Performance review goals examples for different industries

January 5, 2022

No matter your career industry or level of experience, performance review goals are a must. While it’s important to set achievable performance goals, it’s critical that they also help with an employee’s overall career development, short-term, and long-term goals. Performance review goals will provide a concrete way to measure professional growth and success.

Writing performance review goals is an integral part of both being an employee in an organization, and serving in a supervisory role. After all, managers and supervisors must ensure that the goals of their employees are plausible and likely to yield results.

This is important because setting the right performance review goal can be just the motivation an employee needs to achieve their full potential within their position. Regardless of your position, the performance review goals examples and additional guidance below will ensure you craft goals that will lead to success.

What are employee performance review goals?

Performance review goals help determine expectations related to your job performance. They can be specifically related to what you want to accomplish or the skills you need to develop to succeed in your position.

These goals can be short-term, long-term, or a combination of the two. Even better, some long-term goals may be broken down into smaller short-term components.

Components of a performance review goal

Writing a good and motivating performance review goal requires they be SMART. You’ve likely heard of SMART goals, but we’ll break them down to make sure we’re on the same page.

S – Specific

You want your goal to be clear and specific, so there’s no question regarding whether it’s been accomplished or not. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to determine the steps required to achieve it.

M – Measurable

You should be able to measure whether the goal has been achieved and whether you’re making progress toward achieving it. That typically means your goal must be quantifiable as opposed to qualitative, in which it’s based on what you think instead of what can be proved.

It’s also helpful to set milestones so you can check in as they get closer to the deadline for achieving their measurable goal.

A – Achievable

Goals are only beneficial if they’re achievable. If the goal is too lofty to be accomplished within a set period, it doesn’t motivate employees to achieve it. Employees will only work diligently to achieve a performance review goal if they believe they can achieve it.

If you want to set a larger goal, you can always take a step back and select a smaller initial goal to prepare your employee for what’s to come.

R – Relevant

All performance review goals should be relevant to the employee’s position and the goals within the company. Setting random goals without a connection can feel out of alignment, reducing the motivation employees have to achieve them.

T – Timely

You should have a specific time frame to set performance review goals for employees. A goal without a time frame can make it difficult to achieve for the employee because they don’t have time in mind to make it happen, and difficult for you to measure as the supervisor. When determining the time frame, be sure to consider any possible setbacks that might occur so you can set a realistic time.

Example of a SMART Goal

A proper SMART goal includes all of the components mentioned above. Here’s an example.

Hire and train 4 new freelance contractors by March 30, 2022.

Specific: Hire and train 3 new freelance contractors
Measurable: 3 new freelance contractors
Attainable: In this situation, based on previous experience, it’s reasonable to hire and train 1 new qualified freelance contractor monthly
Relevant: The company’s overall goal is to increase support in the area the contractor will work in, so this is a suitable goal
Time-bound: Achieving the objective by March 30, 2022

Example of a Non-SMART Goal

This is in comparison to a non-SMART goal such as this one.

Hire additional help by the end of the year.

This goal isn’t specific, would be challenging to measure, and isn’t time-bound. While it could be attainable, it’s difficult to determine whether it is or not because there’s not enough specificity surrounding the goal. So, the only SMART requirement is qualified for being relevant to the company as a whole.

As you can see, it’s easier to work toward achieving a goal and measure the success of achieving a SMART goal vs. one that isn’t.

Examples of performance evaluation goals based on job type

Here are some common performance review categories and examples across 3 different industries. You can use these to spark ideas related to performance goals relevant to your employees and company.

Productivity review goals

You set productivity goals when you want your employees to produce more of the desired result within the same time without reducing overall quality.

Industry: Marketing

I will increase my daily cold sales emails by 10% by the end of the quarter.

Industry: Education

I will increase enrollment in my course by 2 students per week for the next 60 days.

Industry: Customer Service

I will increase the number of new customer credit card sign-ups to 150 in the next quarter.

Professional development review Goals

Professional development goals allow your employees to remain up to date on industry trends to be best prepared to perform at an optimal level. These goals can relate to earning a degree, attending a workshop or conference, or simply reading material associated with a specific skill.

Industry: Marketing

I will complete the Advanced Social Media Marketing 12-week course by December 31, 2022.

Industry: Education

I will complete my Masters’ Degree in Elementary Education by September 30, 2022.

Industry: Customer Service

I will attend the on-demand Disney’s Approach to Quality Service training within the next 30 days.

Communication Review Goals

Setting specific goals related to communication skills allows you to improve competencies in this area within any industry, no matter the position.

Industry: Marketing

I will set up a weekly meeting with each client to ensure they are satisfied with their marketing performance through the end of 2022.

Industry: Education

I will lead the weekly English team meeting throughout the 2021-2022 school year.

Industry: Customer Service

I will speak to 85% of the customers who enter the store within 30 seconds during each shift over the next 90 days.

Attendance review goals

Being present at work is crucial to success, and attendance goals allow you to measure and improve an employee’s ability to do so if they struggle with regular attendance and punctuality.

Industry: Marketing

I will provide at least 24 hours notice if I am absent for a regular work shift.

Industry: Education

I will be on time at my assigned spot for morning duty daily during the school year’s first quarter.

Industry: Customer Service

I will open the store 1 hour before guests arrive during each shift over the next 90 days.

Collaboration Review Goals

Collaboration with your team members, members within the company, customers, clients, and other stakeholders are often non-negotiable in roles, no matter the position. Still, teamwork can come with its challenges at the same time. That’s why setting collective goals can be highly beneficial for the employee and the company if it improves the process overall.

Industry: Marketing

I will meet bi-weekly with the head of the sales department to discuss company sales goals and how the marketing department can support them through the end of 2022.

Industry: Education

I will meet with the school counselor monthly to discuss socio-emotional learning strategies I can implement in the classroom during the second quarter.

Industry: Customer Service

I will meet with the managerial team weekly to collect data submitted through customer reviews and strategize how to improve scores over the next 60 days.

Customer Satisfaction Review Goals

Maintaining high customer and client satisfaction ratings is a significant part of success in business across various industries when you’re in a client-facing role. Setting customer satisfaction goals allows employees to provide better customer care by improving metrics related to their customer service skill set.

Industry: Marketing

I will maintain a client satisfaction rating of 4 out of 5 for 80% of my clients through the end of 2022.

Industry: Education

I will maintain an average parent satisfaction rating of 85% based on quarterly anonymous surveys through the end of the third quarter.

Industry: Customer Service

I will maintain an average customer satisfaction rating of 90% through the end of 2022.