. What opportunities for growth are available for me?
67. How can I take on more responsibility?
68. What feedback do you have on my communication skills?
69. How can I contribute more effectively to team success?
70. Could you highlight specific projects or tasks where I exceeded your expectations?
71. What could I have done differently to communicate better with my team?
72. How should I handle my priorities?
73. What scope do you see for me in the organization?
74. Do I align with the business goals?
75. What projects do you see me working on in the next quarter?
76. What opportunities do you see for me to grow in the organization?
77. How do you see me aligning with the organizational goals?
78. How do you foresee me in the team lead position?
79. Do I need to improve my conversation with the team?
80. What recommendations do you have for my future?
81. Do I need a mentor to develop my skills further?

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Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Set a goal to take on a new project or responsibility, aiming for a 10% increase in personal productivity metrics.
• Follow-Up: Review progress with your manager at the halfway point to ensure alignment with team objectives.

F. Questions for Setting Future Goals & Career Development

When designing your future goals and career development path, you might have several confusions and questions in mind. What are the skills that you need to work on? What kind of projects would you like to take on? What are your positive and negative areas? What additional certification or education could be beneficial for you? Below are some annual performance review questions to ask for setting your future goals and career development: 

Questions:

82. What goals should I prioritize for the next quarter?
83. How can I better align my goals with company objectives?
84. What training or learning resources would you recommend for my growth?
85. How can I prepare myself for a leadership role?
86. What projects can I work on to enhance my skills?
87. What do I enjoy most about my current position?
88. What do I aspire to become in the organization?
89. What are the career paths or opportunities I like?
90. What type of roles will fulfill my ambitions?
91. What are my biggest challenges?
92. What types of learning opportunities should I explore?
93. Am I managing my priorities well?
94. What key industrial trends should I be aware of?
95. What are the relevant job titles for me to pursue further?
96. What should I focus on in the next quarter?
97. Are my interests aligning with the organizational goals and objectives?
98. Should I seek a mentor?

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Establish a career development plan with specific milestones, such as completing a leadership course within six months.
• Follow-Up: Conduct quarterly reviews to track progress and adjust the plan as necessary.

G. Best Performance Review Questions for Measuring Productivity 

As a manager, you might be curious about how to measure the productivity of your employees. The best way to measure it is by questioning your employees’ ability to manage workload, meet deadlines, prioritize tasks, and produce achievable results. Here are some of the best performance review questions for managers to measure their employee productivity: 

Questions:

99. How do you track your progress on key tasks?
100. Are there any processes that slow you down at work?
101. How do you prioritize multiple competing deadlines?
102. What tools or support would improve your efficiency?
103. How do you ensure consistency in your work?
104. How should you maximize your productivity at work?
105. How can you enjoy your role more?
106. Do you have any thoughts about streamlining your tasks?
107. What are the top 3 priorities or projects you would like to focus on in the next quarter?
108. Where do you see yourself in mentoring your juniors before our next review?
109. Was it challenging to mentor your junior? How did you overcome it?
110. How are you leveraging your strengths around your role’s requirements?
111. Do you need any support from me on any of the projects?
112. How do you define the strategies that keep you motivated at work?

‍

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Implement a new productivity tool or process to reduce task completion time by 20%.
• Follow-Up: Evaluate the effectiveness of the new tool/process after three months and make necessary adjustments.

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H. Questions for Self-Reflection and Continuous Improvement

Knowing how to answer performance review questions focused on self-reflection can help employees better understand their progress. These types of performance review questions help individuals regularly assess their progress, recognise strengths, and identify areas for improvement. By fostering this habit, you and your team can stay on track for long-term development.

Questions:

1. What feedback have you received from peers that helped you grow?
2. How do you handle constructive criticism?
3. What's one skill you wish to master next year?
4. What workplace habits have helped you improve your performance?
5. How do you stay motivated during challenging times?
6. How should you align better with your core values and actionable objectives?
7. What is the one habit that you like doing daily?
8. Are you being taken for granted for something at your workplace?
9. Where do you see yourself from the point of view of continuous improvement?
10. What are your plus points for staying organized at work?
11. What should you do to nurture your mental health?
12. What have you been trying to achieve, and how far have you achieved?
13. What can you do differently to stay ahead of the curve?
14. Are there any work habits you feel like adopting in your personal life, too?
15. Are you satisfied with yourself at work and your deliverables?
16. Do you identify recurring errors in your work? How do you work around those?
17. How can you be more proactive at work?
18. What steps are you thinking about for the next review?

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Set a personal development goal to master a new skill, aiming for a 25% improvement in related performance metrics.
• Follow-Up: Schedule bi-monthly self-reflection sessions to assess progress and recalibrate efforts.

I. Annual Performance Review Questions

For successful annual performance review sessions, tailor your questions around the roles and responsibilities of your employees. You can include discussions about your past achievements, strengths, goals, and improvement areas. These are crucial for gauging your annual progress. Here are the top yearly performance review questions to ask during your performance review:

Questions:

19. How has your performance evolved over the past year?
20. What were your most significant achievements this year?
21. What challenges did you overcome?
22. What long-term career goals do you have within the company?
23. How would you like to see your role evolve over the next year?
24. Do you feel satisfied with your contribution to the annual business goals?
25. Do you want to highlight some key skills you learned this year?
26. Did you receive any feedback from your peers, and how did you react to it?
27. What is the one skill or learning you’ll be focusing on in the upcoming year?
28. Did you identify new areas of improvement?
29. How did your peers help you perform better this year?
30. How did your manager and stakeholders help you improve your performance this year?
31. Any specific learning you would like to focus on in the upcoming year?
32. Do you have any suggestions for the team's functioning in the next year?
33. If you were a team lead, how would you like to drive your team in the upcoming year?
34. What skills or faith do you feel your team needs to work on in the next year?
35. Do you foresee any specific qualities that you accidentally developed this year?
36. How would you describe your alignment with your organizational goals?
37. How would you like to structure your next annual performance review?
38. How would you work towards converting your constructive feedback into positive feedback in the upcoming year?

Goal-Setting Framework:

• Action Step: Develop a long-term career plan with specific annual milestones, such as achieving a promotion within two years.
• Follow-Up: Conduct yearly reviews to evaluate progress and adjust career goals as needed.

How to Use Performance Review Questions Effectively

More than asking correct employee performance review questions, it is essential that you use them effectively. Effective use of performance review questions and answers focuses on open-ended, constructive conversations. These questions revolve around seeking clarifying questions to identify your strengths and weaknesses and align your individual goals with organizational objectives. Here are some tips for using the performance review questions and answers effectively: 

• For employees: Use these questions to reflect on achievements and set clear goals.
• For managers: Use them to guide productive and meaningful conversations.
• For HR teams: Standardize performance review questions to ensure fair evaluations.

How to Answer Performance Review Questions Confidently 

Practical performance review sessions follow a confident conversation with your employees or manager. Prepare by reflecting on your strengths, achievements, improvement areas, and actionable insights. Here are a few quick tips on how to answer performance review questions effectively: 

• Be honest, but highlight your strengths.
• Use data and specific examples to support your answers.
• Acknowledge areas of improvement with an action plan.
• Focus on growth and development, not just past performance.

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