Self-Assessment: Tips for Employees Writing Performance Reviews

By Katherine Arline
culled from:businessnewsdaily.com

As an employee or a manager, you are likely accustomed to receiving performance reviews from managers. However, if you focus exclusively on the "top-down" portion of your performance review, you may be missing opportunities to improve your relationships and performance. The self-assessment is a critical tool for fostering conversation and improving communication with your managers and peers.

Self-assessments, also known as self-appraisals or self-evaluations, are a popular way for employees to offer their own analysis of their strengths and weaknesses in the context of a formal performance review. The self-assessment lets the employee discuss what important projects have been completed, share new skills and techniques acquired and remind employers of all the great work they have done since the last performance review.

A self-assessment is also the perfect opportunity for employees to show their managers that they understand where they can improve. While no one likes to point out areas of weakness, some employers have more respect for their staff members who are able to honestly assess their shortcomings. Employees who think they are doing great in all areas of their job are often too shortsighted to understand that, in reality, they are not meeting expectations.


Julie Rieken, vice president of marketing and customer experience at evaluation software company Trakstar, noted that employees should connect their actions with a manager's goals.

"If your manager needs to hit a certain number, share how you played a role in hitting the number," Rieken said in a blog post. "While it might be nice that you learned to sew parkas for chipmunks, skip listing that accomplishment unless your manager has been tasked with manufacturing chipmunk parkas from corporate. Accomplishments you list should connect with business objectives."

Be concise. While employees might be inclined to write about each step of the successful project or task, it's best to be brief. The work should stand on its own. This is just a time to make sure the boss remembers that the employee did it.

Be honest. Honesty is another critical aspect of writing a self-review. It's more than likely that the boss knows when a good job was done, so trying to highlight a project or task that was just OK, rather than great, won't have much impact. In fact, it likely will show the people in charge that the employee doesn't truly have a grasp on his or her own performance or understand the difference between satisfactory performance and truly exceptional work.

Part of being honest also means pointing out some areas that could be improved. Timothy Butler, a senior fellow and director of career development programs at Harvard Business School, advises employees to use developmental language when critiquing the areas in which they need improvement.

"You don't want to say, 'Here's where I really fall down,'" Butler told the Harvard Business Review. "Instead, say, 'Here's an area I want to work on. This is what I've learned. This is what we should do going forward.'"

Butler also encouraged employees to use their self-evaluations as a time to ask their boss for career development opportunities, even if the employer isn't asking the employee for it, because if you don't ask, it likely won't happen.

Be professional. Finally, employees need to remember to always be professional when writing a self-assessment. This means not using it as an opportunity to bash the boss for poor leadership skills or criticize co-workers for making their life more difficult.

Going further

Employees may benefit from assessments that go beyond the office. Tools such as the Myers-Briggs Test and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter can help individuals understand the strengths and weaknesses of their personality type. In addition, such tests can help identify the personality traits of people who will likely work well together. Additional research can suggest ways to compensate for weaknesses, or help you understand the quirks of personality types unlike your own.

Finally, if your performance review or self-assessment reveals weaknesses that may be holding you back, don't be afraid to ask for help. Like admitting your weaknesses, asking for constructive feedback from managers can help cultivate strong work relationships.

As an employee or a manager, you are likely accustomed to receiving performance reviews from managers. However, if you focus exclusively on the "top-down" portion of your performance review, you may be missing opportunities to improve your relationships and performance. The self-assessment is a critical tool for fostering conversation and improving communication with your managers and peers.
Self-assessments, also known as self-appraisals or self-evaluations, are a popular way for employees to offer their own analysis of their strengths and weaknesses in the context of a formal performance review. The self-assessment lets the employee discuss what important projects have been completed, share new skills and techniques acquired and remind employers of all the great work they have done since the last performance review.
A self-assessment is also the perfect opportunity for employees to show their managers that they understand where they can improve. While no one likes to point out areas of weakness, some employers have more respect for their staff members who are able to honestly assess their shortcomings. Employees who think they are doing great in all areas of their job are often too shortsighted to understand that, in reality, they are not meeting expectations.
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5379-writing-self-assessment.html#sthash.VaUhubD4.dpuf

As an employee or a manager, you are likely accustomed to receiving performance reviews from managers. However, if you focus exclusively on the "top-down" portion of your performance review, you may be missing opportunities to improve your relationships and performance. The self-assessment is a critical tool for fostering conversation and improving communication with your managers and peers.
Self-assessments, also known as self-appraisals or self-evaluations, are a popular way for employees to offer their own analysis of their strengths and weaknesses in the context of a formal performance review. The self-assessment lets the employee discuss what important projects have been completed, share new skills and techniques acquired and remind employers of all the great work they have done since the last performance review.
A self-assessment is also the perfect opportunity for employees to show their managers that they understand where they can improve. While no one likes to point out areas of weakness, some employers have more respect for their staff members who are able to honestly assess their shortcomings. Employees who think they are doing great in all areas of their job are often too shortsighted to understand that, in reality, they are not meeting expectations.
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5379-writing-self-assessment.html#sthash.VaUhubD4.dpuf