A good self-performance review allows employees to assess their effectiveness in their areas of responsibilities by reflecting on:
a) what they accomplished
b) what they learned, and
c) what they need to learn.
When done effectively and honestly, management can use this tool to close the gap between the employee’s expected and actual performance.
Most employees find self-assessments difficult because they have to write their learnings and accomplishments to sound impressive without sounding conceited. However, a self-performance review is a vital process for the success of the company and for the employee’s continuous improvement.
Here are four tips on writing an effective self-performance review:
Highlight your accomplishments
The main objective of a self-performance review is to emphasize your achievements. Your manager may not know everything that you accomplished, so this is a chance to remind him or her of tasks that you performed well. Emphasize the value of your work by stating its impact to the business. As much as possible, these accomplishments should align with the goals of your manager and the company.
Share your learnings
Identify the things that you learned but also how you learned them. Include the skills you have acquired, how it helped you, and describe real situations where you have applied them to your work.
Suggest improvements
Admitting that there are still some areas that you need to improve gives an impression of maturity. It shows your desire to learn and become better at your job. Let your manager know what areas you are aware that you need to work on. Be specific and don’t be afraid to suggest ways that you can improve. This may include asking for training. Again, keep what you say relevant – make sure that your objectives align with those of the business.
Ask about your career development
A self-performance review is also an opportunity to ask your manager about career-development opportunities. Let your boss know what part of your job you are most excited about so that they can look out for tasks that match your skills and interest areas.
Including these four factors in your self-assessment allows you to show a complete picture of your performance as an employee.
Additionally, remember to be honest. If you had roadblocks and challenges, don’t try to hide them. Let your manager or managers know about these difficulties and, more importantly, tell them what you did to overcome them.
Avoid criticizing your boss’ leadership style or your colleagues’ performance.
This is about you. You risk seeming unprofessional and troublesome if you complain about or pick on others. Be specific and straight to the point. And make sure that you check your spelling and grammar. Present your document in such a way that it demonstrates how important it is to you and that you take it seriously.