Steps for Writing a Self-Appraisal
Employees know that there will come a point within the working year where their performance will be reviewed. Managers are required to evaluate an employee’s performance, and then hand them a letter notifying them about what will be discussed during their in-person review.
Managers will also require that the employee create a document that shows the employee’s perception regarding his or her own performance. These documents are called self-appraisals, and employers need these documents to help them create the employee’s performance appraisal. This article will focus on how one can make a self-appraisal that will give employers the information that they need.
How to write your self-appraisal
A lot of employees tend to be afraid whenever they’re required by their employers to create their self-appraisals. The reason for this is because employees are hesitant when it comes to showing their negative aspects. However, this is something that shouldn’t bother you as your self-appraisal is also a great way for you to show your employer the things that you’ve done well. So use the steps below to help you out when you have to make your self-appraisal.
For putting the right content:
- Emphasize the highlights during your career. You shouldn’t hold anything back when you’re trying to show your employer all of the accomplishments you have achieved throughout your time in the company. This is basically your opportunity to show your employer just how valuable you are. So when writing these achievements, focus on the ones that had the most impact on the company. You want to choose the ones that relate to the company’s expectations and you have to make sure to do this in a professional manner.
- Back up the achievements that you’ve stated with evidence. Anyone can say that they were able to do this or do that, but employers will need these people to prove it if they want to get rewarded or promoted for their hard work. So you’ll have to fill up your self-appraisal with facts, figures, and specific dates. Also, you’ll want to compare your results to the company’s goals. This way, you can show just how valuable you are and why your employer should keep a careful eye out for you.
- Discuss performance goals. This is basically like a performance review where you’re going to have to be specific in listing the performance goals that you want to accomplish within the current working year. You should also focus on the skills and abilities that you would like to develop. Then you are going to have to explain how you’re going to accomplish them. Point out the goals that you want to achieve, then state how you’re going to achieve them. If there were times when you did work that was not in your job description and you did the work very well, then it’s best that you place that in your appraisal.
- In the event that an employer requests that you rate yourself in your performance review, you have to make sure that you choose your ratings carefully. You can always discuss with your employer regarding how the company perceives the rating score. Remember that you’ll have to be honest with your ratings as your employer knows just as well as you do how well you’re actually performing.
- As stated before, you have to remember to be honest. Even if you think that you haven’t exactly been doing that well of a job, it’s better to be honest than to lie about accomplishments that you’ve never even achieved. Because employers will verify the information that you’ve given them, so if you happen to give them any sort of false information, then there’s a huge possibility that your image in his or her eyes will be completely ruined.
For using the right tone in the review:
- Make sure that the appraisal focuses on yourself. People often make the mistake of using the appraisal as a way to compare themselves to the rest of their colleagues. If you show your employer that you’re criticizing other people’s work and personalities instead of focusing on your own performance, then it will look bad on your record. Just because you’ve accomplished something incredibly important does not give you the right to put down colleagues who haven’t been able to do the same thing. Because if you do, then your employer might just end up ignoring the most important achievements in your appraisal letter.
- Provide constructive criticism about your own weakness. Do a self-evaluation and list down all of your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve done that, take a good look at your weaknesses. You don’t just want to place these in the appraisal, you’ll want to show your employer what you can do in order to overcome them. So identify the areas that you think that you should improve on, then present statements that will say how you’re going to improve them.
- Make sure that you keep the tone of your appraisal positive at all times. Your employer doesn’t want someone who remains negative. So even if you’re mentioning the issues that you’re trying to fix, don’t focus on why these issues are bad; instead, focus more on how you’re dedicated to fixing them. If you have complaints about the company, then your appraisal letter is not the place where you should be unloading your frustrations. Keep calm and focus on showing why the company needs you.
Take note that it’s best to review all of the information that you’ve placed in your self-appraisal. Have someone else check your self-appraisal to help you find any typos or grammatical errors that you may have missed in your proofreading. If you would like to learn more about self-appraisals, then you can go through our articles that can teach you how to place your performance evaluations into your appraisal, as well as templates that will allow you to make one.