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Ultimate guide on writing an effective evaluation essay – tips, examples, and guidelines.

Are you puzzled when it comes to writing an evaluation essay? In this guide, we will provide you with all the essential information you need to master the art of crafting a compelling appraisal composition. Whether you are new to this type of writing or just looking to refine your skills, this comprehensive manual will equip you with the necessary tools and techniques to excel. From understanding the purpose and structure of an evaluation essay to exploring various tips and examples, this guide has got you covered.

An evaluation essay is a piece of writing that aims to assess the value or quality of a particular subject or phenomenon. It involves analyzing a topic, presenting your judgment or opinion on it, and providing evidence or examples to support your claims. This type of essay requires critical thinking, research, and effective communication skills to present a well-balanced evaluation.

Throughout this guide, we will delve into the nitty-gritty of writing an evaluation essay. We will start by discussing the key elements that make up a successful evaluation essay, such as establishing clear criteria, conducting thorough research, and adopting a structured approach. Additionally, we will explore practical tips and strategies to help you gather relevant information, organize your thoughts, and present a persuasive argument. To illustrate these concepts, we will provide you with a range of examples covering various topics and subjects.

Tips for Writing a Top-Notch Evaluation Essay

When it comes to crafting a high-quality evaluation essay, there are several key tips to keep in mind. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your essay stands out and effectively evaluates the subject matter at hand.

1. Be objective and unbiased: A top-notch evaluation essay should approach the topic with an unbiased and objective perspective. Avoid personal bias or overly emotional language, and instead focus on presenting an honest and well-balanced evaluation of the subject.

2. Provide clear criteria: To effectively evaluate something, it’s important to establish clear criteria or standards by which to assess it. Clearly define the criteria you will be using and explain why these specific factors are essential in evaluating the subject. This will help provide structure to your essay and ensure that your evaluation is thorough and comprehensive.

3. Support your evaluation with evidence: In order to make a convincing argument, it’s crucial to support your evaluation with solid evidence. This can include examples, statistics, expert opinions, or any other relevant information that strengthens your claims. By providing strong evidence, you can enhance the credibility of your evaluation and make it more persuasive.

4. Consider multiple perspectives: A well-rounded evaluation takes into account multiple perspectives on the subject matter. Acknowledge and address counterarguments or differing opinions, and provide thoughtful analysis and reasoning for your stance. This demonstrates critical thinking and a comprehensive evaluation of the topic.

5. Use clear and concise language: Clarity is vital in an evaluation essay. Use clear and concise language to express your thoughts and ideas, avoiding unnecessary jargon or complex vocabulary. Your essay should be accessible to a wide audience and easy to understand, allowing your evaluation to be conveyed effectively.

6. Revise and edit: Don’t neglect the importance of revising and editing your essay. Take the time to review your work and ensure that your evaluation is well-structured, coherent, and error-free. Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as these details can greatly impact the overall quality of your essay.

7. Conclude with a strong summary: For a top-notch evaluation essay, it’s important to conclude with a strong and concise summary of your evaluation. Restate your main points and findings, providing a clear and memorable conclusion that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

By following these tips, you can enhance your writing skills and create a top-notch evaluation essay that effectively assesses and evaluates the subject matter at hand.

Choose a Relevant and Engaging Topic

When it comes to writing an evaluation essay, one of the most important aspects is selecting a topic that is both relevant and engaging. The topic you choose will determine the focus of your essay and greatly impact the overall quality of your writing. It is crucial to choose a topic that not only interests you but also captivates your audience.

When selecting a topic, consider the subject matter that you are knowledgeable or passionate about. This will enable you to provide a well-informed evaluation and maintain your readers’ interest throughout your essay. Additionally, choose a topic that is relevant in today’s society or has a direct impact on your target audience. This will ensure that your evaluation essay has a practical and meaningful purpose.

Furthermore, it is essential to select a topic that is controversial or debatable. This will allow you to present different perspectives and arguments to support your evaluation. By choosing a topic that sparks discussions and debates, you can engage your readers and encourage them to think critically about the subject matter.

In conclusion, choosing a relevant and engaging topic is crucial for writing an effective evaluation essay. By selecting a topic that interests you, appeals to your readers, and is relevant to society, you can ensure that your essay is engaging and impactful. Remember to choose a topic that is controversial or debatable to provide a comprehensive evaluation and encourage critical thinking among your audience.

Develop a Strong Thesis Statement

Crafting an impactful thesis statement is an essential aspect of writing an evaluation essay. The thesis statement serves as the main argument or claim that you will be supporting throughout your essay. It encapsulates the central idea and sets the tone for the rest of the paper.

When developing your thesis statement, it is crucial to be clear, concise, and specific. It should provide a clear indication of your stance on the subject matter being evaluated while also highlighting the main criteria and evidence that will be discussed in the body paragraphs. A strong thesis statement should be thought-provoking and hook the reader’s attention, compelling them to continue reading.

To build a strong thesis statement, you need to engage in a careful analysis of the topic or subject being evaluated. Consider the various aspects that you will be assessing and select the most significant ones to include in your argument. Your thesis statement should be focused and arguable, allowing for a clear position on the matter.

Additionally, it is crucial to avoid vague or general statements in your thesis. Instead, aim for specificity and clarity. By clearly stating your evaluation criteria, you provide a roadmap for the reader to understand what aspects you will be analyzing and what conclusions you intend to make.

Furthermore, a strong thesis statement should be supported by evidence and examples. You should be able to provide concrete support for your evaluation through relevant facts, statistics, or expert opinions. This strengthens the credibility and persuasiveness of your argument, making your thesis statement more compelling.

In summary, developing a strong thesis statement is a critical step in writing an evaluation essay. It sets the foundation for your argument, guiding your analysis and providing a clear direction for the reader. By being clear, concise, specific, and well-supported, your thesis statement helps you create a persuasive and impactful evaluation essay.

Provide Clear and Concise Criteria for Evaluation

One of the most important aspects of writing an evaluation essay is providing clear and concise criteria for evaluation. In order to effectively evaluate a subject or topic, it is essential to establish specific standards or benchmarks that will be used to assess its performance or quality.

When establishing criteria for evaluation, it is crucial to be thorough yet succinct. Clear criteria enable the reader to understand the basis upon which the evaluation is made, while concise criteria ensure that the evaluation remains focused and impactful.

There are several strategies you can employ to provide clear and concise criteria for evaluation. One approach is to define specific attributes or characteristics that are relevant to the subject being evaluated. For example, if you are evaluating a restaurant, you might establish criteria such as the quality of the food, the level of service, and the ambience of the establishment.

Another strategy is to utilize a scoring system or rating scale to assess the subject. This can help provide a more quantitative evaluation by assigning numerical values to different aspects of the subject. For instance, a movie review might use a rating scale of 1 to 5 to evaluate the acting, plot, and cinematography of the film.

In addition to defining specific attributes or using a scoring system, it is important to provide examples or evidence to support your evaluation. This can help make your criteria more concrete and relatable to the reader. For instance, if you are evaluating a car, you could provide examples of its fuel efficiency, handling performance, and safety features.

By providing clear and concise criteria for evaluation, you can effectively communicate your assessment to the reader and support your conclusions. This will help ensure that your evaluation essay is well-structured, informative, and persuasive.

Support Your Evaluation with Solid Evidence

When writing an evaluation essay, it is crucial to support your evaluations with solid evidence. Without proper evidence, your evaluation may appear weak and unsubstantiated. By providing strong evidence, you can convince your readers of the validity of your evaluation and make a compelling argument.

One effective way to support your evaluation is by using concrete examples. These examples can be specific instances or cases that illustrate the strengths or weaknesses of the subject being evaluated. By presenting real-life examples, you can provide tangible evidence and make your evaluation more persuasive.

Another way to support your evaluation is by referring to expert opinions or research studies. These external sources can add credibility to your evaluation and demonstrate that your assessment is based on sound knowledge and expertise. Citing respected experts or referencing reputable studies can enhance the validity of your evaluation and make it more convincing.

In addition to concrete examples and expert opinions, statistical data can also be a powerful tool for supporting your evaluation. Numbers and statistics can provide objective evidence and strengthen your evaluation by adding a quantitative dimension to your argument. By citing relevant statistics, you can add weight to your evaluations and demonstrate the magnitude of the subject’s strengths or weaknesses.

Furthermore, it is important to consider counterarguments and address them in your evaluation. By acknowledging opposing viewpoints and addressing them effectively, you can strengthen your own evaluation and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject. This approach shows that you have considered different perspectives and have arrived at a well-rounded evaluation.

In conclusion, supporting your evaluation with solid evidence is essential to writing a persuasive evaluation essay. By using concrete examples, expert opinions, statistical data, and addressing counterarguments, you can bolster the validity and strength of your evaluation. Remember to present your evidence clearly and logically, making your evaluation more compelling and convincing to your readers.

Use a Structured Format to Organize Your Essay

When writing an evaluation essay, it is important to use a structured format to organize your thoughts and arguments. This will help you present your ideas in a clear and logical manner, making it easier for your reader to follow along and understand your points. By using a structured format, you can ensure that your essay flows smoothly and effectively communicates your evaluation.

One effective way to structure your evaluation essay is to use a table format. This allows you to present your evaluation criteria and supporting evidence in a concise and organized manner. By using a table, you can easily compare and contrast different aspects of the subject being evaluated, making it easier for your reader to grasp the overall evaluation.

In addition to using a table format, you should also follow a logical structure within each section of your essay. Start with a clear introduction, where you introduce the subject you are evaluating and provide some background information. Then, present your evaluation criteria and explain why these criteria are important for assessing the subject. Next, provide specific examples and evidence to support your evaluation, using the table format as a guide. Finally, end your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your evaluation and reinforces your main points.

By using a structured format, you can effectively organize your evaluation essay and present your ideas in a clear and concise manner. This will make your essay more engaging and persuasive, and help your reader understand and appreciate your evaluation.

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Self Evaluation Essay

Self evaluation essay generator.

One of the most important in having to tell that you have been performing right is by the use of a self-evaluation . Not only does it tells about being aware of yourself, but also being open for self-improvement and development. When you are aware of yourself, you begin to know what your strengths and weaknesses are. Self-evaluation can also offer confidence, strong relationships and good decision making. When you are asked to write for a self-evaluation , you are more likely to reflect and demonstrate your value in an organization where you have found an avenue to grow.

7+ Self Evaluation Essay Examples

1. self evaluation form template.

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What is Self-Evaluation?

The act of evaluating oneself is to objectively monitor their own performance in a particular job. It is a kind of a written review that involves rating competencies, goals, and overall performance. When you are able to assess yourself, you will become someone who is active in his or her own evaluation. This increases commitment to setting up a goal , development and planning for your career.

Things To Do For Self-Evaluation

Take time . Allot an hour of your time to complete the evaluation. You may spend this time reviewing your past documentations that is related to your goals.

You may consider conducting your self-evaluation in a quiet place where nobody can disturb your focus. Devote your full attention when reflecting.

Try to keep yourself relaxed . The purpose of the evaluation is to highlight your strengths, correct weaknesses, and develop skills.

Self-evaluations are the right place for you to boast about what you have achieved without putting anyone else down. The things that you have accomplished must be stated accurately.

Write in a conversational style so that you won’t be misunderstood especially by your supervisor. Keep it natural.

Ask your co-workers about of some feedback about your performances. Avoid comments in the feedback that could lessen your self-esteem.

Use appropriate language . This means that you have to be decent with your words and choose only those words that are objective.

Writing self-evaluations essays are a good opportunity for you to identify how you are going to improve your performance . Make some recommendations . This is not a weakness. Rather, this is a strength that could help you grow and improve as a person.

Apply the knowledge you have gained . You should be able to complete the learning and apply those that you have learned that could support your performance goals and competency development.

Get your self-evaluation essay right . Write more than one draft. Make sure that you are writing thoroughly and professionally.

Example of Self-Evaluation Essay

“ …On analyzing my performance during the semester, I believe that I was quite successful to a significant extent. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that I have completed seven essays during the semester and almost all of them were quite successful because I received “A” grade for the majority of my essays. I really liked my performance but I am always concerned with receiving “A” grades for my work which is the only acceptable grade for me. I am success-oriented person. This is why I just cannot afford the grade below “A”.

 Such personal position urges me to do my best and to work hard to gain the possibly highest degree but, on the other hand, it is sometimes difficult and even frustrating to pursue the highest degree, especially if it is extremely difficult to receive. For example, there were cases, when I felt the task was quite challenging for me to complete it successfully. This is why I had to work really hard to obtain “A” degree for those papers. Nevertheless, I am aware that such tasks have made the most significant contribution to my progress and academic development because they encouraged not only my creativity but also stimulated the development of research skills which helped me to learn more about the subject I wrote about and to improve my writing and academic performance overall (Frosh 103) …”

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Why do you have to include the list of your achievements.

Your achievements will make you proud and will bring the most value into your company.

Where do some self-evaluations used?

Some self-evaluations are used for self-review, performance review or even when you are considered to receive bonuses or salary increase.

What are some of the do’s and don’ts in self-evaluation?

Do’s – ask feedback from others, focus on your highlights, and get second opinion from someone close to you.

Don’ts – put bullets in writing for your accomplishments and make grammatical or typographical errors.

Writing a self-evaluation doesn’t have to be that stressful. Before you begin, it is important to organize yourself and focus on something positive to impress others. It will also be beneficial to your part because you will be able to provide a reflection over your achievements in which it sets you to the right path in making yourself more improved.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Speech Evaluation Essay on the techniques used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech

Speech Evaluation Essay on the effectiveness of persuasive tactics in a famous political speech

How to Write a Self Evaluation (With Examples)

First step, be honest about your hits and misses.

Self evaluations are performance assessments that bring you and your manager together to rate your performance over a given time span (quarterly, semi-annually, annually) either using a scale (one to 10 or one to five) or by answering open-ended questions. You complete the evaluation and so does your manager. During the performance review , the two of you compare notes to arrive at a final evaluation.

What Is a Self Evaluation?

Self evaluations are performance assessments that both employees and managers complete. They can be done quarterly, semi-annually or annually, and range from open-ended questions discussed to ratings given on a numeric scale.

Writing about yourself, especially if those words are going to be part of your permanent work record, can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, self evaluations give you a voice in your performance review , and they’re opportunities to outline your career goals and get help in reaching them.

Below, we’ll examine self evaluation benefits, tips and examples, plus how both employees and managers can complete them successfully.

More on Self Evaluations Self-Evaluations Make Stronger Leaders. Here’s How to Write One.

Benefits of Self Evaluations 

1. help employees and managers prepare for performance reviews.

Completing a self evaluation can help guide the eventual performance-review conversation in a structured, but meaningful, way. It also helps both parties get an idea of what needs to be discussed during a performance review, so neither feels caught off guard by the conversation.

2. Give Employees an Opportunity to Reflect on Their Progress

Since self evaluations are inherently reflective, they allow employees to identify and examine their strengths and weaknesses. This helps employees both know their worth to an organization and what they still have left to learn. 

“Self evaluations enable employees to see their work in its entirety,” Jill Bowman, director of people at fintech company Octane , said. “They ensure that employees reflect on their high points throughout the entire year and to assess their progress towards achieving predetermined objectives and goals.”

3. Help Managers Track Employee Accomplishments

Employee self assessments help managers more accurately remember each employee’s accomplishments. “As many managers often have numerous direct reports, it provides a useful summary of the achievements of each member,” Bowman said.

4. Improve Employee Satisfaction

Academic literature indicates that employees are more satisfied with evaluations that involve two-way communication and encourage a conversation between manager and employee, according to Thomas Begley, professor of management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute . 

The thing is, employees have to trust that the process is fair, Begley added. If they believe it is, and they’re treated fairly and respectfully during the process, employees react positively to self evaluations.

5. Can Decrease Employee Turnover

Some companies see tangible results from self evaluations. For example, Smarty , an address-verification company, enjoys low staff turnover, said Rob Green, chief revenue officer. The self-evaluation method, coupled with a strong focus on a communication-based corporate culture, has resulted in a 97 percent retention rate, Green told Built In.

Related 6 Ways to Be More Confident in Performance Reviews

How to Write a Self Evaluation

The ability to write a self evaluation is a critical career skill.

“Self evaluations give you a platform to influence your manager and in many cases, reframe the nature of the relationship with your manager,” Richard Hawkes, CEO and founder of Growth River , a leadership and management consulting company, said. “And all results in business happen in the context of relationships.”

Below are some tips on how to complete a self evaluation.

1. Track Your Work and Accomplishments

Daily or weekly tracking of your work can help you keep track of your progress and also prevent last-minute “what on earth did I do the last six months?” panic at performance evaluation time, said Peter Griscom, CEO at Tradefluence . “Strip down the questions to two or three, and just ask yourself, ‘How well did I communicate today?’ ‘How well did I solve problems today?’ ‘What have I achieved today?’” Griscom said. “Get in the habit of writing those things out and keeping track and over time.”

2. Answer Honestly  

For his first self evaluation, Griscom remembers wondering how to best answer the questions. After he asked his manager for guidance, Griscom answered the questions as accurately as he could. “What came out of it was really valuable, because it gave me a chance to reflect on my own achievements and think about where I can improve,” he said. “It forced me to do the thinking instead of just accepting feedback.”

3. Highlight Your Achievements

If your boss has a handful of direct reports, chances are good they haven’t noticed each of your shining moments during a review period. This is your chance to spotlight yourself. Quotas exceeded, projects finished ahead of schedule, fruitful mentoring relationships, processes streamlined — whatever you’ve done, share it, and don’t be shy about it, said Alexandra Phillips , a leadership and management coach. Women, especially, tend not to share achievements and accomplishments as loudly or often as they should. “Make sure your manager has a good sense of where you’ve had those wins, large and small, because sometimes they can fly under the radar,” Phillips added.

4. Admit Weaknesses and How You Have Grown 

If you’ve made a whopper mistake since your past review, mention it — and be sure to discuss what you’ve learned from it. Chances are good your manager knows you made a mistake, and bringing it up gives you the opportunity to provide more context to the situation.

5. Acknowledge Areas of Improvement

Be prepared for your manager to point out a few areas for improvement. This is where career growth happens. “If you want something,” whether it’s a promotion or move to another department, “you need to know how to get there,” said Phillips.

Related What Are Short-Term Career Goals? (With 12 Examples)

Self Evaluation Examples and Templates Answers

Still not sure what to do when you put pen to paper? Here are six open-ended self evaluation sample questions from the Society for Human Resource Management, as well as example answers you can use to prepare for your own self evaluation.

1. Job Performance Examples

List your most significant accomplishments or contributions since last year. How do these achievements align with the goals/objectives outlined in your last review?

How to answer with positive results: In the past year, I successfully led our team in finishing [project A]. I was instrumental in finding solutions to several project challenges, among them [X, Y and Z]. When Tom left the company unexpectedly, I was able to cover his basic tasks until a replacement was hired, thus keeping our team on track to meet KPIs. 

I feel the above accomplishments demonstrate that I have taken more of a leadership role in our department, a move that we discussed during my last performance review.

How to answer with ways to improve: Although I didn’t meet all of my goals in the last year, I am working on improving this by changing my workflow and holding myself accountable. I am currently working to meet my goals by doing [X, Y and Z] and I plan to have [project A] completed by [steps here]. I believe that I will be able to correct my performance through these actionable steps.  

Describe areas you feel require improvement in terms of your professional capabilities. List the steps you plan to take and/or the resources you need to accomplish this.

I feel I could do better at moving projects off my desk and on to the next person without overthinking them or sweating details that are not mine to sweat; in this regard I could trust my teammates more. I plan to enlist your help with this and ask for a weekly 15-minute one-on-one meeting to do so.  

Identify two career goals for the coming year and indicate how you plan to accomplish them.

One is a promotion to senior project manager, which I plan to reach by continuing to show leadership skills on the team. Another is that I’d like to be seen as a real resource for the organization, and plan to volunteer for the committee to update the standards and practices handbook.  

2. Leadership Examples

Since the last appraisal period, have you successfully performed any new tasks or additional duties outside the scope of your regular responsibilities? If so, please specify.

How to answer with positive results: Yes. I have established mentoring relationships with one of the younger members of our team, as well as with a more seasoned person in another department. I have also successfully taken over the monthly all-hands meeting in our team, trimming meeting time to 30 minutes from an hour and establishing clear agendas and expectations for each meeting. Again, I feel these align with my goal to become more of a leader.

How to answer with ways to improve: Since the last review period, I focused my efforts on improving my communication with our team, meeting my goals consistently and fostering relationships with leaders in other departments. Over the next six months, I plan on breaking out of my comfort zone by accomplishing [X, Y and Z].  

What activities have you initiated, or actively participated in, to encourage camaraderie and teamwork within your group and/or office? What was the result?

