Woman holding a scale (from office.com/images)Chances are that if you work for a living, you're going to experience the joy of being reviewed on the work you do (and how you do it). There are ways to make performance reviews—for the giver and the receiver—a little less overwhelming.

Keep track of your work using Search Folders (available in Outlook 2010, 2007, and 2003)

A great way to see what you've done all year long is to go through status reports, e-mail communications with clients, your managers, and your coworkers, and pick out the most glowing accomplishments among them. Sure, you can go through your Sent Items folder and scour through each e-mail message, but that could take days, and you're likely to miss something really good. There is an easier way: Search Folders.

Be a goody-goody: Show off your skills

One great way to show your manager just how irreplaceable you are is by becoming more knowledgeable about the work you do. You can do this in a variety of ways depending on what sort of company you work for and what type of work you do.

When you're the the one giving the good/bad news: Review templates for managers

While I'm not a manager myself (nor am I particularly manageable), I do understand that it's a burden to be almighty and powerful. Why not let Office templates help you out a bit here? We've got several just for the occasion. 

 I do hope you get that promotion/raise/window office you were counting on. If it didn't happen this time around, remember that Crabby is still proud of you. Now get back to work and prove your worth....

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." — Eleanor Roosevelt

—  Crabby