Crush Performance Reviews For Engineers

3 Days

·

Cohort-based Course

In three days, you will develop the confidence and a 30-60-90-day action plan to stand-out in the performance review and get noticed!

Course overview

Rise from Stagnation at Work to a Leadership Role

Promotions are not just offered to exceptional performers, they are given to employees who are pushing to be leaders -- irrespective of their final rating.


And to be a leader, you must first perform and communicate like one. That's exactly what this course will help you do.

Who is this course for

01

Experienced engineer (<10 years work ex) who is stuck at an impact level & wants to lead a project to showcase technical & people skills.

02

Engineer who was cruising at work due to a big life event but wants to accelerate career development.

03

Ambitious early-career engineer who wants to lay a strong foundation from the get-go.

04

Engineers from all fields, software to aeronautical, pushing for growth. We're rated by similar metrics & nuances will be covered live.

Key outcomes

Design a 30-60-90 Day Action Plan 🎯

To maximize your rating and the potential for higher compensation and promotion.

Without a system your work tasks will always overwhelm soft-skills tasks. This system will help you solve from getting swamped while making progress.

Construct a Review Courtroom 👩🏽‍⚖️

So you can plan for all the people and variables in the system and how they impact your growth.

Go from a limited view of the review system to knowing how the behind-the-scenes work.

Dissect the Manager's Viewpoint 👀

I share insights from four interviews with engineering managers (anonymous so we get all the spice 😉). They also share their frustrations and if-this-then-that analysis.

Know the answers to many questions including, "What to do if I don't get the rating I deserve?"

Write Scripts for the Review ✍🏽

Produce words and strategy using specific frameworks and templates to effectively communicate in the self-review and the performance review meeting. Plus, how to ask for a promotion.

No more sprinting last minute to search for action verbs and strategy for the review process.

Develop Relationships with the Leadership Team 🤝🏽

Organically and naturally so they know how to help you chart your next jump. Companies are desperate for leaders to raise their hand.

Go from a cordial working relationship with your manager to a mentor who is completely invested in seeing you succeed.

Most importantly... 💪🏽

You will be empowered from knowing exactly what you need to do to be a top performer.

Like Roshan, my student said, "I had all the best performance metrics, but once I had the tools to present my work and plan to communicate effectively, it gave me an unwavering confidence."

Hear from my students.

        I highly recommend Varun's coaching for anyone looking to maximize their results. He helped me communicate my performance impactfully which helped me land a new job opportunity at an exciting company and a $40,000 salary jump!
Narendra M.

Narendra M.

NVH Engineer
        Varun helped me use my 2-year performance review to present the result of my work on my company's goals. That meeting led to negotiating a $12,000 salary increase (when offered $3,000 initially) along with a title promotion.
Sukrut S.

Sukrut S.

Senior Design Engineer
        I knew my performance and work was excellent. But I just didn't know the language. I just didn't have the tools. That's where Varun came in. With his advice, I was able to create documents and produce physical parts that communicated my top performance. I have used these techniques not just in reviews but in job interviews as well!
Roshan K.

Roshan K.

CFD Engineer
        When it comes to my company, I had the classic barrier -- they should recognize me for my work. From chatting with Varun I reframed the situation that it is my responsibility. I created a slide-deck to put into numbers the time I saved for the company and how it improved performance. This plus Varun's negotiation advice helped me get a 17% raise.
Ajay S.

Ajay S.

Architecture Configuration Engineer
A pattern of wavy dots

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Crush Performance Reviews For Engineers

This course is not for you

01

If you believe that you have to play the game of office politics or work long hours to be promoted.

02

If you are okay waiting for the leadership team to realize your worth.

03

If you already have employees reporting to you or you are the lead engineer of the best project in your business unit.

Meet your instructor

Varun Negandhi

Varun Negandhi

I am an immigrant engineer who got a rude-awakening that being successful at school (3.93 GPA) doesn't mean success in the workplace. Sound familiar?

Over the years I performed to the best of my abilities and assumed I would get As.

That didn't happen. I was stagnant in my career and it sucked!

I didn't understand that unlike college, the extra credit is what takes a B grade to an A at work. I don't mean working long hours, but deconstructing what was valuable to my company and produce value accordingly.

So to go from entry-level to the Partner at EngSim (automotive supplier) in 10 years, I had to develop new skills such as sales development presentations, out-bound marketing, and stand-out communication skills. On top of sharpening my technical knowledge.

I understand how engineers like me don't come pre-built with supreme workplace skills. And I am passionate about diffusing my learnings, and mistakes to other engineers and make it less lonely, more precise, easier, and fun for you.

If you are looking to standout as THE Leader by this review cycle or next, then this course is for you.

A pattern of wavy dots

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Crush Performance Reviews For Engineers

Course Syllabus

01

Create a Review Courtroom to uncover the players and the variables in the performance review system.

Many people think that a performance review is a 1-1 discussion with my manager. But actually, there are many more players and variables that need to be uncovered.

In this module, you will use the modern-day courtroom analogy to decode who the judge, attorneys, and jury are for you so you know exactly how they impact your score.

02

Develop strong relationships with decision makers using the Mentor Talks strategy.

The best way to be a leader is to go beyond your technical responsibilities and collaborate with your wider group.

With the Mentor Talks strategy, you will collaborate with the people in your Review Courtroom and produce work that is a value add to their team. Without taking on big additional responsibilities.

03

Write a performance benchmark report based on insights from managers.

Getting critical feedback is tough. It especially sucks if you don't know how to improve your performance score.

In this session, you will learn from four managers I interviewed. They share what they perceive as Top Performance. You will then write a benchmark report that will set the standard for you.

04

Invent your 30-60-90-day action plan

Stop postponing the soft-skills work because you are overwhelmed by project work.

Start positioning yourself as a stand-out performer by inventing a 30-60-90-day plan that is effective and time-efficient using the frameworks shared in this module.

05

Compose an authentically impressive self-review

It can be a dreadful task to rate your work and create an impactful story while making sure it doesn't sound like fiction.

Using action verbs from Bloom's Taxonomy and Plain-to-Polish principle, present the synopsis of your work to your cohort peers and get valuable feedback.

06

Construct a scenario based playbook for the performance review meeting and after.

The best way to not be blindsided during the review is to have a scenario playbook. For e.g., you think you performed well but your manager didn't. What would you do?

In this module, you will construct a playbook based on four different scenarios, and write scripts for how to react during and after the meeting. Plus, how to ask for a promotion!

Course schedule

6-8 hours for the 3-day course

  • September 28-30: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

    2 hours each day. 6-8 PM EST

    Live cohorts using Zoom. Each session will involve some slide presentation, QnA, sharing, and break-out rooms. I have sat in boring monologue lectures and this one will not be that for sure!

  • October 1: Saturday

    Time-slots by appointment

    Office hours. Get 1-1 feedback regarding your 30-60-90 day action plan.

  • Daily projects

    30 minutes each day

    Specific projects with project prompts and templates/scripts will be shared during each live session.

  • Office hours on Day 30-60-90 after course ends

    30-minute live group sessions

    In the course you will create a 30-60-90-day action plan. These events will provide accountability towards those actions and a chance for QnAs.

A pattern of wavy dots

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Crush Performance Reviews For Engineers

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active learning, not passive watching

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

Email script to ask for company reimbursement

Email script to ask for company reimbursement

Download the entire script using link below

A pattern of wavy dots

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Crush Performance Reviews For Engineers

Stay in the loop

Sign up to be the first to know about course updates.