How to answer with positive results: I launched the “No More Panicked Mondays” program to help on-site and remote colleagues make Mondays more productive. The initiative includes segmenting the day into 25-minute parts to answer emails, get caught up on direct messages, sketch out to-do lists and otherwise plan for the week ahead. NMPM also includes a 15-minute “Weekend Update” around lunch time, during which staff shares weekend activities. Attendance was slow at first but has picked up to nearly 90 percent participation. The result overall for the initiative is more of the team signs on to direct messages earlier in the day, on average 9:15 a.m. instead of the previous 10 a.m., and anecdotally, the team seems more enthusiastic about the week. I plan to conduct a survey later this month to get team input on how we can change up the initiative.

How to answer with ways to improve: Although I haven’t had the chance to lead any new initiatives since I got hired, I recently had an idea for [A] and wanted to run it by you. Do you think this would be beneficial to our team? I would love to take charge of a program like this.  

3. Professional Development Examples

Describe your professional development activities since last year, such as offsite seminars/classes (specify if self-directed or required by your supervisor), onsite training, peer training, management coaching or mentoring, on-the-job experience, exposure to challenging projects, other—please describe.

How to answer with positive results: I completed a class on SEO best practices and shared what I learned from the seminar during a lunch-and-learn with my teammates. I took on a pro-bono website development project for a local nonprofit, which gave me a new look at website challenges for different types of organizations. I also, as mentioned above, started two new mentoring relationships.

How to answer with ways to improve: This is something I have been thinking about but would like a little guidance with. I would love to hear what others have done in the past to help me find my footing. I am eager to learn more about [A] and [B] and would like to hear your thoughts on which courses or seminars you might recommend. 

Related How to Find the Right Mentor — and How to Be One

Types of Self Evaluations

Self evaluations can include rating scale questions, open-ended questions or a hybrid of both. Each approach has its own set of pros and cons to consider.

1. Rating Self Evaluation

Rating scale self evaluations give a list of statements where employees are asked to rate themselves on a scale of one to five or one to ten (generally the higher the number, the more favorable the rating). 

For example, in Smarty’s self evaluations, it uses a tool called 3A+. This one calls for employees and managers to sit down and complete the evaluation together, at the same time. Employees rate themselves from 3, 2 or 1 (three being the best) on their capability in their role; A, B or C on their helpfulness to others, and plus or minus on their “diligence and focus” in their role. Managers rate the employees using the same scale. A “perfect” score would be 3A+, while an underperforming employee would rate 2B-.

At the performance evaluation meeting, managers and employees compare their ratings, and employees ask for feedback on how they can improve.

But rating systems can have their challenges that are often rooted in bias . For example, women are more likely to rate themselves lower than men. People from individualistic cultures, which emphasize individuals over community, will rate themselves higher than people from collectivist cultures, which place a premium on the group rather than the individual.

2. Open-Ended Question Self Evaluation

Open-ended questions ask employees to list their accomplishments, setbacks and goals in writing. The goal of open-ended questions is to get employees thinking deeply about their work and where they need to improve. 

Open-ended questions allow employees a true voice in the process, whereas “self ratings” can sometimes be unfair , Fresia Jackson, lead research people scientist at Culture Amp , said. 

With open-ended questions, employees tend to be more forgiving with themselves, which can be both good and bad. Whatever result open ended questions bring about, they typically offer more fodder for discussion between employees and managers.

3. Hybrid Self Evaluation

Hybrid self evaluations combine both rating questions and open-ended questions, where employees assess their skills and accomplishments by using a number scale and by answering in writing. This type of self evaluation lets employees provide quantitative and qualitative answers for a more holistic reflection. 

Self-Evaluation Questions for Performance Reviews

If you’ve never done a self evaluation, or if you just need a refresher before your next performance review, looking over some examples of self evaluation questions — like the ones below — can be a helpful starting point.

Common Self-Evaluation Questions for Performance Reviews

• What are you most proud of?
• What would you do differently?
• How have you carried out the company’s mission statement?
• Where would you like to be a year from now?
• List your skills and positive attributes.
• List your accomplishments, especially those that impacted others or moved you toward goals.
• Think about your mistakes and what you’ve learned from them.
• What are your opportunities to grow through advancement and/or learning?
• How do the above tie to your professional goals?

Self-Evaluation Questions for Career Planning and Growth

• What are you interested in working on?
• What are you working on now?
• What do you want to learn more about?
• How can I as your manager better support you?
• What can the company do to support your journey?
• How can the immediate team support you?
• What can you do to better support the team and the company? 

Self-Evaluation Questions for Performance and Career Goals

• How did you perform in relation to your goals?
• What level of positive impact did your performance have on the team?
• Did your performance have a positive impact on the business?
• What was your level of collaboration with other departments?
• What corporate value do you bring to life?
• What corporate value do you most struggle to align with?
• Summarize your strengths.
• Summarize your development areas.
• Summarize your performance/achievements during this year.
• How would you rate your overall performance this year? 

Related How to Set Professional Goals

How Should Managers Approach Self Evaluations?

It’s clear here that self evaluations, as a type of performance review, are more employee- than manager-driven. That said, managers are a key ingredient in this process, and the way managers handle self evaluations determines much about how useful they are and how well employees respond to them. To make sure they’re as effective as possible, consider these suggestions.

Train Managers on How to Use Evaluations

“If you don’t, there’s no point in doing them, because the manager is going to be the one driving the conversations,” Elisabeth Duncan, vice president of human resources at Evive, said. “Without training, the [evaluations] will be a checkbox and not meaningful.”

Don’t Use Ratings Formulaically

The results of self evaluations that employ a scale (say, one to five) can vary wildly, as one manager’s three is another manager’s five. Use the scale to identify and address discrepancies between the manager’s and employee’s answers, not to decide on raises or promotions across the company.

Hold Self Evaluations Often

They work best as career-development tools if they’re held semi-annually, quarterly or even more often. “It’s about an ongoing, consistent conversation,” Duncan said.

Tailor Them For Each Department

Competencies in sales very likely differ from competencies in tech, marketing and other departments. Competencies for junior-level employees probably differ wildly from those for senior managers. Self evaluations tailored to different employee populations will be more effective, and fairer.

Stress That the Rating Is Just the Start

The rating or the open-ended questions are the beginning of the evaluation process; they are not the process itself. “These are tools to trigger a conversation,” Duncan said.

Overall, think of self evaluations as a way to engage with your manager and your work in a way that furthers your career. Embrace the self evaluation and get good at writing them. In no time at all, you’ll find that they can be a productive way to reflect on yourself and your skillset.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a self evaluation.

A self evaluation is a personal assessment used for employees to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments and overall progress during an allotted time on the job.

Self evaluations are often completed quarterly, semi-annually or annually, and can include numbered rating questions or open-ended written questions.

How do you write a good self evaluation?

An effective self evaluation is one where you highlight your achievements and instances of growth as well as areas for improvement during your given period of time at work. Tracking specific accomplishments and metrics can be especially helpful for writing a good self evaluation.

Jessica Powers contributed reporting to this story.

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7 Steps for How to Write an Evaluation Essay (Example & Template)

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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In this ultimate guide, I will explain to you exactly how to write an evaluation essay.

1. What is an Evaluation Essay?

An evaluation essay should provide a critical analysis of something.

You’re literally ‘evaluating’ the thing you’re looking up.

Here’s a couple of quick definitions of what we mean by ‘evaluate’:

• Merriam-Webster defines evaluation as: “to determine the significance, worth, or condition of usually by careful appraisal and study”
• Collins Dictionary says: “If you evaluate something or someone, you consider them in order to make a judgment about them, for example about how good or bad they are.”

Here’s some synonyms for ‘evaluate’:

So, we could say that an evaluation essay should carefully examine the ‘thing’ and provide an overall judgement of it.

Here’s some common things you may be asked to write an evaluation essay on:

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Really, you can evaluate just about anything!

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2. How to write an Evaluation Essay

There are two secrets to writing a strong evaluation essay. The first is to aim for objective analysis before forming an opinion. The second is to use an evaluation criteria.

Aim to Appear Objective before giving an Evaluation Argument

Your evaluation will eventually need an argument.

The evaluation argument will show your reader what you have decided is the final value of the ‘thing’ you’re evaluating.

But in order to convince your reader that your evaluative argument is sound, you need to do some leg work.

The aim will be to show that you have provided a balanced and fair assessment before coming to your conclusion.

In order to appear balanced you should:

• Discuss both the pros and cons of the thing
• Discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of the thing
• Look at the thing from multiple different perspectives
• Be both positive and critical. Don’t make it look like you’re biased towards one perspective.

In other words, give every perspective a fair hearing.

You don’t want to sound like a propagandist. You want to be seen as a fair and balanced adjudicator.

Use an Evaluation Criteria

One way to appear balanced is to use an evaluation criteria.

An evaluation criteria helps to show that you have assessed the ‘thing’ based on an objective measure.

Here’s some examples of evaluation criteria:

• Strength under pressure
• Longevity (ability to survive for a long time)
• Ease of use
• Ability to get the job done
• Friendliness
• Punctuality
• Ability to predict my needs
• Calmness under pressure
• Attentiveness

A Bed and Breakfast

• Breakfast options
• Taste of food
• Comfort of bed
• Local attractions
• Service from owner
• Cleanliness

We can use evaluation criteria to frame out ability to conduct the analysis fairly.

This is especially true for if you have to evaluate multiple different ‘things’. For example, if you’re evaluating three novels, you want to be able to show that you applied the same ‘test’ on all three books!

This will show that you gave each ‘thing’ a fair chance and looked at the same elements for each.

3. How to come up with an Evaluation Argument

After you have:

• Looked at both good and bad elements of the ‘thing’, and
• Used an evaluation criteria

You’ll then need to develop an evaluative argument. This argument shows your own overall perspective on the ‘thing’.

Remember, you will need to show your final evaluative argument is backed by objective analysis. You need to do it in order!

Analyze first. Evaluate second.

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you’re evaluating the quality of a meal.

You might say:

• A strength of the meal was its presentation. It was well presented and looked enticing to eat.
• A weakness of the meal was that it was overcooked. This decreased its flavor.
• The meal was given a low rating on ‘cost’ because it was more expensive than the other comparative meals on the menu.
• The meal was given a high rating on ‘creativity’. It was a meal that involved a thoughtful and inventive mix of ingredients.

Now that you’ve looked at some pros and cons and measured the meal based on a few criteria points (like cost and creativity), you’ll be able to come up with a final argument:

• Overall, the meal was good enough for a middle-tier restaurant but would not be considered a high-class meal. There is a lot of room for improvement if the chef wants to win any local cooking awards.

Evaluative terms that you might want to use for this final evaluation argument might include:

• All things considered
• With all key points in mind

4. Evaluation Essay Outline (with Examples)

Okay, so now you know what to do, let’s have a go at creating an outline for your evaluation essay!

Here’s what I recommend:

4.1 How to Write your Introduction

In the introduction, feel free to use my 5-Step INTRO method . It’ll be an introduction just like any other essay introduction .

And yes, feel free to explain what the final evaluation will be.

So, here it is laid out nice and simple.

Write one sentence for each point to make a 5-sentence introduction:

• Interest: Make a statement about the ‘thing’ you’re evaluating that you think will be of interest to the reader. Make it a catchy, engaging point that draws the reader in!
• Notify: Notify the reader of any background info on the thing you’re evaluating. This is your chance to show your depth of knowledge. What is a historical fact about the ‘thing’?
• Translate: Re-state the essay question. For an evaluative essay, you can re-state it something like: “This essay evaluates the book/ product/ article/ etc. by looking at its strengths and weaknesses and compares it against a marking criteria”.
• Report: Say what your final evaluation will be. For example you can say “While there are some weaknesses in this book, overall this evaluative essay will show that it helps progress knowledge about Dinosaurs.”
• Outline: Simply give a clear overview of what will be discussed. For example, you can say: “Firstly, the essay will evaluate the product based on an objective criteria. This criteria will include its value for money, fit for purpose and ease of use. Next, the essay will show the main strengths and weaknesses of the product. Lastly, the essay will provide a final evaluative statement about the product’s overall value and worth.”

If you want more depth on how to use the INTRO method, you’ll need to go and check out our blog post on writing quality introductions.

4.2 Example Introduction

This example introduction is for the essay question: Write an Evaluation Essay on Facebook’s Impact on Society.

“Facebook is the third most visited website in the world. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg in his college dorm. This essay evaluates the impact of Facebook on society and makes an objective judgement on its value. The essay will argue that Facebook has changed the world both for the better and worse. Firstly, it will give an overview of what Facebook is and its history. Then, it will examine Facebook on the criteria of: impact on social interactions, impact on the media landscape, and impact on politics.”

You’ll notice that each sentence in this introduction follows my 5-Step INTRO formula to create a clear, coherent 5-Step introduction.

4.3 How to Write your Body Paragraphs

The first body paragraph should give an overview of the ‘thing’ being evaluated.

Then, you should evaluate the pros and cons of the ‘thing’ being evaluated based upon the criteria you have developed for evaluating it.

Let’s take a look below.

4.4 First Body Paragraph: Overview of your Subject

This first paragraph should provide objective overview of your subject’s properties and history. You should not be doing any evaluating just yet.

The goal for this first paragraph is to ensure your reader knows what it is you’re evaluating. Secondarily, it should show your marker that you have developed some good knowledge about it.

If you need to use more than one paragraph to give an overview of the subject, that’s fine.

Similarly, if your essay word length needs to be quite long, feel free to spend several paragraphs exploring the subject’s background and objective details to show off your depth of knowledge for the marker.

4.5 First Body Paragraph Example

Sticking with the essay question: Write an Evaluation Essay on Facebook’s Impact on Society , this might be your paragraph:

“Facebook has been one of the most successful websites of all time. It is the website that dominated the ‘Web 2.0’ revolution, which was characterized by user two-way interaction with the web. Facebook allowed users to create their own personal profiles and invite their friends to follow along. Since 2004, Facebook has attracted more than one billion people to create profiles in order to share their opinions and keep in touch with their friends.”

Notice here that I haven’t yet made any evaluations of Facebook’s merits?

This first paragraph (or, if need be, several of them) should be all about showing the reader exactly what your subject is – no more, no less.

4.6 Evaluation Paragraphs: Second, Third, Forth and Fifth Body Paragraphs

Once you’re confident your reader will know what the subject that you’re evaluating is, you’ll need to move on to the actual evaluation.

For this step, you’ll need to dig up that evaluation criteria we talked about in Point 2.

For example, let’s say you’re evaluating a President of the United States.

Your evaluation criteria might be:

• Impact on world history
• Ability to pass legislation
• Popularity with voters
• Morals and ethics
• Ability to change lives for the better

Really, you could make up any evaluation criteria you want!

Once you’ve made up the evaluation criteria, you’ve got your evaluation paragraph ideas!

Simply turn each point in your evaluation criteria into a full paragraph.

How do you do this?

Well, start with a topic sentence.

For the criteria point ‘Impact on world history’ you can say something like: “Barack Obama’s impact on world history is mixed.”

This topic sentence will show that you’ll evaluate both pros and cons of Obama’s impact on world history in the paragraph.

Then, follow it up with explanations.

“While Obama campaigned to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, he was unable to completely achieve this objective. This is an obvious negative for his impact on the world. However, as the first black man to lead the most powerful nation on earth, he will forever be remembered as a living milestone for civil rights and progress.”

Keep going, turning each evaluation criteria into a full paragraph.

4.7 Evaluation Paragraph Example

Let’s go back to our essay question: Write an Evaluation Essay on Facebook’s Impact on Society .

I’ve decided to use the evaluation criteria below:

• impact on social interactions;
• impact on the media landscape;
• impact on politics

Naturally, I’m going to write one paragraph for each point.

If you’re expected to write a longer piece, you could write two paragraphs on each point (one for pros and one for cons).

Here’s what my first evaluation paragraph might look like:

“Facebook has had a profound impact on social interactions. It has helped people to stay in touch with one another from long distances and after they have left school and college. This is obviously a great positive. However, it can also be seen as having a negative impact. For example, people may be less likely to interact face-to-face because they are ‘hanging out’ online instead. This can have negative impact on genuine one-to-one relationships.”

You might notice that this paragraph has a topic sentence, explanations and examples. It follows my perfect paragraph formula which you’re more than welcome to check out!

4.8 How to write your Conclusion

To conclude, you’ll need to come up with one final evaluative argument.

This evaluation argument provides an overall assessment. You can start with “Overall, Facebook has been…” and continue by saying that (all things considered) he was a good or bad president!

Remember, you can only come up with an overall evaluation after you’ve looked at the subject’s pros and cons based upon your evaluation criteria.

In the example below, I’m going to use my 5 C’s conclusion paragraph method . This will make sure my conclusion covers all the things a good conclusion should cover!

Like the INTRO method, the 5 C’s conclusion method should have one sentence for each point to create a 5 sentence conclusion paragraph.

The 5 C’s conclusion method is:

• Close the loop: Return to a statement you made in the introduction.
• Conclude: Show what your final position is.
• Clarify: Clarify how your final position is relevant to the Essay Question.
• Concern: Explain who should be concerned by your findings.
• Consequences: End by noting in one final, engaging sentence why this topic is of such importance. The ‘concern’ and ‘consequences’ sentences can be combined

4.9 Concluding Argument Example Paragraph

Here’s a possible concluding argument for our essay question: Write an Evaluation Essay on Facebook’s Impact on Society .

“The introduction of this essay highlighted that Facebook has had a profound impact on society. This evaluation essay has shown that this impact has been both positive and negative. Thus, it is too soon to say whether Facebook has been an overall positive or negative for society. However, people should pay close attention to this issue because it is possible that Facebook is contributing to the undermining of truth in media and positive interpersonal relationships.”

Note here that I’ve followed the 5 C’s conclusion method for my concluding evaluative argument paragraph.

5. Evaluation Essay Example Template

Below is a template you can use for your evaluation essay , based upon the advice I gave in Section 4:

6. 23+ Good Evaluation Essay Topics

Okay now that you know how to write an evaluation essay, let’s look at a few examples.

For each example I’m going to give you an evaluation essay title idea, plus a list of criteria you might want to use in your evaluation essay.

6.1 Evaluation of Impact

• Evaluate the impact of global warming on the great barrier reef. Recommended evaluation criteria: Level of bleaching; Impact on tourism; Economic impact; Impact on lifestyles; Impact on sealife
• Evaluate the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on poverty. Recommended evaluation criteria: Impact on jobs; Impact on childhood poverty; Impact on mental health rates; Impact on economic growth; Impact on the wealthy; Global impact
• Evaluate the impact of having children on your lifestyle. Recommended evaluation criteria: Impact on spare time; Impact on finances; Impact on happiness; Impact on sense of wellbeing
• Evaluate the impact of the internet on the world. Recommended evaluation criteria: Impact on connectedness; Impact on dating; Impact on business integration; Impact on globalization; Impact on media
• Evaluate the impact of public transportation on cities. Recommended evaluation criteria: Impact on cost of living; Impact on congestion; Impact on quality of life; Impact on health; Impact on economy
• Evaluate the impact of universal healthcare on quality of life. Recommended evaluation criteria: Impact on reducing disease rates; Impact on the poorest in society; Impact on life expectancy; Impact on happiness
• Evaluate the impact of getting a college degree on a person’s life. Recommended evaluation criteria: Impact on debt levels; Impact on career prospects; Impact on life perspectives; Impact on relationships

6.2 Evaluation of a Scholarly Text or Theory

• Evaluate a Textbook. Recommended evaluation criteria: clarity of explanations; relevance to a course; value for money; practical advice; depth and detail; breadth of information
• Evaluate a Lecture Series, Podcast or Guest Lecture. Recommended evaluation criteria: clarity of speaker; engagement of attendees; appropriateness of content; value for monet
• Evaluate a journal article. Recommended evaluation criteria: length; clarity; quality of methodology; quality of literature review ; relevance of findings for real life
• Evaluate a Famous Scientists. Recommended evaluation criteria: contribution to scientific knowledge; impact on health and prosperity of humankind; controversies and disagreements with other scientists.
• Evaluate a Theory. Recommended evaluation criteria: contribution to knowledge; reliability or accuracy; impact on the lives of ordinary people; controversies and contradictions with other theories.

6.3 Evaluation of Art and Literature

• Evaluate a Novel. Recommended evaluation criteria: plot complexity; moral or social value of the message; character development; relevance to modern life
• Evaluate a Play. Recommended evaluation criteria: plot complexity; quality of acting; moral or social value of the message; character development; relevance to modern life
• Evaluate a Film. Recommended evaluation criteria: plot complexity; quality of acting; moral or social value of the message; character development; relevance to modern life
• Evaluate an Artwork. Recommended evaluation criteria: impact on art theory; moral or social message; complexity or quality of composition

6.4 Evaluation of a Product or Service

• Evaluate a Hotel or Bed and Breakfast. Recommended evaluation criteria: quality of service; flexibility of check-in and check-out times; cleanliness; location; value for money; wi-fi strength; noise levels at night; quality of meals; value for money
• Evaluate a Restaurant. Recommended evaluation criteria: quality of service; menu choices; cleanliness; atmosphere; taste; value for money.
• Evaluate a Car. Recommended evaluation criteria: fuel efficiency; value for money; build quality; likelihood to break down; comfort.
• Evaluate a House. Recommended evaluation criteria: value for money; build quality; roominess; location; access to public transport; quality of neighbourhood
• Evaluate a Doctor. Recommended evaluation criteria: Quality of service; knowledge; quality of equipment; reputation; value for money.
• Evaluate a Course. Recommended evaluation criteria: value for money; practical advice; quality of teaching; quality of resources provided.

