Example of Job Self Evaluation Forms
Help! I Have to Write a Job Self Evaluation!
If your job requires you to write self-evaluations every year, you may be worried about how to fill out the evaluation. Perhaps even, you’re hoping to view an example of a job self evaluation form. Maybe you’re a new supervisor who has read about the benefits of having employees perform self evaluations. Whatever the reason behind your reading this article, you are sure to learn something. Find an example of a job self evaluation in our media gallery and read along to find out about the different sections of the self-evaluation and why the questions are presented for you to answer.
At the top of the sample self-evaluation form in the media gallery, you’ll notice a space for personal information. Fill this out. The form will go into your employee information file, so you’ll want to be sure it’s free from errors. You’ll also notice discourse about when the form should be turned in. It is important to fill the form out prior to your performance appraisal so that you may discuss the answers to the questions with your supervisor during your evaluation meeting. By turning the form in early, you allow for your supervisor to have time to review the form you filled out beforehand.
1. Description of Job Duties
One of the first questions a company asks is “What were your job duties?” The reason for this question is two-fold. First, your employer wants to know what you see your role in the company as. Second, it is important to identify additional tasks you may be taking on that could be better delegated to someone else. This question may be modified to read something like “If you were writing a job description, what would you include as the required responsibilities?” or “What roles did you take on in the past year?”
When answering this question, it is important to be honest and forthcoming about your duties. For example, if you were training many employees, even if you didn’t need to as a part of your regular job description, you may want to include this on your evaluation form.
2. Achievements and Successes
Here is the place where you get to toot your own horn. Make sure your supervisor knows what you accomplished over the past year. However, never exaggerate what accomplishments you had. Do not say you had successes in areas where you didn’t. A good supervisor will be able to see right through this posturing, and it could cost you during your performance appraisal. Sometimes you may be asked as to how you brought about these achievements; again, it’s best to be honest. Explain what you saw your role as in bringing about the various accomplishments you had in your job position.
3. Weaknesses and Failures
You will also most likely be asked about your weaknesses and any failures or obstacles to success you experienced in the past year of service at your company. Here, be honest. If you had a difficult time keeping up with the workload, be honest about it! It’s possible your supervisor, especially if he or she is new, has many employees who felt they were drowning over the past year. On the other hand, make sure you do not blame others for your own shortcomings. Take responsibilities for areas where you were weak and show steps you took over the past year to overcome these weaknesses.
For more potential self-evaluation form questions, please continue reading on page 2.
4. Collaborative Efforts
When looking at the example of job self evaluation provided you in the media gallery, you will notice the fourth question on the form asks about what opportunities you used to collaborate with others in your company in the past year. This is an important question that seeks to evaluate how much of a team player you have been. This is not the place to complain about group projects, especially since the trend in business is to provide more opportunities for collaboration rather than fewer. Instead, take a moment to reflect on all the projects you completed where other individuals were involved and how you worked with them in a team effort. The question may be alternatively phrased as something like “In what ways were you a team player,” or “Describe ways in which you worked with a team in the past year and how you contributed.”
5. Collegiality with Coworkers
Another question that often pops up on evaluations like the example job self evaluation we’re discussing involves your perception of how you get along with your coworkers. This is another tricky question where you want to tread carefully. If you blame all your weaknesses on co-workers, it will not look good. However, if you mention things like “Communication amongst co-workers could be improved,” or “Team building activities may be helpful in facilitating collaboration,” you can help the supervisor to build a strong team. Other ways this question may be asked include “Were there any shortcomings of the teams you were on?,” “Describe your interactions with coworkers in the past year,” or “What could be done to improve teamwork in your department?”
6. Supervisor Feedback
This is the last of the questions where you need to think about your answer before you write it down. Often, you will find questions about how your supervisor could improve the job he or she is performing when working with you. When answering this question, it is important that you are specific about ways that your supervisor could aid you. Perhaps more mentoring is necessary or when assigning tasks, it would be helpful if your supervisor were more specific. Again, the point is to help your supervisor help you. If you put “nothing” or “talk more,” it’s not conducive to achieving this goal.
7. Wishes for Professional Development
Your self evaluation form may have questions about areas where you feel weak on training. This is to determine whether more one-on-one training is necessary or whether it may be worth it for the company to have in-session seminars to make sure the entire staff is on the same page with where they need to be for completing tasks. You may see questions asking about specific facets of your job duties or you may find that a general question like the one on the sample self evaluation form appears.
Please continue reading on page three to find out about questions you may be asked regarding your goals with the company.
8. Long-Term Goals Within the Company
You will almost always see a question asking you about opportunities you would like to take advantage of within your company. If you’re hoping for a promotion, for a change in departments, or for more intensive training, this is the place to talk about it. If there is a special project you would like for your company to initiate, you’ll want to put that down here too. One caveat - if you are asking for a promotion, make sure the rest of your self evaluation supports this request! If you don’t have many accomplishments within the company, if you had a project fail under your direction, or if you’re struggling with your colleagues, you may want to think again about this request.
9. Performance Goals
All companies like to see that their employees have short-term goals as well as long-term goals. For your performance goals, you’ll want to focus on aligning your goals with those of the company. For example, if you work with a bank, you may say something like “reduce the number of defaults on loans by 15%” or “Increase the number of customers signing up for the super-dee-duper savings plan by 20%.” Include a few actions you will take to ensure you reach these goals for performance improvement.
10. Additional Information
While there may be a myriad number of additional questions to those included on our example self-evaluation form, most likely at some point, you will be asked to provide any additional information you would ike in your record. This may include setbacks that were beyond your control such as a storm that prevented you from important travel, family illness, etc. If you have other ideas, by all means, you’ll want to include them on your self-evaluation form. Just be sure you don’t wind up complaining on your form. The only person this reflects poorly on is you, and you are unlikely to obtain the results you are looking for in your performance evaluation if you do this.
Finally, you should remember that your self-evaluation is an opportunity to grow and increase your productivity within the company. While it’s important to recognize what is working for you in your job, it is equally important that you acknowledge what is not working and make a plan to overcome challenges.
References
Lawrence, P. “The Importance of Having a Performance Appraisal Program,” The Trusted Professional. 2004: Vol. 7, No. 14 https://www.nysscpa.org/trustedprof/1104/tp29.htm.
Orvis, K. A. Performance Appraisal Feedback: A Foundation for Effective Self-Development. United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences: 2008. https://www.hqda.army.mil/ari/pdf/TR_1233.pdf
Screenshot image provided by Ronda Roberts Levine
