Performance reviews can be a nerve-wracking experience for many employees. Even if you’ve put in your best work throughout the year, you don’t always know what kind of evaluation you’ll receive from your manager. A good performance review brings many opportunities for growth within your organization. Carefully plan how you can use your positive performance review to advance along your career track.

Be a Team Player

During your positive performance appraisal, it’s important to be humble and show gratitude. Thank your manager for their kind words. Use this as a launching point to show your leadership and teamwork skills. For example, if your manager mentions your performance on a specific project, pay respect to your colleagues who also contributed to your success. This shows your manager that you value your coworkers and understand how important collaboration is in the workplace.

For example, “Thanks for the kind words. I’m really happy with how well we all worked together on that project. We have a great team here and I’ve learned a lot from being a part of it. I was able to ensure we met our targets because of the support I received from the team.”

Ask for Specific Examples

When you receive a good performance review, there may be some vague or unspecific feedback, such as “you’re doing a great job.” While it’s nice to hear positive reinforcement, this kind of feedback doesn’t actually tell you where you are exceeding or what you can improve on. Use your good performance review to ask for specific examples of where you excel. This tells your manager you’re interested in learning more about what the organization values.

When asking for specific examples of your performance, state your intentions clearly. For example, “I really appreciate that. Can you tell me what areas you think I have excelled in, and which areas I should concentrate on improving?”

Request More Responsibility

When your manager tells you that your performance has been stellar, you can use this as a launching point to ask for more responsibility. This tells your manager that you are interested in growing your role within the company. They may look at adding more leadership responsibilities within your current role, or suggest working toward the next step in your career.

If there are specific areas you’d like to explore, ask how you can make that happen. For example, “I really enjoyed working directly with customers. Can we talk about how I can take on more responsibility with managing client relations? This is an area I am very interested in.”

Plan Your Next Career Move

When you receive a good performance review, it shows that the organization values your skills and strengths. Use this as an opportunity to discuss your next career move. If you are a marketing coordinator, for example, ask how you can move up to a marketing manager position. Let your supervisor know your intentions and your goals so that they can help you achieve them.

Many organizations offer employees training and educational opportunities when they want to move up the career ladder. Ask how your company can help you achieve your career objectives. For example, “I’m really interested in becoming a marketing manager one day. Can we discuss what steps I can take to get there? I’m ready to learn and apply my skills.”

Build a Case for a Raise

A good performance review is a chance to outline the value and skills you bring to your organization and ask for a raise. Many organizations raise salaries on an annual basis tied to performance reviews and company results. Use this timing to your advantage. Prepare a list of examples that shows your excellent performance and how that has positively impacted the business. Use that to negotiate a raise that is in line with what you bring to the organization.