7. Concluding Advice

Evaluation essays are common in high school, college and university.

The trick for getting good marks in an evaluation essay is to show you have looked at both the pros and cons before making a final evaluation analysis statement.

You don’t want to look biased.

That’s why it’s a good idea to use an objective evaluation criteria, and to be generous in looking at both positives and negatives of your subject.

Read Also: 39 Better Ways to Write ‘In Conclusion’ in an Essay

I recommend you use the evaluation template provided in this post to write your evaluation essay. However, if your teacher has given you a template, of course use theirs instead! You always want to follow your teacher’s advice because they’re the person who will be marking your work.

Good luck with your evaluation essay!

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Green Flags in a Relationship
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Signs you're Burnt Out, Not Lazy
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Toxic Things Parents Say to their Children

2 thoughts on “7 Steps for How to Write an Evaluation Essay (Example & Template)”

What an amazing article. I am returning to studying after several years and was struggling with how to present an evaluative essay. This article has simplified the process and provided me with the confidence to tackle my subject (theoretical approaches to development and management of teams).

I just wanted to ask whether the evaluation criteria has to be supported by evidence or can it just be a list of criteria that you think of yourself to objectively measure?

Many many thanks for writing this!

Usually we would want to see evidence, but ask your teacher for what they’re looking for as they may allow you, depending on the situation.

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5 Exact Examples: How to Write a Strong Self-Evaluation

By Status.net Editorial Team on December 18, 2023 — 15 minutes to read

Self-evaluation, also known as self-assessment, is a process where you critically examine your own actions, behaviors, values, and achievements to determine your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development. This type of evaluation is commonly a part of performance reviews at companies, but you can also practice it independently to positively impact your career and personal growth. Writing an effective self-evaluation requires honesty, introspection, and clear communication.

Getting Started

Reflect on your achievements.

Before diving into a self-evaluation, take some time to reflect on your successes throughout the review period. Jot down a list of milestones, completed projects, and goals you’ve met. This exercise allows you to not only celebrate your accomplishments but also gives you a starting point for the evaluation. For example, “Launched a successful marketing campaign, resulting in an 8% increase in leads.”

Identify Areas for Growth

After reflecting on your achievements, Shift your focus to the areas where you can improve. This requires being honest with yourself about your weaknesses and challenges you’ve faced during the review period. Write down examples where you struggled and think about what could have been done differently. Here’s an example: “I struggled to meet deadlines on two major projects because I underestimated the time needed for completion.”

Gather Feedback

A self-evaluation is an opportunity to hear and incorporate feedback from your colleagues. Ask for constructive feedback from trusted coworkers and jot down their suggestions. Be sure to consider their perspectives when writing your self-evaluation. For example, a coworker might say, “You were a great team player during the project, but your communication could be more timely.”

Review Your Job Description

Finally, review your job description to ensure you have a clear understanding of your role and responsibilities. Use this as a reference point to measure your performance and ensure your evaluation covers all aspects of your job. This will help you to focus on key goals and responsibilities you should address in your self-evaluation. For instance, if your job description states, “Collaborate effectively with the sales team to generate new leads,” think about how you’ve fulfilled this responsibility and include specific examples in your evaluation.

Self-Evaluation Template

Introduction: – Begin by summarizing your role and the primary responsibilities you hold within the organization. – Highlight any overarching goals or objectives that were set for the evaluation period.

Key Accomplishments: – List your significant achievements since the last evaluation, providing specific examples. – Detail how these accomplishments have positively impacted the team or organization. – Use metrics and data where possible to quantify your success.

Strengths and Skills: – Identify the skills and strengths that have contributed to your achievements. – Provide examples of how you have demonstrated these strengths in your work.

Areas for Improvement: – Reflect on any challenges you faced and areas where you see opportunities for personal growth. – Outline your plan for addressing these areas and how you intend to implement changes.

Professional Development: – Discuss any new skills or knowledge you have acquired. – Explain how you have applied or plan to apply this new expertise to your current role.

Goals for the Next Period: – Set clear, achievable goals for the next evaluation period. – Explain how these goals align with the organization’s objectives and your professional development.

Conclusion: – Summarize your contributions and express your commitment to ongoing improvement and excellence. – Offer to discuss any feedback or support you may need from management to achieve your future goals.

[Your Name] Self-Evaluation

Introduction : My role as [Your Job Title] at [Company Name] involves [briefly describe your main responsibilities]. Over the past [timeframe], I have aimed to [state your overarching goals or objectives].

Key Accomplishments: 1. [Accomplishment 1]: [Description and impact]. 2. [Accomplishment 2]: [Description and impact]. 3. [Accomplishment 3]: [Description and impact].

Strengths and Skills: – [Strength/Skill 1]: [Example of how you demonstrated this]. – [Strength/Skill 2]: [Example of how you demonstrated this]. – [Strength/Skill 3]: [Example of how you demonstrated this].

Areas for Improvement: – [Area for Improvement 1]: [Your plan to improve]. – [Area for Improvement 2]: [Your plan to improve].

Professional Development: – [New Skill/Knowledge]: [How you have applied or plan to apply it].

Goals for the Next Period: – [Goal 1]: [How it aligns with organizational/professional objectives]. – [Goal 2]: [How it aligns with organizational/professional objectives].

Conclusion: I am proud of what I have accomplished in [timeframe] and am eager to continue contributing to [Company Name]. I am committed to [specific actions for improvement and goals], and I look forward to any feedback that can help me grow further in my role. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss any additional support needed from management to succeed in my endeavors.

[Optional: Request for meeting or discussion with supervisor]

Example of a Strong Self-Evaluation

Jane Smith Self-Evaluation

Introduction: As a Senior Graphic Designer at Creative Solutions Inc., my role involves conceptualizing and designing visual content that effectively communicates our clients’ branding and marketing objectives. Over the past year, I have aimed to enhance the creativity and efficiency of our design output, ensuring client satisfaction and team growth.

Key Accomplishments: 1. Brand Campaign Launch: Led the design team in creating a comprehensive visual campaign for our key client, Luxe Cosmetics, which resulted in a 40% increase in their social media engagement within two months. 2. Workflow Optimization: Implemented a new design workflow using Agile methodologies that reduced project turnaround time by 25%, allowing us to take on 15% more client work without compromising quality. 3. Design Award: Received the “Innovative Design of the Year” award for my work on the EcoGreen initiative, which raised awareness about sustainable living practices through compelling visual storytelling.

Strengths and Skills: – Creativity and Innovation: Consistently pushed the boundaries of traditional design to create fresh and engaging content, as evidenced by the Luxe Cosmetics campaign. – Team Leadership: Fostered a collaborative team environment that encouraged the sharing of ideas and techniques, leading to a more versatile and skilled design team. – Efficiency: Streamlined design processes by introducing new software and collaboration tools, significantly improving project delivery times.

Areas for Improvement: – Public Speaking: While I am confident in my design skills, I aim to improve my public speaking abilities to more effectively present and pitch our design concepts to clients. – Advanced Animation Techniques: To stay ahead in the industry, I plan to enhance my knowledge of animation software to expand our service offerings.

Professional Development: – Advanced Adobe After Effects Course: Completed a course to refine my animation skills, which I plan to leverage in upcoming projects to add dynamic elements to our designs.

Goals for the Next Period: – Client Retention: Aim to increase client retention by 20% by delivering consistently high-quality designs and improving client communication strategies. – Mentoring: Establish a mentoring program within the design team to nurture the development of junior designers, ensuring a pipeline of talent and leadership for the future.

Conclusion: I am proud of the contributions I have made to Creative Solutions Inc. this year, particularly in enhancing our design quality and team capabilities. I am committed to further developing my public speaking skills and expanding our animation services, and I look forward to any feedback that can help me progress in these areas. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss additional resources or support from management that could facilitate achieving these goals.

Best regards, Jane Smith

Writing Your Self-Evaluation

Follow the company format.

Before you begin writing your self-evaluation, make sure to check with your organization’s guidelines and format. Adhering to the provided template will ensure that you include all relevant information, making it easier for your supervisors to review. You may also find examples and tips within the company resources that can help you present your achievements and goals in a concise and effective manner.

Start with Your Successes

When writing a self-evaluation, it’s essential to highlight your accomplishments and contributions positively. List your achievements and victories, focusing on those that align with the organization’s goals and values. Back up your claims with specific examples and statistics, if available. This not only showcases your hard work but also reinforces your value to the company.

For instance, if you surpassed a sales target, mention the exact percentage you exceeded and describe how you achieved this. Or if you successfully led a team project, outline the steps you took to manage and motivate your colleagues.

Discuss Your Challenges

While it’s important to discuss your successes, acknowledging your challenges and areas of improvement demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to personal growth. Don’t shy away from admitting where you struggled—instead, be honest and identify these obstacles as opportunities for development. Explain what actions you’re taking to improve, like attending workshops, seeking feedback, or collaborating with colleagues.

For example, if you faced difficulties managing your time, discuss the strategies you’ve implemented to stay organized and prioritize tasks more effectively.

Set Goals for Yourself

Setting achievable and realistic goals is a crucial part of any self-evaluation. By outlining your ambitions, you communicate to your supervisors that you’re eager to progress and contribute to the organization’s success. Break down your goals into actionable steps and consider including timelines to make them more concrete and measurable.

If one of your goals is to improve your public speaking skills, you might include steps such as participating in meetings, volunteering for presentations, or attending workshops, with specific deadlines and milestones attached. This level of detail demonstrates your dedication to achieving your goals while providing a clear roadmap for your growth.

Strong Self-Evaluation: Providing Examples

Use specific instances.

When writing a self-evaluation, try to provide clear and specific examples from your work experience. By offering concrete instances, you help paint a more accurate picture of your achievements and progress. For instance, instead of saying, “I improved my communication skills,” you could say, “I successfully trained three new team members and presented our quarterly report to the management team.” Using detailed examples will make it easier for your supervisors to understand your accomplishments and appreciate your efforts.

Quantify Your Accomplishments

Wherever possible, try to quantify your achievements by using numbers, percentages, or any other measurable indicators. This can help make your successes more tangible and easier to understand. For example, you might mention that you increased sales by 20% in your department or that you completed a project two weeks ahead of schedule. Always aim to back up your statements with quantifiable information to support your claims and show your effectiveness in your role.

Highlight Your Progress

It’s important to focus on the progress you’ve made and the growth you’ve experienced in your role. Use the self-evaluation as an opportunity to reflect on your personal and professional development. For example, you could discuss how you learned a new software program that boosted your team’s productivity, or how you overcame struggles with time management by implementing new strategies. Emphasize not just your accomplishments but also the positive changes you’ve made for yourself and your team throughout the evaluation period. This will help demonstrate your dedication to growth and continuous improvement.

1. Project Management Skills: – Strong Self-Evaluation Example: “In my role as a project manager, I successfully led a team of 10 to deliver a complex software development project three weeks ahead of schedule. I attribute this accomplishment to my rigorous approach to project planning, where I meticulously outlined project phases, set realistic milestones, and conducted weekly check-ins with team members to gauge progress and address any roadblocks. My proactive communication strategy prevented delays and ensured that all team members were aligned with the project objectives.”

2. Customer Service Excellence: – Strong Self-Evaluation Example: “I have consistently maintained a customer satisfaction rating above 95% over the past year by employing an empathetic and solution-oriented approach to customer interactions. For instance, when a customer was frustrated with a delayed order, I took the initiative to not only expedite the shipping but also provided a discount on their next purchase. This resulted in a positive review and repeat business, demonstrating my commitment to going above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.”

3. Innovative Problem Solving: – Strong Self-Evaluation Example: “I identified a recurring bottleneck in our inventory management process that was causing shipment delays. By analyzing the workflow and collaborating with the logistics team, I designed a new inventory tracking system using a Kanban board that increased our efficiency by 30%. This initiative reduced average shipment times from 5 days to 3 days, significantly improving our order fulfillment rates.”

4. Effective Team Leadership: – Strong Self-Evaluation Example: “As the head of the marketing team, I led a campaign that resulted in a 20% increase in brand engagement. I achieved this by fostering a collaborative environment where each team member’s ideas were valued and incorporated. I organized brainstorming sessions that encouraged creative problem-solving and ensured that the team’s goals were aligned with the company’s vision. My leadership directly influenced the campaign’s success and the team’s high morale.”

5. Adaptability and Learning Agility: – Strong Self-Evaluation Example: “When our company transitioned to a new CRM system, I took the initiative to master the software ahead of the formal training. I then shared my knowledge with my colleagues through a series of workshops, which facilitated a smoother transition for the entire department. My ability to quickly adapt to new technology and willingness to assist others in their learning process demonstrates my dedication to continuous improvement and team success.”

Self-Evaluation Dos and Don’ts

Stay honest and constructive.

When writing a self-evaluation, it’s vital to be honest and realistic about your performance. Reflect on the achievements and challenges you’ve faced, and consider areas where you can improve. For example, if you struggled to complete a project on time, mention the obstacles you faced and the lessons you learned. This will show that you’re committed to personal growth and self-improvement.

I successfully completed seven out of eight projects within the given time frame. However, there were difficulties in delivering the last project on time due to a lack of resources. Moving forward, I plan to improve on allocating resources more effectively to ensure timely delivery.

Avoid Undermining Your Efforts

While it’s essential to view your performance objectively, don’t downplay your achievements or accomplishments. Acknowledge your efforts and reflect on your contributions to the team. For instance, if you’ve improved your sales numbers, highlight your success and outline the strategies you implemented to achieve this.

This quarter, my sales numbers increased by 15%, surpassing the target of 10%. I was persistent in following up on leads and implemented new techniques, such as personalized presentations, to connect with potential clients better.

Keep a Positive Outlook

Maintaining a positive attitude when discussing your performance is crucial in a self-evaluation. Focus on the progress you’ve made and show your willingness to learn from mistakes and challenges. Don’t dwell on the negatives; instead, frame them as opportunities for growth and learning, and share your plans for improvement.

While I encountered challenges in team communication earlier in the year, I have since taken steps to improve. I enrolled in a communication skills workshop, and the techniques I learned have helped me collaborate more effectively with my colleagues. I look forward to applying these skills to future projects.

Finalizing Your Self-Evaluation

Edit for clarity and concision.

After you’ve written your self-evaluation, take some time to review and edit it for clarity and concision. This means making sure that your points are expressed clearly, without ambiguity, and that you’ve removed any unnecessary or repetitive information. Here are some tips to help you do this:

• Use short sentences and active voice to make your points clear.
• Break up long paragraphs into smaller ones for easier reading.
• Double-check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Make sure that your points are stated in a logical and organized manner.

Request Peer Review

Once you’re satisfied with your self-evaluation, consider asking a trusted colleague or manager to review it. This can provide you with valuable feedback and help ensure that your evaluation is well-rounded, accurate, and unbiased. Keep these points in mind when requesting a peer review:

• Choose someone who knows your work well and has a clear understanding of your job responsibilities.
• Ask them to review your evaluation for clarity, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
• Be open to constructive feedback, and make any necessary revisions based on their input.

By following these steps for finalizing your self-evaluation, you’ll have a stronger, more polished document that effectively highlights your accomplishments, areas for improvement, and goals for the future. This will provide a solid foundation for discussing your performance with your manager and creating a clear roadmap for professional growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some helpful tips for writing an impactful self-evaluation.

When writing a self-evaluation, always be honest and specific about your accomplishments and goals. Provide examples and use metrics to quantify your achievements whenever possible. Reflect on areas where you can improve and create a plan for personal development. Use positive language, keep it concise and focused, and don’t forget to mention any feedback you’ve received from coworkers, clients, or managers.

Can you give examples of strong points to highlight in a self-evaluation?

Some powerful points you can emphasize in a self-evaluation include successful project management, exceeding targets or goals, implementing new processes that improve efficiency, demonstrating strong teamwork, and receiving positive client or coworker feedback. Tailor your examples to highlight your unique strengths and align with your role and company goals.

How would one describe their personal achievements in a self-assessment for a performance review?

To describe personal achievements effectively in a self-assessment, be results-oriented, and show the impact of your accomplishments. Use specific examples to illustrate your success and demonstrate how these achievements contributed to your team or company goals. If possible, quantify your results through metrics or figures to give a clear picture of your performance.

Could you provide a sample paragraph of a self-evaluation for a senior management position?

“Over the past year, as the Senior Manager of the (…) team, I have successfully launched three major projects that resulted in a 25% increase in revenue. My leadership style has fostered a collaborative environment, with my team consistently achieving all targets on time. I have also implemented training initiatives to develop team members’ skillsets, and our client satisfaction rate has increased by 15%. I plan to focus on further expanding our project portfolio and mentoring junior managers to strengthen the team’s leadership capabilities.”

What could be good sentence starters for framing self-evaluation points?

• During my time in this role, I have accomplished…
• One area I have excelled in is…
• An example of a significant contribution is…
• I demonstrated strong problem-solving skills when I…
• My collaboration with coworkers has led to…
• In terms of improvement, I plan to focus on…
• Over the past year, my growth has been evident in…
• Self Evaluation Examples [Complete Guide]
• 40 Competency Self-Evaluation Comments Examples
• 42 Adaptability Self Evaluation Comments Examples
• 30 Examples of Teamwork Self Evaluation Comments
• 45 Self Evaluation Sample Answers: Strengths and Weaknesses
• 45 Productivity Self Evaluation Comments Examples

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Ultimate Guide to Writing a Self-Evaluation Essay

Carla johnson.

• June 14, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas , How to Guides

Self-evaluation essays are a type of writing assignment that asks people to think about their own skills, accomplishments, and performance. The goal of a self-evaluation essay is to give a full picture of one’s own strengths and weaknesses so that areas for improvement can be found and goals for personal and professional growth can be set.

Self-evaluation essays are an important part of both personal and professional growth. They give people a chance to think about how they’ve done and set goals for the future . By thinking about themselves, people can learn more about their strengths and weaknesses and make a plan for continuing to grow and get better.

In this complete guide to writing a self-evaluation essay, we’ll look at the most important parts , such as planning, writing, and editing. We’ll also give you advice on how to come up with ideas and organize them, as well as how to think about your own performance and what you’ve done well. By the end of this guide, readers will have the skills and knowledge they need to write effective and meaningful self-evaluation essays in a variety of situations.

What You'll Learn

Elements of a Self Evaluation Essay

A self evaluation essay typically includes the following elements:

1. The purpose of a self evaluation essay: The goal of a self-evaluation essay is to give a full picture of your skills, accomplishments, and areas where you can improve. In the essay, you should be honest and thoughtful about your own performance and set goals for personal and professional growth.

2. Reflection and self-assessment: A self evaluation essay requires individuals to reflect on their own performance and accomplishments. This may include reflecting on past experiences , identifying areas for improvement, and setting goals for the future.

3. Identification of strengths and weaknesses: In a self-evaluation essay, it’s important to talk about both your strengths and weaknesses. This could mean talking about what has been done well and what needs to be improved.

4. Goals and objectives for personal growth: In a self-evaluation essay, you should list specific goals and objectives for your own and your career’s growth. This could mean setting goals to improve skills, move up in your career, or take care of your own health .

5. Evidence and examples to support claims: The claims in a self-evaluation essay should be backed up by evidence and examples. This can include specific examples of accomplishments, feedback from others, or data to back up claims about skills or accomplishments.

Preparing to Write a Self Evaluation Essay

Before you start writing a self-evaluation essay, you should prepare by gathering information and evidence, coming up with ideas, and writing down your goals and objectives. Here are some tips for getting ready to write an essay about yourself:

1. Gathering information and evidence: Before you start writing, make sure you have all the information or proof you need to back up your claims. This could be your past performance reviews, comments from coworkers, or information about what you’ve done.

2. Brainstorming and outlining: Before you start writing, give yourself time to think of ideas and put them in order. Make a plan that includes the most important parts of a self-evaluation essay, such as reflection, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and setting goals for your own growth.

3. Identifying goals and objectives: Before you start writing, you should set specific goals for your personal and professional growth. This could mean setting goals to improve skills, move up in your career, or take care of your own health.

4. Choosing a format and structure: Choose how your self-evaluation essay will look and be put together. This could mean choosing a chronological or thematic approach, or using a certain format or template.

By taking the time to prepare and gather information, individuals can write more effective and meaningful self evaluation essays that accurately reflect their own performance and accomplishments.

Writing a Self Evaluation Essay

When writing a self evaluation essay , it is important to follow a clear structure that includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The following tips can help you to write an effective self evaluation essay:

1. Introduction: Begin with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention and provides context for the essay . Introduce the purpose of the essay and provide a thesis statement that summarizes your main argument.

2. Body paragraphs: The body of the essay should include several paragraphs that address different aspects of your performance, skills, and accomplishments. Use specific examples and evidence to support your claims and provide a clear and detailed reflection on your own performance.

