Self-evaluation is often part of annual employee reviews. Learn the ins and outs of how to write one to make the most of this opportunity.
Sometimes, self-evaluation is a difficult and scary exercise. However, there’s no need to be afraid of it. Instead, use these guidelines to write a self-evaluation that emphasizes your strengths and areas for growth.
The Meaning of Self-Evaluation
Employee self-evaluation — also known as “self-appraisal” — is a review system by which an employee is asked to assess their own job performance.
Employees are usually asked to write a self-evaluation shortly before their yearly performance review. Their responses are considered part of the employer’s overall evaluation.
As a result, it’s vital that the employee be open about their strengths and faults.
However, they should also utilize this moment to highlight their accomplishments as the evaluation is likely to be used to determine raises or promotions.
There are a few things to keep in mind to get the most out of the experience. When writing your self-evaluation, consider the following factors.
1. Write a list of your achievements.
Take some time before writing your self-evaluation to make a list of your accomplishments to discuss during the review session.
Begin by making a list of any and all important things you’ve done, as well as your best qualities. Limit what you actually turn in to the most important and relevant ones. However, for now, it’s important to write all of your thoughts down on paper.
Use measurable data whenever possible. Track your achievements by measuring them with numbers, hours, or percentages. Employers appreciate you making the effort to do the math for them by showing your successes in numbers.
Include everything you’ve done to train other staff or take on new duties. In addition, write down the times you took initiative in any other way since your last evaluation. When thinking about promotions or raises, employers will look at these kinds of things.
2. Write down areas that need improvement.
This may appear to be a trap question, similar to when an interviewer asks, “What’s your worst weakness?”
However, there’s no need to overthink anything. Without being too harsh on yourself, be honest about the areas you believe need improvement.
If you have a tendency to be overly critical of yourself, seek input from your coworkers on your strengths and weaknesses. You might be surprised at how well they rate you!
When you see areas where you can improve, strive to match them with action strategies. Discuss these with your manager. This demonstrates your ability to take charge and find answers on your own.
Always describe how you’ll use the lessons you’ve learned from your failures or weaknesses to help you improve. For example, I realized I needed to improve my time management abilities after missing multiple deadlines. Since then, I’ve kept track of my goals by making daily, prioritized to-do lists.
3. Never play the blame game.
Always own your flaws when talking about them.
Don’t pull others into the conversation by discussing what they could or should have done. If you want to give a genuine explanation, your supervisor will be more impressed by your capacity to take responsibility.
Of course, if you believe someone is dragging the team down, talk to them and your employer about it — but not during your performance review.
4. Write down and discuss your objectives.
It’s not simply about your past when it comes to self-evaluation. This is also a good time to express (briefly) your career goals for the following review session.
A competent manager or supervisor will actually care about your objectives and will assist you in developing and writing a strategy to achieve them. In addition, note here if you believe you would benefit from extra training, shadowing, or other resources.
5. Set and write goals for yourself.
When it comes time to write the evaluation, strive to keep it as brief as possible. There’s no need to write a novel here.
Concentrate on the strengths and successes that are most important to your company’s objectives. It’s also a good idea to rank your accomplishments by importance, starting with the most significant first.
6. Go over everything again!
Keep in mind that not only will your boss read your self-appraisal, but it will also follow you around for a long time. Should you ever switch departments, it may be seen by HR team members, executives, and department heads after it’s tucked away in your personnel file.
As a result, even if writing isn’t a large part of your employment, it’s important that you make a strong first impression.
After you’ve proofread your self-evaluation a few times, have a friend, colleague, or family member read it over. You might also want to run it through a proofreading program such as Grammarly to make sure it’s free of errors.
