What Determines Your Performance Review Rating as an Executive Assistant

Most people think performance review outcomes are decided when they walk into their performance review conversation. They’ve worked hard on their self-assessment, the work should speak for itself.

Except, that’s not how it works.

In most organisations, by the time that moment arrives, the outcome has already been largely worked out.

This shows up particularly clearly in Executive Assistant roles, where so much of the work is high impact but not always immediately visible.

How Should Executive Assistants Prepare for a Performance Review?

This is one of the most common questions I get asked.

• And the expected answers are usually the same:
  Demonstrate your value.

• Show how you’ve hit your goals.

• Highlight your impact.

All of that absolutely matters, but it’s not actually where the outcome is decided.

Performance reviews aren’t determined in the moment you prepare for them. They’re influenced by what has been seen, understood, and reinforced over time.

This is where a missed opportunity exists for many EAs.

How Performance Review Outcomes Are Actually Decided for EAs

By the time you’re writing your self-assessment, your rating has often already been worked out in principle.

Not formally documented (or communicated), but understood.

It’s influenced by budget, by how your role is perceived, and by the narrative that has been built around your contribution across the year.

That narrative doesn’t come from one document. It’s shaped over time.

What I Learned About Performance Reviews Working with CEOs

I saw this consistently when I supported CEOs:

When it came to performance and remuneration discussions, the strongest cases were not pulled together at the last minute. They were already clear.

The executives making those cases could connect the dots easily because the groundwork had been laid all year. There was a clear line between what had been delivered and the impact it had.

Nothing was being introduced for the first time in that moment.

I saw a common trait overall: high performers treated their performance review as a year-round PR campaign.

What It Takes to Get a Raise or Promotion as an Executive Assistant

It‘s easy to assume that strong performance leads to recognition.

But in practice, decisions around pay, progression, and opportunity are influenced by something broader.

They’re shaped by:

• how clearly your value is understood

• how consistently it has been demonstrated

• and how well it has been positioned over time.

This is where many high-performing Executive Assistants get stuck. They’re doing valuable work, often operating at a high level, but that value isn’t always being translated into a narrative that holds when decisions are being made.

This is exactly the gap I see inside my work with EAs, and the focus of what I teach in The Elite EA Academy.

Why This Matters More for Executive Assistants

In EA roles, a lot of the work is critical but it isn’t always visible unless you make sure it is.

You’re often close to decision-making, contributing at a high level, and enabling outcomes that wouldn’t happen without you.

The uncomfortable reality is, however, proximity to impact doesn’t automatically translate into recognised value.

Without a clear and consistent narrative, that work can remain understood in fragments rather than as a whole.

Why This Applies Beyond Performance Reviews

This isn’t just about performance reviews.

So much of what shapes your experience at work is decided before the moment arrives.

Whether:

• you’re considered for opportunities.

• have funding approved for development.

• your role is seen as a critical asset, or simply a supportive resource.

These decisions are influenced by what’s been consistently visible and reinforced over time.

The Shift Most EAs Haven’t Made

It’s easy to get caught up in the volume of work and the day-to-day pressure.

I see too often EAs missing opportunities to expand earning potential and increasing credibility by zooming out and asking:

• What am I consistently reinforcing about my role?

• What story is being built around my contribution?

What Executive Assistants Should Do Differently Before Their Performance Review

If you want to be recognised, valued and rewarded in a way that reflects your actual contribution, not their perception of it, you need to approach this more deliberately.

Not as something that happens once a year, but instead, something that’s built consistently.

This is particularly important in EA roles, where visibility doesn’t always happen by default.

It means being intentional about what you highlight, how you communicate your work, and how clearly your impact is understood by others.

If you need a starting point, I’ve created practical tools in the Career Success shop to help you do this in a structured way.

Final Thought

The difference isn’t usually capability.

It’s whether your value is visible and clearly understood when decisions are being made.

This builds on something I wrote recently about how Executive Assistant performance is actually measured. If you haven’t read that yet, it will give you important context for this.

If This Has Landed, the Next Step Isn’t Working Harder.

It’s learning how to make your value visible, understood, and easy to advocate for when decisions are being made.

This is exactly the work I teach inside The Elite EA Academy, and go deeper on through private mentoring.

You can also explore practical tools in the Career Success shop or start with free training here

About The Author

Rachael Bonetti works with Executive Assistants globally to step into roles where they are not just supporting the business, but shaping it.

Her work focuses on helping EAs think commercially, operate more strategically, and position themselves as critical assets in an evolving business landscape. Drawing on her experience supporting CEOs and executive teams, she helps individuals and teams move beyond execution and into impact, with a clear understanding of how their value is seen, communicated and recognised.