3. Conclusion: Summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement. End with a statement that reflects on what you have learned from the self evaluation process and outlines your goals for personal and professional growth.

4. Tone and style: Use a professional and objective tone when writing a self evaluation essay. Avoid using overly emotional or defensive language, and focus on providing an honest and thoughtful reflection on your own performance.

5. Grammar and mechanics: Pay careful attention to grammar, mechanics, and spelling when writing a self evaluation essay. Use clear and concise language, and proofread your essay carefully to ensure that it is error-free.

Self Evaluation Essay Examples

To better understand how to write a self evaluation essay, it can be helpful to examine examples of effective essays . Here are some key takeaways from successfulself evaluation essays:

1. Sample self evaluation essay: A sample self evaluation essay can provide a helpful template for structuring your own essay. Look for essays that focus on specific goals or accomplishments, and use them as a guide for organizing your own essay.

2. Analysis of effective self evaluation essays: Analyze effective self evaluation essays to identify the key elements that make them successful. Look for essays that provide specific examples and evidence to support claims , and that offer a clear and honest reflection on strengths and weaknesses.

3. Key takeaways from successful self evaluation essays : Successful self evaluation essays typically include a clear and well-structured introduction, detailed body paragraphs that provide specific examples and evidence, and a thoughtful conclusion that reflects on what has been learned and sets goals for future growth.

By studying examples of effective self evaluation essays and applying the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, individuals can write more effective and meaningful self evaluation essays that accurately reflect their own performance, skills, and accomplishments.

Self Evaluation Essay Topics

When choosing a topic for a self evaluation essay , consider areas where you have experienced personal growth, challenges, or accomplishments. Here are some potential topics to consider:

1. Personal achievements and challenges: Write about a personal achievement or challenge that you have experienced, and reflect on what you learned from the experience.

2. Educational and career goals: Write about your educational or career goals, and reflect on the progress you have made toward achieving them.

3. Personal growth and development: Write about a specific area where you have experienced personal growth and development, such as communication skills or leadership abilities.

4. Strengths and weaknesses: Write about your strengths and weaknesses, and reflect on how they have impacted your personal and professional life.

5. Critical reflection on experiences: Write about a specific experience that has had a significant impact on your life, and reflect on what you have learned from the experience.

Self Evaluation Essay Outline

A clear and well-organized outline is essential for writing an effective self evaluation essay . Here are some tips for creating an effective outline:

1. Basic outline structure: Your outline should include an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

2. Tips for creating an effective outline: Start by brainstorming and organizing your thoughts into a logical sequence. Use bullet points or short phrases to outline the key ideas in each section of your essay . Make sure that your outline includes specific examples and evidence to support your claims.

3. Examples of selfevaluation essay outlines: Here is an example of a basic outline structure for a self evaluation essay:

I. Introduction

   A. Hook

   B. Context

   C. Thesis statement

II. Body Paragraphs

   A. Reflection on personal achievements and challenges

      1. Examples and evidence to support claims

      2. Reflection on what was learned

   B. Discussion of educational and career goals

      1. Progress made toward achieving goals

      2. Reflection on areas for improvement

   C. Analysis of personal growth and development

      1. Specific areas of growth

      2. Reflection on how growth has impacted personal and professional life

   D. Identification of strengths and weaknesses

      1. Discussion of strengths and how they have contributed to success

      2. Discussion of weaknesses and how they have been addressed

   E. Critical reflection on experiences

      1. Discussion of a specific experience

      2. Reflection on what was learned from the experience

III. Conclusion

   A. Summary of main points

   B. Reflection on what was learned from the self evaluation process

   C. Goals for personal and professional growth

By following a clear and well-organized outline, individuals can write more effective and meaningful self evaluation essays that accurately reflect their own performance, skills, and accomplishments.

Self Evaluation Essay Thesis

An important part of a self-evaluation essay is a thesis statement. It gives a clear and concise summary of the main point or argument of the essay and helps the reader figure out what to do with the rest of the essay. Here are some tips for writing a strong thesis statement for a self-evaluation essay:

1. Purpose and importance of a thesis statement : The purpose of a thesis statement is to provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay. It should convey the main argument or focus of the essay , and provide a clear and concise summary of the key points that will be discussed.

2. Tips for crafting a strong thesis statement: To craft a strong thesis statement, start by brainstorming and organizing your thoughts. Identify the key themes or ideas that will be discussed in the essay , and use these to craft a clear and concise thesis statement. Make sure that your thesis statement is specific, focused, and relevant to the topic of the essay .

3. Examples of effective self evaluation essay thesis: Here are some examples of effective thesis statements for self evaluation essays:

– “Through reflecting on my personal achievements and challenges, I have gained a deeper understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses, and have identified opportunities for personal and professional growth.”

– “My educational and career goals have been shaped by my experiences and accomplishments, and I am committed to continuing to develop my skills and knowledge in order to achieve these goals.

– “Through engaging in critical reflection on my experiences, Ihave gained a greater appreciation for the value of personal growth and development, and have identified specific areas where I can continue to improve.”

Self Evaluation Essay Structure

A successful self evaluation essay should follow a clear and well-structured format. Here are some tips for structuring a successful self evaluation essay:

1. Introduction: The introduction should include a hook that grabs the reader’s attention, provide context for the essay, and include a clear and concise thesis statement that summarizes the main argument or focus of the essay .

2. Body paragraphs: The body of the essay should include several paragraphs that address different aspects of your performance, skills, and accomplishments. Use specific examples and evidence to support your claims, and provide a clear and detailed reflection on your own performance.

3. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the main points of the essay , restate the thesis statement, and provide a thoughtful reflection on what has been learned from the self evaluation process. It should also include goals for personal and professional growth.

4. Tips for structuring a successful self evaluation essay: To structure a successful self evaluation essay, organize your thoughts into a clear and logical sequence. Use specific examples and evidence to support your claims, and make sure that each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of your performance or experience. Use transitions to connect ideas and ensure that the essay flows smoothly.

By following these tips and structuring your self evaluation essay in a clear and well-organized format, you can write an effective and meaningful essay that accuratelyreflects your own performance and accomplishments.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what is a self evaluation essay.

A self-evaluation essay is a piece of writing in which the writer thinks about their own skills, accomplishments, and performance. The goal of a self-evaluation essay is to give a full picture of one’s own strengths and weaknesses so that areas for improvement can be found and goals for personal and professional growth can be set.

2. What are the elements of a self evaluation essay?

A self-evaluation essay usually includes reflection and self-assessment, identification of strengths and weaknesses, goals and objectives for personal growth, evidence and examples to support claims, and a clear and well-organized structure.

3. How do I choose a topic for a self evaluation essay?

When choosing a topic for a self-evaluation essay, think about areas in which you’ve grown, faced challenges, or done well. Personal successes and problems, educational and career goals, personal growth and development, strengths and weaknesses, and a critical look back on experiences are all possible topics .

4. How do I structure a self evaluation essay?

The format of a self-evaluation essay should be clear and well-structured, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should have a hook, set the scene for the essay , and have a clear statement of the essay’s main point. The body of the essay should have several paragraphs that talk about different parts of your performance, skills, and accomplishments. The conclusion should summarize the main points of the essay and give goals for personal and professional growth.

5. What are some tips for writing a successful self evaluation essay?

Some tips for writing a good self-evaluation essay include gathering information and evidence, coming up with ideas and making an outline, identifying goals and objectives, using a professional and objective tone, paying attention to grammar and mechanics, and using specific examples and evidence to support claims.

Writing a self-evaluation essay can help you improve as a person and as a worker. By thinking about your own performance, skills, and accomplishments, you can learn more about your strengths and weaknesses and set goals for continuing to grow and get better. To write a good self-evaluation essay, you should stick to a clear and well-organized structure, use a professional and objective tone, and back up your claims with specific examples and evidence.

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Tips for Writing a Strong Self-Evaluation (With Examples)

It’s no secret that nobody really loves the self-assessment performance review process. Singing our own praises may make our toes curl — and acknowledging where we’ve made mistakes in the past can feel uncomfortable or embarrassing.

So it seems like little wonder, then, that according to 2019 research by Gallup , 86% of employees say that they don’t find performance reviews helpful for driving improvement. Getting this part of the performance review right requires introspection, a non-judgmental attitude, and asking yourself the right questions to guide self-evaluation. 

To get things started, use our tips in this article to help guide your reflection process. Then, follow up with our Self-Evaluation Template to help you structure your written evaluation.

Key Takeaways:

• Your self-assessment is a chance to be your own advocate.
• Track achievements year round to make the process easier.
• Include specific examples of any skills learned or goals met.
• If you’re stuck on what to write, consult manager and peer feedback.

What is a Self-Assessment Performance Review?

The self-assessment performance review is a key part of the performance management process. It’s a chance for self-reflection on your job performance, including your core strengths and areas for improvement. It also paints a picture for your manager of how you view yourself in relation to your team and the company as a whole, and surfaces any career aspirations or growth needs.

Self-assessment performance appraisals help employees see how their work contributes to the organization and their overall career aspirations, making them far more motivated to do their best work. They’re linked to increased employee performance, higher levels of job satisfaction, and improved employee engagement.

Benefits of employee self-evaluation include:

• Set goals more effectively: A 2020 study on managerial feedback found that focusing on future actions, rather than dwelling on past events, leads to better performance. When we evaluate our overall performance in the context of our professional development and progression, it helps us pinpoint the skill sets we need in the future.
• Eliminate performance review bias: A 2019 study on 30 years of performance management research found that when employees participate in the performance management process, it leads to greater satisfaction in the outcome. Employees were more likely to say the process felt fair and unbiased, because their participation created a two-way, collaborative process.
• Improve employee confidence: Our self-efficacy — or beliefs about how likely we are to succeed in a particular topic or learning opportunity — play an important role in how we perform. A 2021 study based on classroom learning found that when students reviewed their own performance, it boosted their confidence.
• Increase team alignment: Viewing your own performance in the context of how it contributes to your team’s overall goals helps highlight areas of misalignment in terms of processes or communication — meaning you can improve how your team works together. 

What to Reflect On Before Writing an Employee Self-Assessment

Jumping into a self-evaluation might feel a little daunting. Taking a moment to do an informal review of your performance, progress, and goals can help you collect your thoughts when it’s time to write the real thing.

In the spirit of continuous feedback and the performance review process , consider your metrics of success for your own performance — whether that’s a quantitative measure like KPIs and OKRs, or more qualitative, such as your emotions and feelings about the last year.

Make sure you write down specific examples of any skills learned, goals met, or targets hit, so that you’re well-prepared for the next performance review cycle.

Here are our five best practices to get this process right.

1. Identify how you really feel. 

Start by figuring out how you actually feel about your overall performance without the pressure of presenting these thoughts in a professional context. 

Try taking some notes or consulting a trusted friend or peer about how you feel you’ve performed over the last quarter or year. Acknowledge the full spectrum of your experiences, including any specific examples you might feel hesitant to highlight in your formal performance review.

Coming up with an unfiltered version will help you understand how your perspective comes across, and you can always make edits once you start writing.‍

2. Review your goals.

Setting goals — and feeling motivated to achieve them — is the cornerstone of doing your best work. Review how you performed against your most recent goals. Did you meet, exceed, or struggle to meet expectations?

For each goal, evaluate yourself based on the following questions:

• Why did you meet — or struggle to meet — this goal?
• When you didn’t meet a goal, what blockers made progress difficult?
• Was this goal clear, specific, and challenging enough? Why?
• Thinking about the goals you struggled to meet, what could you improve on to meet goals like this in future?
• Thinking about the goals you achieved, how can you build on this success to set a new goal?

As you reflect on goal progress, use your objectives and key results (OKRs) to provide a framework for your self-assessment, adding details and examples from the past year that contextualize your progress or challenges.

3. Review your manager’s feedback. 

Your performance review is an opportunity to check in with your manager about your progress and have a dialogue on what’s next. But it’s also an opportunity for you to provide additional context on anything that might have improved or hindered your performance and goal accomplishment. 

Look at recent one-on-ones or manager feedback from previous check-ins for guidance. What did your manager highlight or praise? Was there any constructive feedback on your performance?

Make sure you reference your accomplishments in your review and highlight what you did well. For areas that need improvement, provide additional context for any questions you think your manager might ask, and share any details about how you approached a project or situation that shed light on its outcome. Reflect on how you grew, and your plans to continue improving. 

4. ‍ Review notes from peers and coworkers. 

Peer feedback isn’t just great for professional development and surfacing new performance perspectives — it’s also vital for fostering the environment needed for great teamwork. In fact, one 2015 study on employee recognition found that praise from team members can have twice the impact on your wellbeing at work compared with manager feedback.

Evaluating feedback from peers can help you see how you’ve supported your team’s overall goals, as well as highlighting your progress on any non-technical skills — like problem-solving or communication — that build a more complete picture of your progress in the last year. Look through any past performance reviews, emails, personal messages, team meeting slide decks, or your company’s Praise Wall to collate a balanced view of how your peers see you.

Evaluate your progress by considering the following questions:

• How have you helped team members and peers deliver on their goals?
• Were there any specific instances or projects where team members praised your contributions?
• How have you followed through on team expectations?
• How would you rate your teamwork and collaboration skills?

Find more question examples in our Peer Review Template .

Writing Your Performance Review Self-Assessment

Once you’re ready to write your self-appraisal, you’ll want to collate everything you’ve noted during the reflection process, and start crafting your highlight reel that outlines all of your accomplishments since your last review.

To get started, use your job description as a guide. Evaluate how you meet each of the core competencies and skill sets, pointing to specific examples when you demonstrated each. While you write, work through the following topics:

• Role in the wider team: How does your work connect to the bigger picture? What kind of teammate are you?
• Unique selling point: What do you contribute that sets you apart? How is your team unable to function without you?
• Key results: Review any OKRs. What key results did or didn’t you achieve? Why or why not?
• Areas for improvement: Things can change for the better after a performance evaluation. What does that look like for you?

Examples of How to Talk about Your Accomplishments in Your Self-Assessment

Many folks worry about sounding braggy in a self-review. And while it might feel uncomfortable to sing your own praises, try writing it like you’re advocating for someone else to show what you’re capable of.

Talk about the cause and effect of your actions on projects, and make sure to reference praise you’ve gotten from others. Include business outcomes, quotes from happy customers, and any tangible data. Talk assertively about your accomplishments like they’re facts.

Try using these self-evaluation examples to help you guide your review.

‍Goal Accomplishment

• “I set an OKR this year to grow our social channels 20%, but I exceeded that goal by growing them 40%.” 
• “My contribution to project X has helped increase customer NPS 10x.” 
• “Project Y has streamlined our process and saved time across teams.” 
• “Project Z will bring in more and better-qualified leads.” 
• “I accomplished a personal developmental goal to learn a new skill by working alongside peers in a different department.”

Project Management

• “I demonstrate strong time management skills when hitting project deadlines.”
• “I communicate project updates with all team members and relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.”
• “When running project X, I was effective at delegating tasks and following up on work to make sure our team stayed on deadline.”
• “I am effective at taking ownership of new projects and managing their successful completion.”

Team Support and Enablement

• “I always review my team member’s work within 24 hours of being asked.” 
• “Because of my feedback on this project, XYZ was completed faster.” 
• “I supported the success of our customer conference by being a speaker, and received praise from our VP of Marketing.”
• “I go above and beyond to make sure our team operates at its best, and I regularly provide help and support to team members when working on a collective goal.”

Non-Technical Skills

• “My problem-solving skills helped overcome a key strategic challenge in a recent project.”
• “Because of my effective decision-making skills, we were able to complete project XYZ in a timely manner.”
• “I regularly contribute my ideas and perspectives in team meetings to help boost our team’s output and goal accomplishment.”
• “I’m successful at staying on top of my to-do list, and regularly communicate progress with team members on shared projects.”

Ongoing Contributions

• “I maintain and moderate a critical daily community discussion channel.” 
• “I reach out to prospects early in the morning, since they’re in a different time zone than I am.”
• “I send out a weekly update to the entire organization about my project or function.”
• “I helped launch and manage a new Employee Resource Group that supports our LGBTQ+ employees.”

Examples of How to Talk About Areas of Improvement

It can be hard to talk about your mistakes or recognize room for improvement in aspects of your work. For this reason, tone is particularly important when it comes to this portion of your self-assessment.

When talking about any areas for improvement, focus on honesty, and try not to be defensive, minimize errors, or blame others in your self-evaluation. Remember that everything you say is from your own perspective, so it’s a good practice to phrase things accordingly, such as “I found out I benefit from x”, or “I found I work best in x conditions”. 

Reflecting on where you need to improve can also be a perfect opportunity to talk about how you want to grow in your career or improve in your job. When talking about mistakes or known problems during the review period, stay positive and emphasize the solution and next steps. You want to position yourself as a problem-solver with self-awareness.

For example, perhaps you weren’t prepared to take on a task because you weren’t trained. Propose enrolling in a class to help you step up your career development and take on more responsibilities.

When reflecting on your areas for improvement, try emulating the following examples:

• “I can sometimes struggle to take the lead in project management scenarios. I’d really like to take on some leadership skills classes to help me develop.”
• “I find it hard to share my ideas with team members on how to approach a project or piece of work, because I get overwhelmed when talking in a larger group. This year, I’d really like to learn how to develop my confidence with some mentoring.”
• “I made a scheduling mistake that contributed to a delay on our team’s recent project. I learned better time management skills as a result and have a plan to manage these situations better in future.”
• “I struggle with my presentation skills in front of a large audience. Is there someone in our wider team I can learn from?”

Crafting a Roadmap for Future Progression

Your self-assessment is a chance to be your own biggest advocate. As you work through the review process, try not to look at it as exposing your weaknesses, past failures, or mistakes. Instead, look at it as an opportunity, with your manager’s help, to take ownership of your career path, celebrate your wins, and unravel any niggling issues.

Working through this collaborative process should feel like a conversation with your manager that gives you a roadmap to help you perform at your very best in the future. For more support, download our Self-Evaluation Template . 

Related content

7 Examples of Areas of Improvement in Performance Reviews

How to Avoid Unwelcome Surprises in Your Next Performance Review

A Comprehensive Guide to Performance Management Cycles

The Difference Between Developmental and Performance Reviews (And Why You Need Both)

Self-Evaluation Essay Examples

A self-evaluation essay aims to describe one’s accomplishments and mistakes over a given period or throughout a lifetime. It also suggests how it is possible to enhance the merits and resolve the errors.

This writing task is highly beneficial for future managers, nurses, and other students planning to work with people. We are too prone to exaggerate our merits and underestimate our failures. This essay teaches you to take a critical look at how you treat others.

Here you can consult dozens of self-evaluation essay examples featuring every possible approach to the assignment. Your own text will undoubtedly be different in structure and conclusions, but the general tone of the samples will help you do it correctly.

33 Best Self-Evaluation Essay Examples

Communication style of a program manager.

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Personal Cultural Awareness in Management: Self-Evaluation

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Privilege to Work for Exide Technologies Canada Corporation

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Personal Planning to Building Financial Wealth

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Personal Nursing Experience and Traits Development

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Trends in Nursing, Leadership Styles, Career Plans

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Personality Type & Leadership Qualities

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Aspects of Nursing Informatics

Stating personal nursing philosophy.

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Personal and Professional Development Plan

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Personal Code of Ethics of the Nurse

Personal stress management and relaxation techniques, personal experience of ineffective leadership.

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Clinical Personal Experience in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

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Lifestyle Assessment: Personal Experiences

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What It Means to Be a Philosopher

• Subjects: Philosophical Concept Philosophy
• Words: 1697

Characteristics of a Fair-Minded Thinker

Business informatics: skills and attributes.

• Subjects: Business Professions

Cognitive Dissonance and Its Impact in My Life

• Subjects: Psychological Issues Psychology

From Birth to Death: Human’s Destiny

• Words: 1936

Religion Implicit Association Test Evaluation

• Subjects: Applications of Psychology Psychology

Gender Identity: Definitions, Factors, Comparison

• Subjects: Gender Studies Sociology

The Importance of Critical Thinking at Work

Race and your community, based on personal experience.

• Subjects: Racism Sociology
• Words: 1735

The Character Who Influenced Me: Abraham Lincoln

The application of interpersonal communication skills.

• Words: 1987

Self-Perception as a Student: Powerful or Powerless?

Interest profiler and career development.

• Subjects: Career Education
• Words: 1125

Leadership: Portfolio Project

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International Business Manager Skills Development

• Words: 2853

Human Growth & Development Class: Lessons Learnt

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What I Learned in Human Resource Management – Essay

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The Role of Media’s Influence

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Last updated April 11, 2023

Writing a self-evaluation: How to make the most of the process

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Kat Boogaard

Writer, Culture Amp

Traditionally, the performance review process was a chance for managers to evaluate employees and provide feedback about their work and conduct.

But performance reviews have come a long way from that top-down approach. Today, holistic review processes incorporate feedback and insights from other leaders, team members, and even employees through self-evaluations. Below, we share an overview of the self-evaluation process and five tips for getting the most out of it.

