A big percent of people find it pretty difficult to talk honestly about themselves, especially professionally. The line between praise and admitting qualities is pretty thin, and the same when talking about imperfections that might seem as flaws in the eyes of the own person. During the assessment period at the workplace, most employees hesitate when it comes to self reviews, out of the fear of seeming arrogant or on the contrary, unsure.
But the self review can be used to your advantage if you know a few tricks. Below there’s a list of means to transform the evaluation into a self-knowledge process, highlighting strong points and as well as admitting weaknesses.
What is the self-review?
In simple terms, the self-review is the examination with the purpose of finding out how much progress you made professionally in the last trimester. Broadly, employees admit their own abilities and evaluate their weak points. Its purpose is for managers to have an overview about employee productivity and satisfaction, as well as the recognition of their own realizations and the goals that were not achieved.
This means that you will have to answer questions like:
- What do you like most about your job?
- What do you dislike about your work?
- What is the field where you feel like you’re the best?
- What accomplishment are you the most proud of?
- What tasks do you feel like you could use some help with?
- What goals did you reach last trimester?
- What goals didn’t you reach last trimester?
- What are your objectives for next trimester?
- The list can carry on.
Find out how your review will be used
In some cases, the manager can request a self-review only to escape the task of writing it himself. If you think that’s the case, try to write it simply, so that the manager can copy your answers into his file. Generally speaking, the self-review has the role to check the efficiency degree in the company regarding the awarding of bonuses and promotions. What you write might have a positive effect on your professional future, so write your realizations and objectives carefully.
Make a list of recent realizations
Self-review is a good opportunity to highlight how you used your strong points in achieving your goals. Advice: compare your job’s description with your recent performance. Where did you excel? State briefly what contribution you brought into the department where you work. Explain what tasks you liked most and how you used your resources to handle them. Be proud of everything you achieved but pay attention not to seem arrogant.
Provide accurate and quantifiable data
The use of quantifiable data in your self-review will show the real value that you offer. Tell exactly how much the sales increased your last evaluation, how many new customers you brought, and how you enhanced the time spent at work. Use numbers and words that define actions. In addition, by the same method you can settle new clear objectives that you want to carry on in the near future, like “In the next x weeks, I will increase sales with y% by making z calls per day towards potential clients.”
Be honest regarding what you could improve on
It’s a good thing to admit your mistakes, but very carefully. Approach the areas where you need improvement, using a beneficial means of expression. Instead of highlighting mistakes, explain how you could correct and what you are willing to work on in order to progress. Use expressions such as: “While I’m very good at sending emails to clients, I must work on my follow-up skills.” Take your evolution commitment seriously and stick to it.
The self-review is about you
As the name suggests, this review is only about you. Even if you ever feel like a co-worker stands in the way of your progress, it would be better you didn’t write about it. If you encounter problems with anybody, it’s better to speak to your superior face-to-face, not use a written assessment to criticize.
Demand whatever you need
Another way to make use of the self-review to your advantage would be to gain opportunities for professional development. This is not easy, but also not impossible. Focus on the parts of your job that you enjoy and are good at, and suggest how you can grow in that direction. Maybe a certain course would do you good, access to more useful resources, or a more intense implication in certain tasks of your department,learning a new software/program, and others. Managers appreciate employees that are in a continuous development, and it would be good for both you and your image to make such a request.
Personal analysis is a very important process in the path to self-knowledge. The identified qualities can be developed, and the admitted flaws are easier to correct.
The most important aspects to keep in mind about an assessment are:
- Focus on your recent accomplishments
- Don’t insist too much on flaws and unfulfilled objectives
- Use a constructive language that sustains progress
- Don’t criticize other people; the self-review is about you
- Find the means to develop and ask for the needed resources.
To support you in the knowledge process, I propose two different models of self-reviews with questions that will help you analyze your qualities and your weaknesses from a professional point of view. Answer with sincerity and courage and resume evaluations in a few months to see if you have met your goals and if you can change the answers you did not like.
Download both self-review templates for free, ready to be filled out.
