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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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:

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:

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!

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:

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.