What is a self-evaluation?

A self-evaluation is a formal way for an employee to provide their perspective as part of the performance review process. In most cases, this involves a detailed questionnaire that the employee uses to reflect on their own performance and answer the prompts.

Self-evaluation questions will touch on 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 primary goals of your role and how do you feel you’ve achieved them over the course of [time period]?
• What are your three biggest wins from the past [time period]? What about your three biggest challenges?
• What company values did you best embody in the last [time period]?
• What career goals are top of mind for you for the next year?

You might also hear this exercise called a self-assessment or a self-reflection , but all of the terms mean the same thing: an opportunity for the employee to evaluate their behaviors and contributions.

Why are self-evaluations important?

Self-evaluations add another step to performance reviews, but they’re well worth it in exchange for the benefits – for both employees and managers.

How employees benefit from self-evaluations

While some employees might groan at being asked to fill out a detailed assessment, this self-evaluation is an opportunity for them to:

• Think critically about their performance
• Revisit their career goals and how they’re progressing toward them
• Call attention to responsibilities, accomplishments, or challenges their leader might not be aware of

How managers benefit from self-evaluations

Leaders will need to spend some time reviewing self-evaluations (ideally prior to the one-on-one performance review conversations ). In doing so, managers are able to:

• Get a more in-depth understanding of the employee’s most recent work
• Increase employee engagement in the review process and its outcomes, as employees will perceive the approach as fairer
• Uncover employee successes, challenges, or career goals they might not have known about

How to write a solid self-evaluation

Completing a self-evaluation can be nerve-wracking. If you’ve been asked to do one, you may feel as if you need to structure a defense or justify the importance of your job. Instead, remind yourself that self-evaluations aren’t about worth – they’re about development .

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

1. Commit to taking regular notes

As you stare at the menacing, blinking cursor in that questionnaire, it can be challenging to rack your brain for the highs and lows you’ve experienced at work in the past six months or so. You might recall a few big projects, but at the moment, it’s easy to forget important details and contributions.

Save yourself the stress (and the blank stares) by keeping notes regularly. Start a simple document where you can continuously drop relevant tidbits – whether that’s praise you received, results you achieved, sticking points that frustrated you, or anything related to your performance.

When it comes time to complete your self-evaluation, you’ll be ready with a resource that’s chock-full of real examples and feedback that you can use as you answer the questions.

2. Comb through other data sources

If you haven’t started taking notes yet, there are other ways to jog your memory and find tangible information to include in your self-review. Take some time to look through things like your:

• Slack messages
• Task management software
• Past performance reviews
• Project management platform notifications

These will help you recall some noteworthy projects, wins, goals, and lessons from the past few months.

3. Provide examples

Be as specific as possible to get the most out of the self-evaluation process (and impress your manager).

That means providing real examples in your responses to questions. Don’t just say that you embody the company value of ingenuity – describe a recent scenario when you had to think outside the box.

For help coming up with solid examples, consider the STAR method . It’s a framework typically used for answering behavioral questions in job interviews, but it can also be a valuable resource during self-reviews. STAR is an acronym that stands for:

• S ituation: What was happening?
• T ask: What were you responsible for?
• A ction: What did you do to fulfill your responsibilities?
• R esult: What did your efforts achieve?

For example, if you’re asked about one of your proudest accomplishments from the past six months, you could use this framework to answer with something like:

Our marketing team was tasked with creating a webinar series to support the broader company goal of establishing the brand as a thought leader in the industry (that’s the situation ). I was responsible for lining up at least three prominent industry experts to participate in upcoming webinars (that’s the task ). I created a compelling one-sheet to describe the webinar series and its benefits. I drafted personalized emails to eight industry leaders and included the one-sheet with my message (that’s the action ). All eight responded positively to my outreach and booked webinar slots, far exceeding our goal of three expert participants (that’s the result ).

You don’t need to be super rigid about using the STAR method, but this structure can help ensure you provide enough context with your answers – without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.

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4. Keep it concise

Think of your self-evaluation as a highlight reel – an overview of your wins, challenges, future ambitions, and overall feelings about your role. You don’t need to give a rundown of everything you’ve been responsible for over the designated time frame.

Keep your answers focused and concise. You can do this by dedicating the most time and attention to these two pieces of the STAR acronym:

• Action: What specific role you played in a situation
• Result: What you achieved through those actions

The situation and task portions help set the scene, but ultimately, your manager will care more about your contributions and the impact you made.

5. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable

When you know your self-evaluation plays a role in your overall performance review, of course, you want to call attention to your successes. However, a self-review that’s overly glowing will feel disingenuous and do you a disservice in the long run.

Summon your courage and be open and candid about blockers or challenges you faced and what you learned from those situations.

This demonstrates your accountability and resilience and highlights areas or processes your manager can work to improve so you can avoid similar sticking points moving forward.

Using self-evaluations for success, not shame

Nobody’s perfect. It can be hard to honestly look back at your performance, but it’s worth doing. A self-evaluation provides an opportunity for personal reflection, an alternative perspective to help shape your overall review and a launch pad for a productive conversation with your supervisor.

At the end of the day, your self-evaluation isn’t about pinpointing what you could’ve done better – it’s about identifying how your manager can support your growth and development in the most meaningful ways.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Myself — Self Assessment

Self Assessment Essay Examples

How to write a self-assessment essay.

If you're tasked with writing a self-assessment essay, it's essential to start with a clear understanding of the topic. Here are some prompt samples to help you grasp the key aspects:

• Prompt 1: Reflect on your personal growth and development over the past year, highlighting your strengths and areas for improvement.
• Prompt 2: Describe a significant life event or experience that has had a profound impact on your self-awareness and decision-making.
• Prompt 3: Analyze your academic or professional achievements and setbacks, discussing the lessons learned and future goals.
• Prompt 4: Explore the role of self-assessment in career planning and personal development, providing real-life examples.

Brainstorming and Choosing a Compelling Essay Topic

Now that you have some prompts to work with, it's time to brainstorm and select a captivating essay topic. Consider the following points:

• Personal Significance: Choose a topic that holds personal significance and allows you to delve deep into your experiences and self-reflection.
• Relevance: Ensure your topic is relevant to the prompt and showcases your ability to critically assess your own journey.
• Transformation: Highlight moments of growth, change, or self-discovery that can engage your readers and provide valuable insights.
• Uniqueness: Avoid clichéd or superficial topics. Aim for authenticity and originality in your self-assessment.

Unique Self-Assessment Essay Topics

Here's a list of unique essay topics that go beyond the ordinary:

• The Impact of Solo Travel on Self-Discovery and Personal Growth
• Navigating Adversity: How Overcoming Challenges Shaped My Self-Assessment
• The Evolution of My Leadership Skills: A Self-Assessment of My Journey
• From Student to Professional: Assessing My Transition into the Working World
• Self-Assessment Through Art: How Creative Expression Reflects My Inner World
• Exploring the Intersection of Cultural Identity and Self-Reflection
• My Digital Persona: Analyzing the Effects of Social Media on Self-Perception
• Self-Assessment in Pursuit of Wellness: Balancing Mental and Physical Health
• Reinventing Myself: A Self-Assessment of Career Changes and Adaptability
• Rediscovering Passions: How Hobbies and Interests Reflect Personal Growth
• The Role of Mentorship in My Professional and Personal Self-Assessment
• Through the Lens of Literature: Analyzing Characters and Personal Growth
• Breaking Barriers: My Journey to Self-Confidence and Assertiveness
• From Introvert to Extrovert: An Introspective Look at My Social Transformation
• Parenting and Self-Assessment: Navigating the Challenges and Rewards of Parenthood
• The Influence of Travel on My Cultural Awareness and Global Self-Assessment
• Embracing Failure: How Mistakes Have Shaped My Self-Understanding
• The Intersection of Passion and Profession: A Self-Assessment of Career Satisfaction
• My Role in Community Service: Self-Assessment of Impact and Personal Growth
• The Quest for Work-Life Balance: A Self-Assessment of Priorities and Well-Being

Paragraph and Phrase Inspiration

When crafting your essay, here are some sample paragraphs and phrases that can inspire your writing:

• Introduction: "The journey of self-assessment is a winding path that leads us through moments of clarity and introspection."
• Main Body: "One pivotal moment in my self-assessment journey was when I realized that..."
• Counterargument: "While some may argue that self-assessment is self-indulgent, it is, in fact, a vital tool for personal growth and development."
• Conclusion: "In conclusion, the process of self-assessment is an ongoing endeavor, an exploration of the self that brings us closer to understanding who we are and who we can become."

With these tips and unique ideas, you're well-equipped to write an engaging self-assessment essay that offers valuable insights into your personal journey and growth. Remember to be authentic and reflective throughout your writing. If you're looking for further guidance, consider exploring evaluation essay examples to learn from.

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13 Self-Evaluation Examples To Help You Nail Your Performance Review

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Ah, it’s that dreaded time of year again where you’re forced to write an assessment of your work performance … and unfortunately, not only can doing so be incredibly time-consuming, but trying to highlight all of your accomplishments (while concealing your weaknesses) can make you feel a bit like the Artful Dodger!

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered, anxious one. In this article, we’ll show you exactly how you can write a winning self-evaluation, discuss common mistakes to avoid (like hiding those aforementioned weaknesses), and give you lots of self-evaluation examples you can crib.

So, let’s jump right into it by taking a look at some of the things we recommend doing — as well as what you absolutely must avoid — when creating your self-evaluation.

The Dos and Don’ts of Self-Evaluations

Let’s face it: writing a self-evaluation isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. But with the right approach, it can actually be a valuable opportunity to showcase your achievements and areas of growth. To get the most out of the experience, you’ll want to keep these key dos and don’ts in mind as you prepare your self-evaluation.

Common mistakes to avoid in a self-evaluation

First things first, let’s talk about some of the most common mistakes you’ll want to steer clear of when writing your self-evaluation, such as:

Being too modest or too self-promoting.

When writing your self-evaluation, it’s important to strike the right balance between humility and confidence. Being too modest may make it seem like you lack confidence in your abilities, while being too self-promoting may come across as arrogant.

Likewise, you’ll also want to provide specific examples that demonstrate your achievements and contributions, while also being honest and objective about areas where you can improve. In the same vein, for those academic challenges that seem insurmountable, seeking professional paper writing services can be a strategic approach to ensure quality and success.

Focusing on tasks rather than outcomes.

One common mistake people make when creating self-evaluations is focusing too much on what they’ve done, rather than the results of those activities.

While of course it’s useful to describe the work you’ve done, it’s more important to demonstrate the impact your work has had on your employer. So, instead of simply listing your tasks, remember to focus on the outcomes that you’ve achieved and how they align with your employer’s goals.

Blaming others for mistakes or shortcomings.

In a self-evaluation, it’s crucial you take responsibility for your own performance and not try to shift blame on others.

While it’s okay to acknowledge when external factors may have impacted your performance, it’s not productive to blame others for your own mistakes or shortcomings.

Instead, focus on what you’ve learned from any setbacks and how you plan to address them in the future.

Neglecting to acknowledge areas of growth or improvement.

A self-evaluation is not just about showcasing your achievements, but also about identifying areas where you can improve.

Neglecting to acknowledge areas of growth or improvement can make it seem like you’re not committed to personal and professional development.

So, be honest and transparent about areas where you can improve, and describe specific steps you plan to take to address them.

Writing a generic or unoriginal self-evaluation that lacks personality or detail.

Finally, one of the most common mistakes people make when creating their self-evaluation is to write something generic that lacks personality.

Your self-evaluation is an opportunity to showcase your unique strengths and contributions, so it’s important to make it as specific and personalized as possible.

Avoid using overly technical or jargon-heavy language, and instead, focus on describing your work in a way that’s accessible and engaging for your manager.

Tips for writing an honest and objective self-evaluation

Like we mentioned, when it comes to writing your self-evaluation, you’ll want to strike just the right balance between humility and confidence, and in this next section, you’ll find tips for doing just that!

Be specific and provide concrete examples of your achievements.

When writing your self-evaluation, you’ll want to provide concrete examples.

For instance, instead of simply saying “I completed my project on time,” describe the specific steps you took to meet your goals, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes you achieved.

This will help your manager to understand the impact of your work and the value you bring to your employer.

Acknowledge your areas of growth and discuss how you plan to improve.

It’s important to be honest and transparent about areas where you can improve.

Instead of trying to hide your weaknesses, acknowledge them and describe specific steps you plan to take to address them.

This demonstrates your commitment to personal and professional growth and your willingness to take ownership of your development.

Use data and metrics to back up your claims.

To make your self-evaluation more persuasive, use data to back up your claims.

For example, instead of simply saying “I increased sales,” provide specific numbers and percentages that demonstrate the impact of your work.

This will help your manager understand the value of your contributions and the impact you’ve had on the organization.

Avoid using overly technical or jargon-heavy language.

To ensure that your self-evaluation is engaging for your manager, you’ll want to describe your work in a way that’s clear and easy to understand.

This will help your manager to appreciate the value of your contributions and the impact you’ve had on the organization. It also makes it more likely your manager will read your evaluation in full, rather than merely skimming it!

Be honest and genuine in your writing.

We’ve touched on this before, but again, it’s important to avoid exaggerating your achievements or downplaying your weaknesses.

Instead, provide an honest and accurate assessment of your performance, and demonstrate your commitment to personal and professional growth.

Your self-evaluation is an opportunity to showcase your achievements, set new goals, and demonstrate your potential to contribute to the success of your team and organization … to take advantage of that opportunity, honesty is key.

Self-evaluation best practices

To make the most of your self-evaluation, there are a few best practices you should keep in mind:

Start early and give yourself plenty of time to prepare and revise.

Writing a self-evaluation can be a time-consuming process, so it’s important to start early and give yourself plenty of time.

This will allow you to review your work and accomplishments throughout the year, as well as think deeply about your strengths and areas for growth.

By starting early, you’ll also avoid the stress and pressure that can come with rushing to complete your self-evaluation at the last minute.

Get feedback from a trusted colleague or mentor.

To ensure that your self-evaluation is accurate and effective, consider getting feedback from someone at work you trust.

This person can provide you with an outside perspective on your performance and help you identify areas where you can improve. They can also offer suggestions for how to frame your accomplishments in a way that’s persuasive and impactful.

Stay organized and keep track of your achievements and challenges throughout the year.

To make the process of writing a self-evaluation easier, it’s especially important to stay organized throughout the year.

This can include keeping a record of your accomplishments, taking notes on feedback and suggestions, and tracking your progress towards your goals.

By staying organized and keeping track of your work, you’ll have a wealth of information to draw from when it comes time to write your self-evaluation.

Stay focused on your goals and how you can contribute to the success of your team and organization.

Finally, while it’s important to highlight your individual achievements, it’s equally important to demonstrate how your work has contributed to the success of your employer.

By focusing on your goals and the bigger picture, you’ll be able to demonstrate your value to your manager and better position yourself at your organization.

Remember, your self-evaluation is an opportunity to sell yourself, while demonstrating your commitment to personal and professional growth. With the right approach and mindset, you can use it to your advantage and impress your manager during your performance review.

To help you do that, you’ll find our best self-evaluation examples in the next section. By tweaking the examples to make them relevant to your own work performance, you can save yourself time writing your self-evaluation.

However, remember that you’ll still want to be thorough and accurate in your assessment, so rather than using these examples as-is, plan to use them as a starting point and edit accordingly.

13 Examples of Self-Evaluation for Performance Reviews

As you prepare for your upcoming performance review, it’s important to take the time to demonstrate your value to your team and organization.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of areas to focus on in your self-evaluation, including communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and more.

In this section, we’ll provide both positive and negative examples of self-evaluations in each of these areas, to help you get a better sense of what you’ll want to include in your own self-evaluation.

1. Creativity

Positive Example:

“Over the past year, I’ve made a concerted effort to develop my creative skills and approach tasks in new and innovative ways. One of my proudest achievements was leading a brainstorming session that generated a series of compelling ideas for a new marketing campaign, which ultimately helped to boost engagement with our target audience.”

Negative Example:

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I didn’t focus enough on developing my creativity, and I occasionally struggled to come up with new and innovative ideas. In the future, I plan to take a more proactive approach to generating new ideas, by seeking out inspiration and experimenting with new approaches to tasks and projects.”

2. Communication

“Throughout the year, I made a conscious effort to improve my communication skills, both in written and verbal formats. I led a presentation to our executive team that effectively communicated the results of our latest marketing campaign and sought feedback from team members to improve my communication style.”

“In looking back on the year, I realize that I could have improved my communication skills. I missed opportunities to share updates on my projects and to contribute to team discussions, but plan to take a more proactive approach to communication in the future by practicing active listening and speaking up more in meetings.”

3. Problem-Solving

“Throughout the year, I’ve demonstrated a strong ability to approach problems with a creative and analytical mindset. I proactively identified potential issues with a project and suggested innovative solutions that helped the team to stay on track and achieve our goals, using collaboration and research to find the best solution.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I struggled to approach problems in a proactive manner. When addressing issues that arose, I often relied on tried-and-true solutions instead of taking the time to consider new, creative approaches. In the future, I plan to take a more proactive approach to problem-solving, by seeking out input from colleagues and considering a wider range of possible solutions.”

4. Teamwork

“Throughout the year, I’ve made a conscious effort to be a collaborative and reliable team member. I took the initiative to organize several team-building activities and volunteered to take on extra work to support my colleagues during a particularly busy period. I believe that my commitment to teamwork has helped to improve team morale and drive our collective success.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have been a more effective team member. I struggled to balance my own priorities with the needs of the team and missed opportunities to support my colleagues. In the future, I plan to take a more proactive approach to teamwork, by seeking out opportunities to collaborate and offering my support when I can.”

5. Time Management

“Throughout the year, I made a concerted effort to manage my time effectively and efficiently, while maintaining a high level of productivity. I prioritized my workload and created a schedule that allowed me to complete all my tasks on time and avoid procrastination. I also made a conscious effort to minimize distractions and stay focused on my goals.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I occasionally struggled with time management. At times, I found myself falling behind on my work and having to play catch-up. In the future, I plan to take a more disciplined approach to time management by creating a daily schedule and prioritizing my tasks more effectively.”

6. Leadership

“Throughout the year, I demonstrated strong leadership skills by motivating and inspiring my team to achieve our goals. I took the initiative to delegate tasks effectively, provided constructive feedback to team members, and modeled a positive and enthusiastic attitude. I believe that my commitment to leadership has helped to build a strong and effective team.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have demonstrated stronger leadership skills. At times, I struggled with delegating tasks effectively and providing constructive feedback to team members. In the future, I plan to focus on developing my leadership skills by seeking out feedback from team members and working to model a positive and effective leadership style.”

7. Adaptability

“Throughout the year, I demonstrated a strong ability to adapt to changing circumstances and handle unexpected challenges with ease. I remained flexible and open to new ideas, and was able to pivot my approach to a project when new information emerged. I believe that my commitment to adaptability helped to keep the team moving forward even in the face of unexpected obstacles.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have been more adaptable in my approach to challenges. I struggled to pivot my approach when new information emerged, and sometimes became stuck in my ways. In the future, I plan to focus on developing my adaptability by seeking out new perspectives and being more open to changing circumstances.”

8. Emotional Intelligence

“Throughout the year, I demonstrated a strong ability to understand and manage my emotions, as well as those of my colleagues. I worked to cultivate strong relationships with team members, showing empathy and understanding when they faced challenges, and seeking to resolve conflicts in a positive and constructive manner. I believe that my commitment to emotional intelligence helped to create a positive and supportive team environment.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have demonstrated stronger emotional intelligence. I sometimes struggled to manage my own emotions, which may have caused tension in team interactions. In the future, I plan to focus on developing my emotional intelligence by seeking out resources for self-reflection and feedback, and working to build stronger relationships with my colleagues.”

9. Motivation

“Throughout the year, I demonstrated a strong level of motivation and commitment to achieving my goals. I set clear objectives for myself and pursued them with a high level of energy and enthusiasm, even in the face of challenges or setbacks. I believe that my motivation helped me to achieve significant success and contribute to the team’s overall performance.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I struggled with motivation at times, particularly during periods of stress or uncertainty. I may have missed opportunities to pursue my goals with a higher level of energy or enthusiasm, which could have impacted my performance. In the future, I plan to work on maintaining my motivation during challenging periods, by seeking out support from colleagues and mentors and focusing on the positive impact of my work.”

10. Productivity

“Throughout the year, I demonstrated a high level of productivity and achieved significant results in my work. I set clear priorities and goals for myself and worked diligently to meet or exceed them, often going above and beyond to support my colleagues. I believe my productivity helped to position me for future success.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have been more productive in my work. I sometimes struggled to manage my workload effectively and may have missed opportunities to contribute more to the team’s success. In the future, I plan to work on improving my productivity by setting more clear priorities and deadlines for myself, and seeking out support from colleagues and mentors when necessary.”

