u/stealth_knight98

Suppose your company has four performance ratings:

1. Below expectations
2. Meets expectations
3. Pushed above expectations
4. Superstar / significantly exceeded expectations

During your EOFY self-review, how often would you actually give yourself a 3 (pushed above expectations) rather than a 2?

For context, I’m a mid-level SWE. I feel like I can point to a few concrete examples this year where I went beyond my normal remit, took on additional responsibility, or delivered more than what was expected at my level. But I still gave myself Meets Expectations.

My thinking was that meets expectations is a perfectly good rating and I didn’t want to come across as arrogant or as someone trying to inflate their own performance.

Now I’m wondering if I sold myself short. Maybe the whole point of a self-review is to advocate for yourself, and if you can genuinely back up a 3 with examples, you should select it and let your manager/calibration process decide whether they agree.

What do you all do? Do you rate yourself conservatively, or would you give yourself a 3 if you have evidence to support it?

Also curious to hear from managers: does an employee rating themselves a 3 come across as self-aware/ambitious, or can it hurt them if you ultimately think they’re a 2?

I’m looking at buying a Longines HydroConquest and I’m really conflicted between the quartz and automatic.

I’m pretty new to watches. Most of what I’ve owned has been G-Shocks and an Apple Watch, so this would easily be the most expensive watch I’ve ever bought. I also don’t usually spend much on expensive things, so spending this much on a watch already feels a little crazy. Most people in my social circle would probably think I’m mad haha.

I’ll probably only wear it once or twice a week, so the practical side of me says quartz. I can just pick it up and wear it without having to set the time or wind it.

But the quartz is around two-thirds the price of the automatic, and part of me thinks if I’m already spending this much, should I just pay the extra and get the automatic?

I’m slowly getting into watches, so I also wonder if I’d regret going quartz later.

What would you guys do? Would you save the money and go quartz, or spend the extra on the automatic?

Curious what everyone typically talks about during their 1:1s with their manager.
I sometimes find myself not having much to talk about, especially since I see and speak to my manager pretty regularly in the office anyway. Because of that, some 1:1s can feel like there isn’t much new to discuss, and I’d like to figure out how to make better use of that time.

For those of you who find your 1:1s useful, what do you normally talk about? Are there certain topics or questions you make a point of bringing up regularly?

Also, how often do you bring up career progression or promotions? Is that something you discuss fairly regularly so your manager knows where you want to go, or only when you feel like you’re actually getting close to being ready for a promotion?

Would love to hear what a typical 1:1 looks like for others, especially any questions or topics you’ve found surprisingly useful.