How To Effectively Use Your Employee KPI To Advance Your Career

When you enter the workforce or transition into a new position, you might come across the term “employee KPI.” If you are wondering what this term is and how it is specific to a particular job role, look no further! In this article, you will find out how you can use your KPI successfully to advance your career.

What is a KPI?

KPI or Key Performance Indicators are measurable values used to evaluate your performance and progress. Employers use KPIs to help you succeed in your role and advance your career. There are two kinds of KPIs: high-level and low-level. 

High-level key performance indicators 

High-level KPIs involve overarching goals or business objectives, like the overall performance of a company. They measure employee satisfaction or employee performance on a general level.

Lower-level key performance indicators

Lower-level KPIs indicate your day-to-day work and productivity. They can assist you in tracking your ability to meet work expectations. Eventually, they can help identify training opportunities to help you upskill.

An employee’s KPI is unique to every business and job role. It can help you determine where you are now and where you want to be in the future. KPIs provide you with figures you can track to ensure you reach your goal.

What is the importance of having a KPI?

Your KPIs are levers to help you reach your goals. Having a clear understanding of the different KPI types will help you grasp a complete picture of your career growth. On the other side, employers also use KPIs to perceive if their business strategy is stirring them in the right direction.

Creating your KPI can help you achieve your personal career goals. A well-crafted one lets you determine your motivation to work and how your tasks affect your job satisfaction. It would help if you noted your KPI because it will come up every performance review. On a personal level, you can also use it to advance your career!

You can use your employee KPI when writing a stellar resume. Including your KPI from your previous employer will highlight your achievements and how you reached them. Having an updated KPI will let you create a resume much more effectively than if you simply outlined your previous work duties.

How do I make an employee KPI?

When making an employee KPI, remember to add SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This way, you will clearly understand your KPI and its impact on your performance. You can also ask for your employer's goals so that you can align them with yours to monitor your progress.

Alternatively, you can find your employee KPI in your job description, or you can ask about it during your job interview. Expect your employer to discuss it more once you accept their job offer. 

The different types of employee KPIs

To successfully achieve your KPI, you have to make it work side-by-side with your employer's goals. When you align your employer's objectives with your career goals, you can define critical performance metrics that make it more achievable. 

Depending on your objectives, you can use different types of employee KPIs. Learn all about them and the best type to use as you read on.

Quantitative

Quantitative KPIs are metrics that rely on numbers to measure your progress. They are ideal for identifying data about your performance. They use clear, concise, and data-based insights about your achievements.

A quantitative KPI is the most straightforward KPI. It allows you to provide accurate data for your employer. These numbers can back up your claim for a promotion or a raise.

Example: 

Employer goal: Increase company revenue by 20% by the end of the year.

Your KPI: Acquire 1,000 customers monthly from marketing efforts.

Qualitative

Qualitative KPIs look at descriptive characteristics instead of numbers. They focus on the qualities of your performance. These metrics tend to be subjective, and the conclusions drawn are illustrative.

Employers measure your qualitative performance through employee satisfaction surveys. The results from these surveys are dependent on feelings and opinions. Thus, qualitative indicators tend to focus more on experiences or markers of how you conduct your work.

Example: 

Employer goal: Produce behaviour and leadership competencies among employees.

Your KPI: Improve soft skills and ask for learning opportunities for personal development.

Leading

Leading KPIs let you know if you are on track to achieving your desired results. This type of KPI measures performance on how you can produce results. You can use this to predict changes or trends and future implementations. 

A leading KPI helps you and your employer plan for the future. It allows you to have the ability to forecast and help your company perform better. It can also boost your initiative to provide solutions to your employer, showing how you are committed to your role.

Example: 

Employer goal: Drive 20% of website traffic by the end of the year.

Your KPI: Determine what type of content drives customers to a website.

Lagging

Unlike leading KPIs, lagging KPIs measure performance after your tasks have produced a result. You can use this type of KPI to determine how well you manage a process to reach your goal.

A lagging KPI encourages you to learn more about your role or your performance. You can use the historical data gathered from this KPI and apply that knowledge to pinpoint areas of improvement. With this indicator, you can develop your critical thinking skills to innovate your processes.

Example: 

Employer goal: Determine how successful marketing efforts are from the last campaign. 

Your KPI: Discover what drives customer interest from previous marketing efforts.

Input

Input KPI uses resources needed to complete a specific action or project. Note that these resources involve things within your control, like your time to complete a task. The metrics to determine this KPI usually involves establishing cost efficiency.

With this type of KPI, you can suggest what tools you need to improve your performance. You can also ask your employer to provide learning opportunities to help you perform your job better. 

Example: 

Employer goal: Increase on-time completion of projects by 20%.

Your KPI: Keep projects on time and within budget while ensuring a high-quality outcome.

Process

Process indicators are all about how streamlined, efficient, and effective your job performance is. This KPI is related to the activities involved to achieve your job goals and create value. It helps you understand how you use company resources to achieve your employer’s goals.

By using process KPI, you can actively measure the implementation of the changes you make in your company. It becomes possible for you to see how your work impacts progress toward your employer's goals. Efficiency is a key for this type of employee KPI because it can help determine whether expectations are met or not.

Example: 

Employer goal: Increase customer response time by 10% per inquiry.

Your KPI: Identity which tools can help increase customer response efficiency.

Employee KPIs are a vital component for a successful career. They can help track your professional progress to make smart decisions, meet goals, and improve performance. By using KPIs, you can gauge your success and improvement. 

Now that you have a better understanding of employee KPI, use yours to your advantage and go for that promotion. Learn more about how you can successfully advance your career by visiting the Career Resources Hub. Do not forget to update your JobStreet profile to get the latest notifications on exciting new opportunities.