11. Performing Under Pressure

“Throughout the year, I demonstrated a strong ability to perform under pressure and maintain my focus and composure in challenging situations. I was able to stay calm and level-headed, even in high-stress environments, and remained focused on achieving my goals. I believe that my ability to perform under pressure helped to make a positive contribution to the team’s overall performance.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have performed better under pressure in certain situations. I sometimes became anxious when faced with high-stress environments, which may have impacted my ability to focus and achieve my goals. In the future, I plan to work on developing my skills in managing stress and maintaining my focus during challenging situations.”

12. Achievements

“Throughout the year, I achieved several significant milestones that contributed to the success of our team and organization. I played a key role in a project that resulted in a 20% increase in sales, and also took the initiative to develop a new process that streamlined our workflow and improved team efficiency. I believe my achievements have helped to demonstrate my value to the team and this organization.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I could have achieved more significant milestones. I sometimes struggled to set clear goals and objectives for myself, and may have missed opportunities to contribute to the team’s success. In the future, I plan to focus on setting more ambitious goals and working more proactively to achieve them.”

13. Weaknesses

“Throughout the year, I made a concerted effort to identify and address my weaknesses in order to improve my performance. I sought feedback from colleagues and mentors and used it as an opportunity to reflect on areas where I needed to grow. I believe my willingness to acknowledge my weaknesses helped me to become a more effective team member.”

“In reflecting on the year, I realize that I struggled to identify and address my weaknesses in a proactive manner. I may have missed opportunities to improve my skills and contribute more effectively to the team’s success. In the future, I plan to be more proactive in seeking out feedback and identifying areas where I can grow and improve.”

In Conclusion

We really hope you found this article super helpful and got some great tips for writing an awesome self-evaluation. As you gear up for your next performance review, we highly recommend taking advantage of all the resources we’ve shared here to reflect on your accomplishments and think about where you can improve.

Trust us, putting in the effort to write a thoughtful self-evaluation will definitely pay off in the long run, helping you achieve even greater success and be a more valuable member of your team. Best of luck to you!

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How to write a self-evaluation that will impress your boss (with examples)

• January 28, 2022

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Let me guess: You’re here because your boss sent you a self evaluation form as part of your performance review, and you’ve been staring at it for 15 minutes, unable to write a single word.

Your hesitation is totally understandable! At best, self evaluations (and performance reviews in general) can feel like nothing more than another form of status update. At worst, they can feel like a high-stakes tightrope walk in which people are afraid of pointing out their mistakes or of praising themselves too highly.

Download your FREE self-evaluation template that will impress your boss.

Yep, it’s free. And trust us…it will help!

Despite their bad reputation, self evaluations (also known as self assessments or self appraisals) are worth taking seriously. A good self evaluation can have concrete benefits: improving your boss’ impression of you, putting you in line for a promotion, and even boosting your salary (more on how to do that later).

So let’s talk about how to write a self evaluation that shows the traits managers are looking for in high performers, along with examples of self evaluations you can build on.

Only You Can Save Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are like fruitcakes at Christmas:  Everyone hates them , yet they keep coming back, year after year. But why should discussing our job performance be so painful? It’s not because we’re terrible team members—it’s because the system is flawed. Employees are under tremendous pressure to prove their worth during performance appraisals but often walk away feeling misunderstood, undervalued, and confused by vague feedback. According to a  survey of Millennials by TriNet,  a human resources company:

• 62% have felt blindsided by performance reviews
• 31% feel they’ve received biased or unfair feedback
• 59% feel their manager isn’t prepared to give feedback

So what can you do to make sure your manager understands what a stellar employee you are and reflect that in your overall performance assessment?  Become your own biggest cheerleader and equip your manager to do the same.

If your manager isn’t holding up their side of the dea l by giving you actionable, constructive feedback, you’ve got to do it yourself. Wee’ll show you how to highlight your accomplishments, growth areas, and goals in a way that makes you stand out from the pack.

How to Write a Self Evaluation For a Performance Review

First, let’s start with a solid self evaluation structure. It should look something like this:

• Goals (personal or assigned)
• Areas of accomplishment since last review
• Insights on productivity
• Areas of improvement since last review
• Growth plan or professional development plan
• Company values/personal values

If your manager or HR department gave you  a form to fill out , that’s fine—but, most likely, it only exists for documentation purposes. If you really want to wow your manager, make sure everything in this outline is covered in your employee self appraisal, even if you have to add extra sections or pages.

1. Goals (Personal or Assigned)

This is similar to areas of accomplishment but important to call out on its own. Everybody has projects to work on, but your boss may have suggested other professional development goals for you to work toward. Maybe you’re supposed to be learning to use a piece of software, taking the lead on a project, or handling more customer management. If you haven’t discussed professional development with your manager, here are  three free professional development templates  to help you introduce these goals into your one-on-ones. Ideally, you’ll also have some personal goals of your own to talk about, whether that’s improving your time management, giving more confident presentations, or leveling up your skills in a specific area of your work. Regardless of the goal, in your self evaluation, you should show what progress you’ve made since your last assessment. Have you hit your benchmarks as planned? Hopefully, the answer is yes, but even if you haven’t fully achieved your goals, this can still be an opportunity to shine, as long as you show thoughtfulness and self-awareness. Bringing feedback from your last review into the next one will show you paid attention and care about your boss’s opinion.

Goal self evaluation example:

Goal:  Help our marketing team increase conversion rates from 3–5% on landing pages. Action:  Our marketing team has been focusing on beefing up our inbound campaigns, so I decided to go through the Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification Course so I could speak our team’s language and help create better lead magnets. We didn’t quite reach our goal—we ended up increasing the conversion rate to 4.5%. However, this was important progress because it’s the first time we’ve done a project like this. I learned so much about testing and best practices, and now I feel ready to lead more tests in the coming year.

2. Areas of Accomplishment Since Last Review

It can be tempting to gloss over this section with a quick summary of your duties—but  don’t make that mistake . Don’t assume your manager will remember your accomplishments from the past year (or quarter or 90 days, depending on how often you have reviews) unless you draw attention to them. This section is your highlight reel, and if you’re gunning for a promotion, it’s also your audition. For example: If you’re a significant contributor to a project, include it in this section. And don’t just write the name of the project; make sure you also highlight the project’s status, what your involvement was, and the impact this project had on the company. These details are important to your manager because:

• They care about the projects you’re working on and want to know their status and other key details.
• They care about what’s occupying your time, as opposed to other projects you could be working on.

Areas of accomplishment self evaluation example:

I designed a new user flow last quarter. This took a significant amount of my work time, and it took collaborating with three different departments to make it a success. While I worked on this task, I took the opportunity to learn new software because I knew it would be a useful skill while I help out the design team (since Analisa is on leave). I’m proud to say that I completed this project two days ahead of schedule. We used it to map out priorities for product development at the end of the quarter, and I think it will be useful as a reference document for the design team for several more years.

What if you can’t remember what you worked on? To refresh your memory, ask yourself if you:

• Served on a committee
• Were assigned to a long-running project
• Wrote any reports or summaries for your boss
• Took the lead on an extra project you weren’t assigned to
• Took on a new responsibility
• Mentored someone on the team
• Took on your first direct report
• Attended events or conferences
• Designed or conducted trainings (even informal ones)
• Made an introduction for a team member
• Have any recurring to-dos or calendar events
• Have key meetings on your calendar (going all the way back to your last review)

If you can answer “yes” to one of these items, it might be an accomplishment worth mentioning. Take the time to dive deep—you never know what you (or your boss) might have forgotten!

Don’t want to dig through old emails?  With Uptick , you can quickly search through your one-on-one meeting notes for keywords and find you wrote down along the way as well as your manager’s reactions.

3. Insights on Productivity

This is the section of the self evaluation where you look under your own hood to figure out what makes you tick. What are the behaviors and circumstances that are helping you thrive, and what’s holding you back from being your most productive? Answering a question that personal can seem intimidating, but remember: Managers want you to be self-aware. It makes their job much easier when you have the ability to call out triumphs and failings, and then self-correct. It’s even better if you understand the impact you’re having on the team (and vice versa). When you collect these insights and share them with your manager, they’re getting priceless information about team culture. To uncover insights, ask yourself these questions:

• Did I have any breakthroughs, even small ones?
• When did I feel most productive? Least productive?
• What part of my job felt most challenging? What felt most rewarding?
• Which teammates brought out the best in me, and why?
• Which of my habits best served my productivity? Which ones sabotaged it?

Insight self evaluation examples:

I’ve come to the realization that I often engage in negative self-talk. Sometimes it’s not even conscious—more of a feeling that “I could never learn that skill” or “I must not be very smart if this project is overwhelming me.” I don’t know if the team can tell, but this affects my confidence. I want to be able to take projects on with gusto, so this is something I’m going to work on. Do you have any resources that you recommend?

If your insights are more critical or they focus on other people, that’s okay. But it’s hard for your manager to help if you don’t give them specific examples and say how you’d like them to intervene. Describe the reason you think the challenge exists, why it’s hard for you, and how you’ve tried to overcome it. You may have overcome this challenge already, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make a note of it.

The people who sit near me are often quite loud during the lunch hour, and that’s when I get the highest call volume from our customers. I’ve talked to them about it, but the issue hasn’t gotten much better. I’m not sure what to do about it. I need to be at my desk to take calls, but this situation makes it hard to focus on the customer. Can we talk about a way to fix this?

4. Areas of Improvement Since Last Review

“Areas of improvement” is the part of the self assessment that really makes people sweat, but there’s no need to be intimidated. This is an opportunity to show that you possess self-awareness about your weak spots, and the drive to work on them—and that’s exactly what managers are looking for in their high performers. Self-awareness is an ever-elusive trait—but easier when you dedicate time to it. We recommend spending at least an hour to come up with areas of improvement, along with action steps to address them. This will help your manager find tangible ways to help you grow. They probably have their own ideas of how you can improve, but pointing out those areas and asking for help shows that you’re responsive and teachable. Some managers are passive, so you might need to pointedly ask them if they have any areas of improvement for you. Don’t shy away from asking for this feedback directly—it will give you important insight into your manager’s priorities.

We all have areas we need to improve. This isn’t about shaming yourself or being negative. It’s about taking an honest look in the mirror so you can grow—not just as an employee, but as a human being.

Areas of improvement performance review examples:

When I’m in the middle of work, especially writing, I tend to get frustrated with interruptions. I’ve noticed that I try to end the conversation quickly so I can get back to my tasks. I’d like to work on more open communication with my team so we both know what to expect from each other. For example, I can let everyone know that when I have my headphones in, it means I need to stay focused. I also had an idea to make a visual desk toy that indicates when it’s okay to interrupt me. How do you feel about me testing that out in the next two weeks?

5. Growth Plan or Professional Development Plan

Nothing says leadership skills like suggesting next steps for yourself. Again, your manager might have their own ideas on your developmental plan, but don’t wait around for them to share. You know yourself best, so read through everything you’ve written in your self-reflection so far and consider what to do next to keep growing.

Professional development employee review example:

I’m eager to take the next step in my professional development by gaining a deeper knowledge of analytics. Our professional development stipend would cover one to three courses, and there are several affordable options from edX in statistics, data analysis, or audience analytics. I’d like to choose a course and get your approval. Then I can bring my learning back to the team. For example, I could: • Facilitate a workshop or lunch-and-learn • Make recommendations on training topics for our customers • Suggest new ways to optimize marketing analytics

6. Company or Personal Core Values

This section should summarize how you conduct yourself as a person and as a member of the organization. By starting here, your boss will understand how you see yourself aligning with the company’s values, or how you define them for yourself if they aren’t stated by the company.

If your company has clearly stated values, then you’ve got it easy.  Just write out each of your company’s core values and how you’ve embodied them since your last review. Use a detailed example from a time when you went the extra mile and how it benefited the company.

Core value performance review comment example:

Core value: Customers come first We always aim to deliver our product on time, even if it means extra work. When one of our customers had mid-project delays this year, it affected our project delivery dates. They said they understood if our timeline was delayed because of the mistakes. But I did some research and realized that on-time delivery would be possible with about 15 extra hours of work. I put in the additional time to communicate with the team, explain the situation to our customer, and make sure they got their product when it was initially promised to them.

If your company doesn’t have a defined set of values, that’s okay.  Title this section “My core values.” If you need help,  check out this resource  that walks you through how to define your core values. Keep it to five or fewer—after all, if everything is core, then nothing is. Once you’ve identified your core values, give at least one example of how you exemplified each trait since your last review.

Get More From Your Self Evaluation

You’ve put all this work into your self evaluation, and it’s a thing of beauty. So don’t just hand it to HR and forget it when you can put it to work in your professional life in a lot of creative ways. As promised, here are a few ways to make your self evaluation go even further when it comes to career progression:

• Add areas of accomplishment (#2 on this list)  to your resume, personal website or portfolio, and LinkedIn profile. Now you’ll be up-to-date in case you want to freelance, network, or search for jobs.
• Use insights on productivity (#4) and areas of improvement (#5)  to generate a list of content ideas to boost your thought leadership credibility on your own media. These could be LinkedIn posts, videos, blog posts, podcasts, webinars . . . the list goes on.
• Use goals (#3) and areas of accomplishment (#2)  to come up with ideas for trainings, presentations, or even a conference talk. If you’re an expert in something, teach your team! If there’s something you’d like to learn, chances are you’re not the only one, so help create opportunities for growth.
• Look over the entire self evaluation  and look for patterns. Write them down, pick one to three ideas that resonate the most, and use them to create a  personal statement  or  tagline . This can be used in your LinkedIn headline, resume, online bios, elevator pitch—anywhere you want a stronger personal brand.
• Review goals (#3) and areas of accomplishment (#2)  to prepare for salary negotiation with your employer. A well-thought-out list of what you bring to the table and why it’s valuable is essential to any negotiation. If you come prepared with a positive attitude and relevant market research (e.g., average salaries and responsibilities for someone with your job title), you’ll be well on your way to a raise.

Your Self Evaluation Is an Opportunity, Not a Punishment

Hopefully, you’ll come away from this guide understanding how to write a self evaluation with confidence. You should be equipped to showcase your accomplishments, as well as pick examples of areas for improvement that help, rather than hurt, your career. If you put thought into your self evaluation and are willing to be self-aware, you’re guaranteed to stand out and get the kind of performance evaluation you deserve.

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Self-evaluation examples: 60 of the best sample answers for employees and managers

Self-evaluations are essential for employee, and organisational development and help employees reflect on their performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for improvement.

Self-evaluations provide several benefits, including improved self-awareness, increased ownership, better communication, trust, and development planning.

To aid in the self-evaluation process, it's helpful to have a set of examples to draw inspiration from. This article provides 60 of the best sample answers for employees and managers preparing for a self-evaluation.

How teams benefit from self-evaluations

Self-evaluations can provide valuable insight and help create a more positive and productive performance review process. Let’s look the some of the top benefits.

Improved self-awareness

Self-evaluations help employees reflect on their performance and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This can lead to improved self-awareness and personal growth.

Increased Ownership

When employees are involved in the evaluation process, they take more ownership of their work and are more committed to meeting their goals and objectives.

Better Communication

Self-evaluations allow employees to communicate their accomplishments, goals, and concerns to their managers. This helps to establish open and honest lines of communication, which can improve the team's overall performance.

Objectivity

Self-evaluations can help reduce the subjective bias that can sometimes occur during performance evaluations solely by managers. This can lead to a more objective and fair assessment of an employee's performance.

Development Planning

Self-evaluations can help employees identify areas where they need to improve and then work with their managers to develop a plan to address those areas.

Increased Trust

Employees who feel their contributions and efforts are recognised and valued are more likely to trust their managers and the organisation. This can increase engagement and commitment to the company's goals and objectives.

What is typically covered in a self-evaluation?

Self-evaluations typically cover a range of topics that assess an employee's performance, contributions, and development over a given period. Some common topics that are covered in self-evaluations include:

Accomplishments

This includes reviewing significant projects, tasks, and achievements the employee has accomplished over the review period.

Goals and Objectives

This includes an assessment of the employee's progress towards their individual goals and objectives and any changes or updates to their goals for the upcoming period.

Contributions to the Team and Organisation

This includes evaluating the employee's contributions to the team and organisation, such as collaboration, communication, and leadership.

Skills and Competencies

This includes a self-assessment of the employee's current skills and competencies and any areas where they need further development.

Professional Development

This includes an evaluation of the employee's efforts to further their professional development and growth, such as taking on new responsibilities, seeking additional training and development opportunities, and seeking feedback from others.

These are some of the most common topics covered in self-evaluations, but the exact content can vary depending on the organisation and the individual employee's role and responsibilities.

Understanding your strengths and weaknesses is crucial for personal growth, which can be greatly facilitated by structured self-evaluations. Roslin's self-evaluation tools allow you to reflect accurately on your performance, using tailored feedback that aligns with your career aspirations. Dive deeper into your professional journey and discover how Roslin can transform your self-assessment process.

Leadership examples

Positive comments.

• "I am proud of my ability to lead by example and consistently demonstrate a positive attitude and strong work ethic. I have inspired my team to work towards common goals, increasing productivity and morale."
• "I have successfully led multiple projects this year, ensuring they were completed on time and within budget. My strong organisational skills and attention to detail have allowed me to manage complex projects and delegate tasks effectively to my team."
• "I have made a conscious effort to foster a positive and inclusive work environment by promoting open communication and encouraging collaboration. This has resulted in a more cohesive and motivated team better equipped to meet our organisational goals."

Areas for improvement

• "I must improve my public speaking skills and become more confident in presenting to large groups. I plan to attend a public speaking course and seek opportunities to practice my skills."
• "I have sometimes struggled with delegating tasks effectively, leading to feelings of burnout and overwork for myself and my team. I plan to improve my delegation skills by setting clear expectations, providing ongoing support, and allowing team members to take ownership of their responsibilities."
• "I recognise that I can be too focused on the big picture and neglect to provide regular feedback and recognition to my team. I plan to make a more conscious effort to provide regular feedback, both positive and constructive, and to recognise the contributions and achievements of my team members."

Collaboration and teamwork examples

• "I have demonstrated strong teamwork skills by actively seeking out opportunities to collaborate with others and build positive relationships with my colleagues. I have consistently been able to find common ground and work towards shared goals, resulting in more efficient and effective work processes."
• "I have effectively supported my team members by sharing my knowledge and expertise and providing guidance and mentorship. This has resulted in a more cohesive and supportive work environment and has allowed my team to achieve better outcomes."
• "I have shown strong conflict resolution skills by navigating and resolving disagreements and challenges professionally and respectfully. This has helped to maintain positive and productive relationships within my team and across departments."
• "I recognise that I can sometimes be too focused on my own goals and tasks, neglecting to consider the needs and perspectives of others fully. I plan to be a more active listener and seek input and feedback from my colleagues to ensure everyone's needs and priorities are considered."
• "I have sometimes struggled to effectively communicate and coordinate with team members, leading to misunderstandings and delays. I plan to improve my communication skills by being clearer and more concise in my messaging and by making a greater effort to involve all team members in decision-making processes."
• "I recognise that I need to improve my time management skills, as this can impact my ability to collaborate with others effectively. I plan to prioritise my tasks, set clear deadlines, and seek support from my team when needed to ensure that all collaborative projects are completed on time and to the best of my ability."

Communication examples

• "I have consistently demonstrated strong communication skills in person and in writing. I have effectively conveyed my ideas and messages to many audiences and received positive feedback on my clear and concise writing style."
• "I have made a concerted effort to be an active listener, seeking out the perspectives and opinions of others and providing empathy and understanding. This has helped to build positive relationships with my colleagues and has allowed me to understand and respond to their needs more effectively."
• "I have effectively used various communication tools and platforms to reach and engage with my audience, including email, video conferencing, and social media. This has allowed me to reach a wider audience and to more effectively convey important information and updates."
• "I sometimes struggle to articulate my ideas and thoughts clearly, especially in high-pressure situations. I plan to improve my public speaking skills by attending workshops and seeking opportunities to practice my skills."
• "I have sometimes struggled to effectively communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, leading to misunderstandings and miscommunications. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to improve my cultural competency and better understand and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds."
• "I recognise that I can sometimes be too direct or blunt in my communication style, leading to negative perceptions and misinterpretations. I plan to improve my interpersonal skills by being more mindful of the tone and delivery of my messages and by seeking feedback from others on my communication style."

Job Knowledge examples

• "I have demonstrated a strong understanding of my role and responsibilities and a deep knowledge of industry best practices and emerging trends. This has allowed me to perform my job effectively and to make informed decisions that benefit my team and the organisation."
• "I have shown a commitment to continuous learning and professional development, regularly seeking opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills. This has kept me at the forefront of my field and has allowed me to bring new and innovative ideas to my role."
• "I have effectively applied my job knowledge to solve complex problems and to complete challenging projects. My strong analytical skills and attention to detail have allowed me to identify and resolve issues quickly and effectively, improving my work's overall efficiency and quality."
• "I recognise that I need to improve my technical skills in a specific area, as this will enhance my ability to perform my job and to provide value to the organisation. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."
• "I have sometimes struggled to keep up with new developments and changes in my field, leading to a lack of awareness of best practices and emerging trends. I plan to make a more conscious effort to stay informed and seek new learning opportunities regularly."
• "I recognise that I need to improve my project management skills, as this will enhance my ability to plan and execute projects effectively. I plan to seek out training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area and to apply my newfound knowledge to my current role."

