Making the Most of the Process of Writing a Self-Evaluation

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Traditionally, the performance appraisal process has been an opportunity for managers to evaluate employees and provide them with feedback on their work and behavior.

However, performance appraisal has come a long way from this top-down approach. Today, holistic assessment processes incorporate feedback and insights from other managers, team members, and even employees in the form of self-assessments. Below we provide an overview of the self-assessment process and five tips for making the most of it.

What is a self-assessment?

A self-appraisal is a formal opportunity for an employee to present their perspective as part of the performance review process. In most cases, this is a detailed questionnaire with which the employee reflects on his or her own performance and answers the questions.

The self-assessment questions relate to performance, development, behavior and the company's overarching values. For example:

  • What three words would you use to describe your performance since your last review
  • What are the main objectives of your role and how do you think you have achieved these over the [period]?
  • What are your three biggest achievements from the past [period]? What are your three biggest challenges?
  • What company values have you best embodied over the last [period]?
  • What professional goals have you set for yourself for the next year?

You can also call this exercise self-assessment or self-reflection, but all terms mean the same thing: an opportunity for the employee to evaluate their behavior and contributions.

Why are self-assessments important?

Self-appraisals are another step in performance evaluation, but they are worth it because they are beneficial for both employees and managers.

How employees benefit from self-assessments

Although some employees may complain about having to complete a detailed assessment, this self-assessment gives them the opportunity to:

  • Think critically about their performance
  • To reflect on their career goals and progress toward them
  • To draw attention to responsibilities, accomplishments, or challenges that the leader may not be aware of

How managers benefit from self-evaluations

Managers need to spend some time reviewing self-assessments (ideally before face-to-face performance reviews). In this way, managers can:

  • Get a deeper insight into the employee's recent work
  • Increase employee engagement with the appraisal process and its outcomes as employees perceive the approach to be fairer
  • Uncover the employee's successes, challenges, or career goals that they may not have known about

How to write a solid self-evaluation

Writing a self-assessment can be nerve-wracking. When asked, you may feel like you have to mount a defense or justify the importance of your work. Instead, remember that self-assessments are not about value, but about development.

Here are five tips for writing a self-evaluation that promotes positive development and a productive conversation with your manager.

1.Commit to taking notes regularly

As you stare at the ominously blinking cursor on this questionnaire, it can be difficult to remember the ups and downs you've experienced at work over the past six months. Maybe you remember a few big projects, but right now it's easy to forget important details and contributions.

Save yourself the stress (and the blank stares) by taking regular notes. Create a simple document where you can continually record relevant little things - be it praise you've received, results you've achieved, sticking points that have frustrated you, or anything related to your performance.

When it's time to complete your self-assessment, you'll have a resource full of real-world examples and feedback to use when answering the questions.

2.Explore other data sources

If you haven't started taking notes yet, there are other ways to refresh your memory and find tangible information to include in your self-assessment. Take some time to consider things like your:

  • Emails
  • calendar
  • Slack messages
  • Task management software
  • Previous performance reviews
  • Notifications from project management platforms

These will help you remember some notable projects, achievements, goals, and lessons from the past few months.

3.Give examples

To get the most benefit from the self-evaluation process (and to impress your manager), be as specific as possible.

This means that you should provide specific examples in your answers to questions. Don't just say that you embody the company value of ingenuity, describe a recent situation where you had to think outside the box.

The STAR method can help you find solid examples. This method is typically used to answer behavioral questions in job interviews, but can also be a valuable aid when talking to yourself. STAR is an acronym and stands for:

Situation: What happened?
Task: What were you responsible for?
Action: What have you done to fulfill your responsibilities?
Result: What have you achieved with your efforts?

4.Be brief

Think of your self-assessment as a kind of "highlight reel" - an overview of your achievements, challenges, future ambitions and your general opinion about your role. You don't have to list everything you were responsible for during the specified time period.

Keep your answers short and concise. You can achieve this by devoting the most time and attention to these two parts of the STAR acronym:

Action: What role did you play in a particular situation?
Result: What you achieved through these actions
The situation and tasks help set the scene, but ultimately your manager is more interested in your contributions and the impact you've made.

5.Don't be afraid to be vulnerable

If you know that your self-evaluation plays a role in your overall performance review, you'll naturally want to highlight your successes. However, an overly positive self-assessment comes across as disingenuous and will do you a disservice in the long run.

Gather your courage and speak openly and honestly about any obstacles or challenges you have faced and what you have learned from those situations.

This shows your accountability and resilience and highlights areas or processes that your manager can work to improve so that you can avoid similar problems in the future.

Use self-assessments for success, not shame

Nobody is perfect. It can be difficult to honestly look back on your own performance, but it's worth it. A self-assessment provides an opportunity for personal reflection, an alternative perspective to shape your overall assessment, and a basis for a productive conversation with your supervisor.

Ultimately, your self-evaluation is not about identifying what you could have done better, but rather about how your manager can most meaningfully support your growth and development.

Tips by IceHrm, your trusted HR management software partner that helps organizations streamline their processes and enhance employee experiences.