Job performance examples

• "I have consistently exceeded expectations in the performance of my job duties, consistently meeting or exceeding project deadlines and delivering high-quality work."
• "I have taken the initiative to identify and address areas of improvement in my work and the work of my team, leading to increased efficiency and improved outcomes."
• "I have effectively collaborated with my colleagues and cross-functional teams, demonstrating strong teamwork skills and a positive attitude towards achieving common goals."
• "I must improve my time management skills to be more efficient and better prioritise my workload. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."
• "I have sometimes struggled to manage my workload effectively and to balance competing priorities, leading to stress and burnout. I plan to work on better prioritising my tasks and to seek out additional support when needed."

"I recognise that I need to improve my delegation skills to manage my workload effectively and to empower my team members. I plan to seek out training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area and to apply my newfound knowledge to my current role."

Time management examples

• "I have consistently demonstrated strong time management skills, effectively balancing my workload and meeting deadlines on time."
• "I have effectively prioritised my tasks and responsibilities, ensuring that high-priority items receive the attention they deserve."
• "I have implemented various time management techniques and tools, such as creating to-do lists and scheduling regular review sessions, which have greatly improved my efficiency and productivity."

"I recognise that I sometimes struggle with distractions and procrastination, leading to decreased efficiency and longer completion times for tasks. I plan to work on maintaining focus and reducing distractions to improve my time management skills."

Problem-solving examples

• "I have consistently demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, effectively identifying and addressing issues in a timely and efficient manner."
• "I have a curious and analytical mindset, which allows me to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to complex problems."

"I recognise that I need to improve my decision-making skills, as this will enhance my ability to solve problems and make informed decisions effectively. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."

"I have sometimes struggled to manage my emotions and biases effectively when solving problems, leading to suboptimal solutions. I plan to develop emotional intelligence and objectivity when approaching problems."

"I recognise that I need to improve my research and data analysis skills, as this will enhance my ability to gather and interpret information needed to solve problems. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."

Company values examples

• "I have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the company's values, aligning my actions and decisions with the company's mission and goals."
• "I have been a role model for the company's values, inspiring my colleagues and team members to embody them in their work."
• "I have sought out opportunities to promote and reinforce the company's values, both within my work and interactions with others."
• "I must improve my understanding of the company's values and how they align with its mission and goals. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my knowledge in this area."
• "I have sometimes struggled to balance my workload and personal values effectively with the company's values, leading to conflicts. I plan to align my actions and decisions better with the company's values."
• "I recognise that I need to improve my communication skills. This will enhance my ability to effectively convey the company's values to others and promote a culture of values-driven decision-making. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."

Productivity examples

• "I have consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic and a commitment to productivity, consistently delivering high-quality work on time and exceeding expectations."
• "I have implemented various productivity techniques and tools, such as time tracking and task management software, which have greatly improved my efficiency and productivity."
• "I recognise that I sometimes struggle with distractions and procrastination, leading to decreased efficiency and longer completion times for tasks. I plan to work on maintaining focus and reducing distractions to improve my productivity."
• "I recognise that I need to improve my time management skills, as this will enhance my ability to balance my workload effectively and to meet deadlines. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."

Customer experience examples

• "I have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to providing excellent customer service, always going above and beyond to meet the needs of our customers."
• "I have effectively communicated with customers, building strong relationships and gaining their trust and loyalty."
• "I deeply understand our customers' needs and preferences and have effectively used this knowledge to enhance the customer experience."
• "I sometimes struggle managing customer complaints and conflicts, leading to dissatisfaction and negative experiences. I plan to develop my conflict resolution skills and seek additional training in this area."
• "I have sometimes struggled to effectively manage my workload and balance competing priorities, leading to longer response times and reduced customer availability. I plan to work on better prioritising my tasks and to seek out additional support when needed."
• "I recognise that I need to improve my empathy and emotional intelligence skills, as this will enhance my ability to understand and respond to the needs of our customers effectively. I plan to seek training and development opportunities to build my skills in this area."

As you plan your professional development, consider how a comprehensive evaluation tool can streamline this process. With Roslin's performance review software , you can not only track your progress but also set actionable goals based on insightful analytics. Empower your career development with Roslin and make your next self-evaluation your stepping stone to success.

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How to Write an Effective Self-Assessment

• Marlo Lyons

Don’t assume that your manager is aware of all you’ve accomplished. Here’s how to artfully highlight what you’ve done this year.

Writing a self-assessment can feel like an afterthought, but it’s a critical part of your overall performance review. Managers with many direct reports likely won’t have visibility into or remember all of your notable accomplishments from the year, and they don’t have time to read a long recap. The author offers five steps for drafting a self-assessment that covers your most impactful accomplishments and demonstrates self-awareness through a lens of improvement and development: 1) Focus on the entire year; 2) consider company and functional goals; 3) look for alignment with those goals; 4) seek feedback from colleagues; and 5) draft a concise list of accomplishments.

It’s performance review season for many companies, which means it’s time to reflect on the year and draft a self-assessment of your accomplishments. Writing an impactful self-assessment will set the tone for your manager’s evaluation of your work, which can affect your compensation (e.g., merit increase, bonus, etc.).

• Marlo Lyons is a career, executive, and team coach, as well as the award-winning author of Wanted – A New Career: The Definitive Playbook for Transitioning to a New Career or Finding Your Dream Job . You can reach her at marlolyonscoaching.com .

Partner Center

• Performance Management , Personal Development

Self-Evaluation Examples: Empower Your Workforce for Success

• October 27, 2023

Fuel success with 90+ examples of self evaluation to unleash your team’s potential!

Self-evaluation is a crucial cornerstone of a successful 360-degree performance review process. It’s not just a mere checkbox on the to-do list; it’s a critical element that can make or break the effectiveness of the entire evaluation process. It’s the moment when employees have the chance to tell their story, showcasing their achievements and areas of career growth. But here’s the catch: if they don’t fill it out correctly, it can leave HR professionals in the dark, struggling to gauge an accurate picture of an employee’s performance . 

This is why aiding employees in crafting an effective self-evaluation is important.

In this blog, we aim to provide you with a practical solution. We’ll share over 90 self-evaluation examples that your employees can easily utilize to gain a better understanding of how to construct their self-appraisals.

Before diving in, make sure to set clear goals and communicate expectations to your team based on their KPIs. This ensures that employees understand what’s expected of them and allows them to assess their work performance, backed by data for a comprehensive evaluation. With Peoplebox, aligning self-appraisal with performance goals becomes a seamless process for you and your team.

What Criteria Does the Self-evaluation Form Include?

Before your employees begin writing their self-appraisals, it’s essential that they have a clear understanding of the key criteria on which they should evaluate their own performance. Here are the fundamental criteria that make up an effective self-evaluation form, share it with your employees to assist them in crafting more insightful and impactful self-appraisals.

Accomplishments

In any performance evaluation, aligning accomplishments with organizational goals is paramount. Encourage employees to detail their achievements that directly contribute to the company’s mission and objectives. For instance, if an employee played a pivotal role in increasing sales by 20% or completed a project ahead of schedule, these are noteworthy accomplishments that should be highlighted.

Areas of Improvement

The ability to recognize and acknowledge areas for improvement is a crucial trait in professional growth. Employees should candidly discuss areas where they believe they can enhance their performance. Whether it’s a need for additional training or a particular skill set, this self-evaluation criterion fosters a proactive approach to self-improvement.

On job competencies

Understanding one’s strengths is as important as recognizing weaknesses. Employees should list their core competencies and strengths, emphasizing how these attributes contribute to their team and the organization as a whole. This encourages employees to take pride in their skills and boosts their confidence.

Things you value in the company

Incorporating this element into the self-evaluation process demonstrates an employee’s commitment to the organization’s values and culture. Encourage employees to share what they value most about the company, whether it’s the collaborative work environment, the opportunities for growth, or the company’s commitment to social responsibility. This not only reinforces the alignment between the employee and the company’s values but also helps in understanding organizational culture from an employee perspective.

Goals for next quarter

The forward-looking aspect of self-evaluation is often underestimated. Employees should set goals for the upcoming quarter or evaluation period. Whether it’s setting specific performance targets, acquiring new skills, or taking on additional responsibilities, this criterion reflects an employee’s commitment to personal and professional development.

Performance management platforms like Peoplebox make goal-setting and tracking easy. With options to assign owners, choose goal cycles, and track progress every step of the way, goal setting becomes a streamlined and collaborative process.

Social and Soft Skills

In today’s interconnected workplace, social and soft skills are invaluable. During self-appraisal, employees should reflect on how their communication, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability skills have contributed to their effectiveness within the organization. Encouraging employees to provide concrete examples of situations where their soft skills made a difference adds depth to their self-assessment.

With a performance management software like Peoplebox, you can seamlessly integrate self-evaluation into your feedback process. This fosters a proactive approach to personal growth by encouraging employees to candidly discuss areas for improvement and recognize their core competencies. Try it out yourself!

Now that we have covered the key criteria to consider, let us dive into 90+ self-evaluation examples to empower your workforce for success.

But before that, it’s crucial to recognize that the quality of the answers is directly linked to the quality of the questions posed. Unsure about the right questions for a performance review? We’ve got you covered! Download our FREE ebook, filled with a curated list of impactful questions designed to enhance your performance review process. 

90+ Employee Self-evaluation Examples

To make the self-evaluation process more effective, we’ve compiled an extensive list of specific examples of self-evaluation. These employee self-evaluation examples are categorized into achievements and areas for growth, covering a wide range of job-related skills and personal development aspects.

Self-evaluation Examples for Work To Assess Teamwork And Collaboration Skills

Effective teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of a thriving workplace. To evaluate these essential skills, employees should be prepared to reflect on their ability to work cohesively with others during self-appraisals.

Here are some key questions to consider:

How well do you work with your team? Can you share an example where your contribution to the team helped the company reach or near its business goal?

Example 1: “I consistently fostered a positive team environment by actively participating in group discussions and encouraging open communication. This led to our team consistently meeting project deadlines.”

Example 2: “I played a key role in resolving a team conflict by mediating between two conflicting parties, which resulted in improved collaboration and better productivity.”

Areas for Improvement

Example 1: “While I work well within my immediate team, I need to actively seek cross-functional collaboration to leverage diverse perspectives and insights.” Example 2: “I sometimes struggle to express my new ideas clearly in group settings, which occasionally leads to misunderstandings. I aim to enhance my communication skills in team meetings.”

Self Assessment Examples For Assessing Job Performance

Evaluating job performance is pivotal in any organization. Employees should critically assess their contributions to the company’s goals.

Here are some guiding questions for this self-evaluation:

What are your major accomplishments in your current role? How have you contributed to the organization’s success?

Example 1: “I consistently exceeded my quarterly sales targets by implementing innovative sales strategies and maintaining strong client relationships.”

Example 2: “I played a pivotal role in optimizing our project management system, which resulted in a 20% reduction in project completion time.”

Example 1: “I occasionally struggle with time management, which leads to minor delays in project completion. I plan to improve my time management skills to meet deadlines more consistently.”

Example 2: “While my technical skills are strong, I want to enhance my soft skills to improve client interactions and public speaking, and maintain better relationships.”

Self evaluation To Assess Job Performance And Future Goals

Self-assessment for job performance isn’t just about the present; it’s also an opportunity to envision and plan for the future with clear expectations.

Consider these questions:

Have you achieved your previous job performance goals? What are your future career goals and how are you working towards them?

Self appraisal examples highlighting accomplishments

Example 1: “I achieved all the goals set in my last performance review, and I’m on track to meet my long-term career objectives, which include securing a leadership role within the next two years.”

Example 2: “I consistently seek opportunities for professional growth and have completed four online courses in the last year to enhance my skills and knowledge.”

Self appraisal examples highlighting areas for Improvement

Example 1: “I sometimes find it challenging to align my daily tasks with my long-term goals. I plan to create a more structured career development plan to bridge this gap.”

Example 2: “While I excel in my current role, I lack experience in a few critical areas required for future leadership. I intend to seek mentorship and training in those specific areas.”

Self-evaluation Focused On KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) provide clear benchmarks for success. Self-evaluation in this context involves analyzing one’s alignment with these metrics.

Reflect on these questions during your self-assessment process:

How have you performed against your KPIs? Have you contributed to improving the KPIs within your department or team?

Example 1: “I consistently met or exceeded all my Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the year, leading to a 15% increase in departmental efficiency.”

Example 2: “I successfully streamlined our KPI tracking process, reducing manual work and allowing for real-time updates on progress.”

Example 1: “While I perform well on established KPIs, I need to work on setting more challenging KPIs to continue driving growth in our department.”

Example 2: “I sometimes struggle to adapt to new KPIs introduced mid-year. I plan to become more flexible in my approach to ensure better performance.”

Work Environment And Company Culture Self-evaluation

Company culture is essential to employee satisfaction and productivity. To evaluate one’s impact on the work environment and culture , consider these questions:

How have you contributed to fostering a positive work environment and company culture? Have you actively addressed workplace issues or conflicts?

Self appraisal comments highlighting accomplishments

Example 1: “I actively contributed to our company’s culture of diversity and inclusion by organizing a cultural awareness workshop, which received positive feedback from colleagues.”

Example 2: “I played a key role in maintaining a positive work environment by consistently addressing workplace issues and fostering a sense of belonging among my team members.”

Self assessment comments covering areas for Improvement

Example 1: “While I am an advocate for workplace culture, I sometimes struggle to balance my commitments in this area with my core job responsibilities.”

Example 2: “I aim to improve my conflict resolution skills to help address any arising tensions within the team effectively .”

Leadership Skills Self-evaluation Examples

Leadership skills are key for personal growth and team success. To assess these skills, think about your actions as a leader and how they influence your team.

What leadership accomplishments can you highlight? How have you mentored or inspired your team members?

Example 1: “I successfully led a cross-functional team through a challenging project, resulting in a 30% increase in project efficiency and a 15% cost reduction.”

Example 2: “I actively mentor team members, and my team’s overall performance improved by 20% this year, thanks to my leadership and guidance.”

Example 1: “While I excel in day-to-day leadership, I need to enhance my long-term strategic planning abilities to guide the team towards broader objectives.”

Example 2: “I aim to improve my delegation skills to empower team members more effectively and reduce the pressure on myself.”

Self-evaluation To Assess Communication And Interpersonal Skills

Effective communication is the cornerstone of workplace relationships. To evaluate your communication and interpersonal skills, reflect on these questions:

How well do you communicate with your colleagues, superiors, and clients? Have you actively sought and incorporated feedback from others?

Example 1: “I am proficient in delivering clear and concise presentations, and I received positive feedback from clients for my effective communication.”

Example 2: “I actively seek feedback from team members and colleagues, which has led to better collaboration and more open communication within our department.”

Example 1: “I occasionally struggle with written communication, so I am working to improve my written correspondence skills to ensure clarity and professionalism.”

Example 2: “I need to work on my active listening skills to ensure that I fully understand the perspectives of others in meetings and discussions.”

Self Assessment Examples To Evaluate Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is increasingly recognized as a vital skill. To assess your emotional intelligence, ask yourself:

How do you handle workplace conflicts and challenging emotional situations? Are you aware of your own emotions and their impact on your decision-making and interactions?

Example 1: “I consistently handle workplace conflicts with empathy and understanding, fostering a more harmonious work environment.”

Example 2: “I have developed a high degree of emotional resilience, which has allowed me to manage stressful situations effectively and ensure a positive impact on others.”

Example 1: “While I am emotionally intelligent, I sometimes struggle with recognizing and addressing emotions in others. I aim to enhance my empathy skills further.”

Example 2: “I need to work on my self-awareness to better understand how my emotions can impact my decision-making and interactions with others.”

Self-evaluation Examples for Work To Assess Problem Solving And Decision Making Skills

Problem solving and decision making are integral to professional growth. To evaluate these skills, consider the following:

How have you tackled complex problems and challenges in your role? Do you make well-informed decisions and analyze data effectively?

Example 1: “I consistently resolve complex problems by breaking them down into manageable steps and collaborating with team members, leading to a XX% reduction in project delays.”

Example 2: “I have a track record of making well-informed decisions by thoroughly analyzing data and considering potential risks, resulting in successful project outcomes.”

Example 1: “While I excel in routine problem-solving, I aim to improve my ability to think ‘outside the box’ and explore more creative solutions.”

Example 2: “I sometimes hesitate in decision-making, which can cause minor delays. I plan to enhance my confidence in making quick, effective decisions.”

Self-evaluation Examples for Work To Evaluate Time Management And Productivity

Time management and productivity are crucial in any job. For self-assessment, ponder these questions:

How well do you manage your time to meet deadlines and prioritize tasks? Have you adopted effective time management techniques to boost productivity?

Example 1: “I consistently meet deadlines and prioritize tasks effectively, resulting in a 10% increase in my daily productivity .”

Example 2: “I actively use time management techniques, like the Pomodoro method, to stay focused and achieve my daily tasks efficiently.”

Example 1: “I sometimes struggle with multitasking, which can impact my efficiency. I plan to work on improving my ability to juggle multiple tasks effectively.”

Example 2: “I aim to minimize distractions during work hours to further enhance my time management skills and boost my overall productivity.”

Self-evaluation To Assess Ethical Conduct

Maintaining ethical conduct and work ethics is essential for personal and organizational integrity. To assess your adherence to these values, ask yourself:

How consistently do you uphold your company’s ethical standards? Have you actively promoted ethical practices within your team or department?

Self appraisal comments highlighting strength 

Example 1: “I adhere to our company’s code of ethics without exception and consistently model ethical behavior for my team, resulting in a culture of integrity.”

Example 2: “I have actively promoted ethical practices by reporting any unethical behavior or violations, thereby upholding our organization’s values.”

Self appraisal comments highlighting areas for Improvement

Example 1: “I need to work on my ability to handle ethical dilemmas more effectively, seeking guidance when necessary to make the right decisions.”

Example 2: “I aim to enhance my ethical decision-making by further understanding our company’s specific ethical guidelines and their implications.”

If you want to know more about the ethics in performance management , check out our blog post!

Self-evaluation To Assess Adaptability And Resilience

In a constantly changing world, adaptability and resilience are invaluable traits. Reflect on these questions for self-assessment:

How well do you adapt to changes in your work environment and projects? Are you resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks?

Example 1: “I effectively adapted to a sudden shift in project priorities, ensuring that our team remained productive and delivered results ahead of schedule.”

Example 2: “I consistently maintain a positive attitude in the face of challenges, which has been recognized by colleagues and has inspired a resilient mindset within the team.”

Example 1: “While I handle most changes well, I occasionally find it challenging to adapt to significant shifts in project scope. I am working on improving my adaptability in such cases.”

Example 2: “I aim to enhance my stress management skills to maintain resilience in high-pressure situations.”

Self-evaluation Examples Evaluating Customer Service Skills

In roles involving customer interactions, customer service skills are vital. To assess these skills, consider the following:

• How well do you handle customer interactions and address their needs?
• Have you built strong relationships with clients to enhance repeat business and referrals?

Example 1: “I consistently receive positive feedback from clients for my responsive communication and problem-solving abilities, resulting in a 20% increase in customer satisfaction.”

Example 2: “I have developed strong relationships with key clients, which has led to increased repeat business and referrals.”

Example 1: “While I excel in customer interactions, I sometimes need to improve my product knowledge to answer more technical questions.”

Example 2: “I occasionally struggle with handling irate customers effectively. I am working on de-escalation techniques to improve in this area.”

Critical Thinking Self-appraisal Examples

Critical thinking is the foundation of effective decision-making. To evaluate your critical thinking skills, ask yourself these questions while self-evaluating:

How do you approach problems and make decisions by considering different perspectives? Have you promoted a culture of critical thinking and innovation within your team?

Example 1: “I consistently approach problems with a critical mindset, analyzing data and considering multiple perspectives to arrive at well-informed decisions.”

Example 2: “I have successfully trained my team to think critically, fostering a culture of innovation and efficiency.”

Example 1: “I aim to enhance my problem-solving creativity to generate more out-of-the-box solutions to complex challenges.”

Example 2: “I sometimes find it challenging to maintain critical thinking under tight deadlines. I plan to improve my ability to think clearly in high-pressure situations.”

 Self-appraisal Examples To Evaluate Negotiation Skills

Negotiation skills are crucial in many roles. To assess your negotiation skills, think about your approach and effectiveness in negotiations. Reflect on these questions:

How well do you negotiate to achieve favorable outcomes? Are you assertive and well-prepared in negotiations, and do you maintain a collaborative approach?

Example 1: “I negotiate advantageous terms in contracts, saving the company XX% on supplier agreements.”

Example 2: “I have successfully mediated between team members in conflict, helping them find common ground and reach mutually beneficial solutions.”

Example 1: “I sometimes struggle with assertiveness during negotiations. I am working on improving my ability to stand firm on key points while maintaining a collaborative approach.”

Example 2: “I aim to enhance my negotiation preparation skills to enter discussions with more information and leverage.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Creativity and Innovation

Creativity and innovation are essential for driving progress and maintaining a competitive edge. To assess your creativity and innovation skills, reflect on these questions:

How well do you generate new and creative ideas? Are you able to implement innovative solutions effectively? How do your creative efforts contribute to team and organizational success?

Example 1: “I introduced a new project management tool that streamlined our workflow, resulting in a 25% increase in team productivity.”

Example 2: “I developed a creative marketing campaign that increased our social media engagement by 30%.”

Example 1: “I need to push myself to think outside the box more frequently and bring more innovative solutions to the table.”

Example 2 : “While I often have creative ideas, I sometimes struggle to execute them effectively. I plan to improve my project management skills to bring my ideas to fruition.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Adaptability

Adaptability is crucial in a rapidly changing work environment. To assess your adaptability skills, reflect on these questions:

How well do you adjust to new situations and challenges? Are you flexible and open to change? How do you maintain productivity and effectiveness in different environments?

Example 1 : “I quickly adapted to a new software system and trained my team on its use, reducing downtime during the transition.”

Example 2 : “I successfully navigated the challenges of remote work, maintaining productivity and team communication.”

Example 1: “I sometimes find it difficult to adjust to sudden changes in project scope. I plan to improve my flexibility and adaptability in such situations.”

Example 2: “I need to develop better coping strategies for handling unexpected challenges to maintain my productivity.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Professional Development

Ongoing professional development is key to career growth. To assess your professional development efforts, reflect on these questions:

How committed are you to continuous learning and improvement? Do you seek out opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge? How do your professional development activities benefit your role and organization?

Example 1 : “I completed a certification in data analysis, which has enhanced my ability to interpret and utilize data in my role.”

Example 2: “I attended several leadership workshops and have implemented new strategies to improve team morale and productivity.”

Example 1 : “I need to allocate more time for continuous learning and professional development to stay updated with industry trends.”

Example 2 : “While I attend training sessions, I sometimes struggle to apply the new skills effectively. I aim to practice and integrate these skills more consistently.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is vital for business success. To assess your customer satisfaction skills, reflect on these questions:

How effectively do you meet and exceed customer expectations? Are you proactive in seeking and responding to customer feedback? How do your efforts contribute to overall customer satisfaction and loyalty?

Example 1 : “I received positive feedback from clients for my responsiveness and problem-solving skills, which has led to repeat business.”

Example 2 : “I implemented a customer feedback system that has helped us improve our services and increase customer satisfaction by 15%.”

Example 1 : “I need to enhance my ability to handle difficult customer interactions to ensure all clients feel valued and heard.”

Example 2 : “While I respond promptly to customer inquiries, I plan to improve my follow-up process to ensure complete satisfaction.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Time Management

Effective time management is crucial for productivity. To assess your time management skills, reflect on these questions:

How well do you prioritize tasks and meet deadlines? Are you able to manage your time effectively to maximize productivity? How do you handle distractions and maintain focus on important tasks?

Example 1: “I consistently meet project deadlines by prioritizing tasks and managing my time effectively.”

Example 2 : “I adopted time-blocking techniques that have significantly increased my productivity and focus.”

Example 1: “I occasionally struggle with procrastination on less enjoyable tasks. I plan to implement better strategies to tackle these tasks promptly.”

Example 2 : “I need to improve my ability to estimate the time required for complex projects to avoid last-minute rushes.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Technical Skills

Technical skills are fundamental to many roles. To assess your technical skills, reflect on these questions:

How proficient are you with the technical tools and systems required for your role? Are you continuously updating your technical knowledge and skills? How do your technical abilities contribute to your overall performance and team success?

Example 1 : “I developed a new feature for our software that has been well-received by users and has increased user engagement.”

Example 2: “I improved my coding skills by learning a new programming language, which has enabled me to take on more complex projects.”

Example 1 : “I need to stay updated with the latest technological advancements and integrate them into our projects more effectively.”

Example 2 : “While proficient in several technical skills, I plan to broaden my expertise by learning new tools and technologies relevant to our field.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Interpersonal Skills

Strong interpersonal skills are key to effective teamwork and collaboration. To assess your interpersonal skills, reflect on these questions:

How well do you communicate and collaborate with colleagues? Are you able to resolve conflicts and build positive relationships? How do your interpersonal skills contribute to team and organizational success?

Example 1 : “I built strong relationships with my colleagues, which has improved team collaboration and project outcomes.”

Example 2 : “I effectively resolved conflicts within the team by facilitating open and constructive communication.”

Example 1 : “I need to improve my ability to provide constructive feedback to colleagues to help them grow and develop.”

Example 2 : “While I communicate well with my immediate team, I plan to improve my networking skills to build connections across the organization.”

Self-Evaluation Examples for Goal Setting

Effective goal setting is essential for achieving success. To assess your goal-setting skills, reflect on these questions:

How well do you set and achieve your goals? Are your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound? How do your goals align with team and organizational objectives?

Example 1: “I set and achieved ambitious goals for the quarter, including increasing our sales by 20%.”

Example 2 : “I successfully outlined and followed a clear career development plan, resulting in a promotion.”

Example 1 : “I need to set more specific and measurable goals to track my progress more effectively.”

Example 2 : “While I achieve my goals, I sometimes struggle with setting realistic timelines. I plan to improve my goal-setting process to include more achievable deadlines.”

Self-evaluation Examples For Start, Stop, Continue Feedback

The “Start, Stop, Continue” approach is a simple yet effective way to assess your work habits. To use this approach for self-evaluation, ask yourself:

What new habits or actions should you start implementing for personal and professional growth? What existing habits or actions should you stop to improve your performance? What current practices or behaviors should you continue because they contribute positively to your work and development?

Peoplebox simplifies start/stop/continue feedback with its built-in templates, making the process effortless.

Self-evaluation Examples for New Tasks You Must Start

Example 1: “I plan to start actively seeking cross-functional projects to broaden my skills and knowledge within the organization.”

Example 2: “I intend to start providing more constructive feedback to my peers to foster a culture of growth and improvement within the team.”

Self-evaluation Examples for Tasks You Must Stop

Example 1: “I recognize that I need to stop procrastinating on certain tasks and start addressing them promptly to improve productivity.”

Example 2: “I should stop engaging in non-essential tasks during work hours and stay focused on my core responsibilities.”

Self-evaluation Examples for Tasks You Must Continue

Example 1: “I will continue actively participating in team-building activities to maintain a positive work environment.”

Example 2: “I intend to continue my daily routine of reviewing industry news to stay updated on current trends and best practices.”

Align Performance Review with Business Goals Using Peoplebox

Feedback and reviews are the cornerstone of your company’s success. When implemented correctly, it sets a culture of continuous improvement and growth. With advancements in digital technology, performance management tools like Peoplebox can come in handy. 

It seamlessly integrates with your existing collaboration tools like Slack and Team and help you streamline your employee feedback and reviews. 

Integrate Peoplebox seamlessly with your Slack or Microsoft Teams application to unlock a range of benefits. Conduct tailored 360-degree reviews and administer employee engagement and life surveys effortlessly. Send personalized reminders for 1:1 meetings, check-ins, and goal updates, fostering better communication and alignment. Facilitate discussions and alignment on progress towards goals and strategic initiatives, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Run productive 1:1 meetings with structured agendas and talking points.

Streamline the onboarding process for new employees, setting them up for success from day one. With Peoplebox supporting your HR operations, eliminate unnecessary complexity and provide your employees with the exceptional experience they deserve.

Talk to our solutions experts to know how Peoplebox can help.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is self-evaluation, and why is it important in a performance review process.

Self-evaluation is an opportunity for employees to assess their own performance, highlighting achievements, areas for improvement, and future goals. It’s crucial because it provides employees with a voice in the evaluation process, fosters self-awareness, and ensures a well-rounded view of their performance.

What criteria should be included in a self-evaluation form?

A comprehensive self-evaluation form should include criteria such as accomplishments, areas of improvement , on-the-job competencies, values alignment with the company, goals for the future, and assessment of social and soft skills.

How can employees effectively showcase their accomplishments in a self-evaluation?

Employees can effectively showcase their accomplishments by providing specific examples of achievements that align with organizational goals. Quantifiable results, such as meeting sales targets or completing projects ahead of schedule, should be highlighted.

What should employees focus on when identifying areas for improvement in their self-evaluations?

When identifying areas for improvement, employees should focus on acknowledging weaknesses, recognizing the need for additional training or skill development, and demonstrating a proactive approach to self-improvement.

How can HR software like Peoplebox facilitate the self-evaluation process?

HR software like Peoplebox streamlines the self-evaluation process by providing customizable templates, integration with collaboration tools like Slack, goal-setting features, reminders for review deadlines, and facilitating discussions between employees and managers.

How to write a self-appraisal?

Writing a self-appraisal involves a thorough evaluation of your performance, aligning your accomplishments with organizational goals. Begin by carefully reviewing your job description and aligning your accomplishments with its requirements. Use specific self-evaluation examples and metrics to quantify your achievements. Be honest in assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and outline clear goals for development. A well-crafted self-appraisal demonstrates self-awareness and initiative.

What is self-evaluation in simple words?

Self-evaluation is essential for personal and professional growth. It is a reflective process where you assess your performance. Self-evaluation involves critically examining your actions, behaviors, values, and achievements to determine your strengths and weaknesses. This helps you identify areas for improvement and set goals for future development.

How do I evaluate myself?

To effectively evaluate yourself, establish clear performance criteria aligned with your job role. Gather evidence of your work, such as completed projects, client feedback, and process improvements. Compare your performance to these standards, identifying areas of excellence and opportunities for development. This self-assessment process provides valuable insights for career advancement.

How do you write a good self-evaluation example?

A strong self-evaluation is specific, measurable, and impactful. Use concrete examples to illustrate your accomplishments and quantify your results whenever possible. Highlight your contributions to team goals and organizational success. Focus on demonstrating your skills, knowledge, and abilities while showcasing your problem-solving and initiative.

How do you start a self-evaluation sentence?

Start a self-evaluation sentence by being specific about your accomplishments. For instance, instead of saying, ‘I completed my project on time,’ describe the specific steps you took, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes you achieved. This provides a clear picture of your performance and shows your ability to reflect and learn from your experiences.

What went well examples for self-performance review?

When describing your successes, use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Provide a clear context for your achievements, outline the challenges you faced, and detail the steps you took to overcome them. Quantify the impact of your actions and highlight the positive outcomes. By using compelling examples, you can effectively communicate your value to the organization.

Examples of what went well in a self-performance review include achieving set goals, completing projects, or making significant contributions to the team. For instance, ‘Launched a successful marketing campaign, resulting in an 8% increase in leads’. These examples demonstrate your ability to contribute to the organization’s success.

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How to Write a Self-Performance Review (With Examples)

Morgane Lança

Who can honestly say they can’t wait to complete their self-assessment? Identifying and detailing our shortcomings can be a nightmare. Plus, nobody wants to pat themselves too much on the back for a job well done – at least not on the record, and definitely not in front of their manager.

If you’re not adequately prepared for them, self-performance reviews can be a horrendous prospect. However, 65% of employees say they want more clearly defined goals and tasks . And when conducted effectively, self-evaluations are the best way to do just that! 

Here is an overview of what self-performance reviews entail, how they can benefit both employees and organizations and how you can conduct and write the best self-performance assessment.

What is a self-evaluation?

As their name suggests, self-evaluations consist in a reflection on one’s work and performance and are a crucial part of performance management processes. They allow employees to think about their work in the past year or the past few months and consider how it contributes to organizational success.

This evaluation method is a great way to identify strengths and areas of improvement . Self-performance reviews also help managers see how their coworkers perceive themselves and their team and how they wish to grow professionally in the future.

Benefits of employee self-evaluations

There are great benefits linked to implementing effective self-assessments in your performance management process:

• Setting focused goals : When combined with regular performance appraisals, self-reviews help set performance objectives that are focused on growth opportunities and areas of improvement.
• Increasing goal alignment : Individual objectives should be aligned with team and business goals to support organizational success and create a cohesive work environment.
• Improving communication between manager and employee : Self-assessments ensure that performance reviews become two-way conversations and that the employee’s voice is heard during the meeting. It also fosters transparency between managers and employees.
• Preparing for the performance review : Completing a self-evaluation before the formal performance appraisal helps employees get in the right mindset and start reflecting on all the aspects of their own performance while preparing comments and goals they want to share with their manager.
• Encouraging appreciation of your own work : On top of identifying shortcomings, self-evaluations encourage employees to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the team and the organization.
• Promoting self-awareness : Self-awareness is an essential soft skill for productive workers, and self-evaluations help build a sense of self-appreciation and performance ownership and encourage self-improvement.
• Avoiding performance review bias : Involving employees in the process prevents potential biases and one-way conversations. Implementing 360-degree feedback strategies is a great way to ensure that performance appraisals are fair and effective.

Tips to conduct effective self-performance reviews

The following tips apply to both managers and employees – in that case, managers need to encourage these practical approaches, and employees need to adopt them to improve self-evaluation processes throughout the entire organization.

1. Rely on facts, not on impressions

Although intuition and hunches can be great ways to notice productivity issues and address them during one-on-one meetings with your employees, you should, most importantly, encourage them to rely on facts.

Have they reached significant milestones this year? Do they feel like they have reached their maximum potential? What have been their biggest successes and their biggest struggles? 

You should encourage them to share their personal experiences and follow the completion of their goals throughout the year to ensure they have a solid idea of where they are in terms of performance.

For impactful self-reviews, employees can share the completion status of their OKRs, instances where there were significant contributors to a crucial project, or skills they acquired recently. Of course, they also need to underline their shortcomings and struggles and think about ways they could solve these issues.

2. Don’t assume that less is more

Don’t be afraid to say too much or overshare: self-evaluations are the perfect moment to convey your feelings and share your frustrations (respectfully and mindfully, of course). Managers should encourage their team members to detail each of their answers and leave them enough space and time to do so.

Performance reviews are rarely black or white, and a few words cannot encompass the complexity of an employee’s daily work. Instead, you should take the necessary time to focus on your performance and effectively convey how you evaluate it.

3. Find balance between the good and the not-so-good

Your self-evaluation should not be too laudatory, nor should it be excessively self-deprecating. Even if you think that you have had a spotless professional record this year, take the time to consider how you could improve your workflow and learn new things. If you feel unproductive and have not reached your full potential, try to find contributions you can be proud of and concrete ways to improve in the future.

Of course, the questions asked on the self-review form need to encourage appreciation and self-improvement , and managers should remind employees to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses.

8 Steps to Write a Self-assessment

1. take ample time to complete the evaluation.

You shouldn’t rush the process; instead, take the necessary steps and time to complete the evaluation carefully. Depending on the frequency of performance reviews in your company, you only get to reflect on your performance once or twice a year. Make the most of this opportunity by writing your self-review in a peaceful room without interruption.

Experts say you should take at least two to three hours to complete your self-assessment.

You can start writing down your answers and return to them the next day if you need more time to put your thoughts into words.

2. Use your own voice and words

You can draw inspiration from examples and templates. Still, your personality and your true feelings should transpire in the self-evaluation so that it is clear that you have taken the time to think about your performance. This approach will help your manager understand your specific needs and preferences. Your tone should be professional but convey your personal feelings and experience.

3. Think about how you truly feel

Self-reviews should be rooted in honesty and transparency. You should express your true feelings and give honest feedback. This exercise requires time and dedication.

Although your feelings do matter, don’t convey them in a brash or thoughtless way. You are more likely to be heard and understood if you express yourself in a composed and articulated manner.

4. Consider the feedback you have received

Performance reviews are only helpful if built on ongoing feedback shared throughout the year. If you have received constructive feedback , see if you have effectively acted on it and improved your work accordingly. Your self-review is also the perfect opportunity to evaluate if you have received enough feedback or would like to receive it differently.

If applicable, you can also review the peer feedback you received before the performance appraisal meeting and think about how teamwork and communication could be improved. Feedback on managerial practices is also crucial for a culture of feedback that benefits the entire team and the organization.

5. Know your worth

During a self-evaluation, you should appreciate your contributions and realize that you are part of a whole, and participate in organizational success on a day-to-day basis.

All in all, you should highlight the positive aspects of your performance and not only focus on the negatives. List all your accomplishments and contributions – even tiny ones if they make you particularly proud – and mention them during the meeting.

When writing your self-assessment, remember that no one likes to hear self-deprecating comments…

6. Reflect on your mistakes

But nobody likes a bragger, either.

Remember that the main objective here is to find ways to optimize your work practices and become the best version of yourself. If you notice opportunities to learn from past mistakes or difficulties, you can devise ways to improve yourself.

Of course, your manager will have valuable insight to share on supporting your growth, but self-reviews allow you to have a say in your own employee performance management .

7. Identify achievable goals and future projects you want to work on

Although it is unfortunately often overlooked in performance appraisals, this is a fundamental question: what do you enjoy the most about your day-to-day work ?

Most of the time, we are more efficient when working on projects we love. Of course, your job cannot be only made up of your favorite tasks, but if they align with team and business goals, now is the time to express that you want to participate in these projects.

Your self-evaluation should also focus on skills you want to improve or acquire or career growth opportunities you would like to pursue in the future. If you want to be more involved in team projects or learn to use a software solution, feel free to express this wish in your evaluation.

8. Prepare for the actual performance review meeting

Now that you have reflected on your strengths, your areas of improvement, your feelings and the goals you want to achieve, and that you have put it all on paper (or not, since we don’t recommend conducting a performance review process on paper documents!), you are ready for your formal performance review.

Remember to prepare in advance for the appraisal. It can be helpful to write down notes and comments to ensure you effectively convey what you want to share during the meeting. You can also have your list of objectives and the main points of your self-review to refresh your memory and keep track of what you have to discuss.

The performance meeting should be conducted transparently and respectfully on both sides, so be mindful of what you say – and, more importantly, how you say it.

Examples of Employee Self-assessment Phrases

If you struggle to find the right words to express yourself in your self-evaluation, here are concrete examples of self-assessment responses to get inspired.

Job Performance and Individual Goals

It stands to reason that a self-performance review will focus on your performance goals! Here are answers you can use to talk about your objectives and their completion:

“My results have improved by 20% over the course of the evaluation period. My goals were set at a 10% increase, so I feel really proud of this achievement.”

“This project I completed will improve our employer brand and increase potential customer interest.”

“I have worked hard towards achieving my performance goals and managed to reach most of them over the course of the evaluation period.”

“I have acted on the feedback I have received and came up with creative solutions to manage a challenging project.”

“I failed to reach this specific goal we had set. I was short on time and faced challenges when using the necessary resources and tools to complete this goal.”

Teamwork and Collaboration Skills

Teamwork is undoubtedly one of the most important components of productivity and motivation. Here is how you can comment on team spirit and collaboration in your self-evaluation process:

“I work well with my team members and strive to meet our collective goals by creating a collaborative environment.”

“I helped my coworkers on their projects when they needed my help and contributed to team success.”

“I actively participate in team discussions and try to support my colleagues while maintaining a positive attitude.”

“I handle conflicts professionally, have good relationships with my team and am open to feedback from colleagues.”

“I lacked opportunities to work with my team members but would love to do so in the future.”

Time and Project Management Skills

Time management skills are crucial to reach your best level of productivity. You also need to be able to prioritize tasks and projects when needed:

“I prioritize tasks effectively to meet deadlines and deliver results on time.”

“I manage my workload efficiently and remain productive even in high-pressure situations.”

“I keep my workspace, schedule and files organized to be more efficient on a daily basis.”

“I know how to be flexible in my schedule and to prioritize tasks when necessary.”

“It can be difficult for me to manage my time and my projects and I would like to get a tool to help me improve in this aspect.”

Significant Contributions

In this section, you should highlight your successes and the achievements that made you proud. Time to pat yourself on the back with these examples of phrases!

“The project I completed helped us increase our productivity and results exceeded expectations.”

“I developed a new skill that will support my daily work and help me grow professionally.”

“I actively participate in communication channels and work chats that streamline work processes and build team spirit.”

“I helped organize team-building activities that benefited the entire company.”

“I provide high-quality work and have strengthened my technical skills.”

Career and Professional Development

Self-evaluations often ask you to reflect on your career and envision your future in the organization. Here are some examples of phrases you can use to talk about your professional growth:

“I have greatly improved my communication skills, and would like to develop other soft skills in the future.”

“I demonstrated leadership skills during the review period and think I could explore this skill further.”

“I am ready to take on new projects in this field as I am confident in my ability to successfully complete them.”

“I would like to be provided more training and learning opportunities in this field to improve the quality and effectiveness of my work.”

“I am ready to move forward in my career and would like to discuss it during my performance appraisal meeting.”

See? Self-reviews can be that easy – and that useful for employees and organizations .

When implemented and conducted transparently, they support recognition, individual growth and business success. They are also crucial for an influential culture of feedback and modern performance management processes such as 360-degree appraisals.

Need a self-appraisal template you can use whenever you want?

Here is an interactive self-evaluation template for your teams!

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