Writing a Self Evaluation

Self evaluation can be explained as the process where a person has to assess himself. Students, after completing a particular academic course are asked to assess how much they have learned during that period. Even employees are expected to write a self-evaluation for getting a promotion or salary raise. In the self-evaluation, one is required to talk about the work they have done and their achievements. It is important for a self-evaluation to be an honest reflection of what you have done for the company. But many people are not comfortable about writing a self-evaluation because they feel that they are boasting about themselves. Though a self-evaluation should not seem like boasting about oneself, one has to definitely indulge in self praise to a certain extent. Its main difference from article writing is that all facts and observations are about yourself. One the other hand, you pick up information from various other sources for a normal article.

Tips for Writing a Self-Evaluation

• The first thing to do is to make a rough draft of your achievements. On a piece of paper, make several columns and in the first one write about all the projects that you have undertaken. In another column, mention what you have contributed towards each one of them. In the column next to it, write about the kind of reaction and feedback that you received for each of the projects from your superiors. This would serve as the basis of your self-appreciation. Also, mention some special awards you got for any of the projects. Once you have done this, start combining all these columns to come up with meaningful sentences. You will surely find it easy to write your self-evaluation in this way.
• Next thing that you have to write, is about the skills that you have developed while working in the company. Mention your educational qualifications and specific training that you have undergone for a specific project. Write about how these skills helped you in your various projects and the skills that you gained while working on the project. Students who are writing a self-evaluation after completing a course would have to write about how the course helped them in gaining more knowledge and towards development of certain key skills.
• When you write a self-evaluation, do not just talk about your skills, but also mention about how your work has benefited the company. Other than this, you should also mention about the work you have done beyond your actual duties and responsibilities. It is also necessary to talk about the changes that have happened in the company due to the work done by you.
• In your self-evaluation, it is also important to talk about your future plans and goals. Write about what you have planned for yourself in the coming future and not only about how it would enhance your progress, but also the progress of the company.
• Students asked to write a self-evaluation should talk about how the knowledge they have acquired during the course would be applied by them in their daily life. They also should mention their future plans and what according to them should be their next goal or the skill that they have to develop.
• One very important thing that people writing a self-evaluation should remember, is that though self praise is required, do not lie about anything. There are people who have a habit of exaggerating about themselves. However, here it should be strictly avoided and one should write only what is true. It is quite likely that readers of your self-evaluation may demand some kind of a material proof from you if your achievements sound too exaggerated.
• Once you finish writing the rough draft, read it through once to see if anything has to be included or deleted from the content. Ensure that your self-evaluation is not lengthier than one page. After you rewrite the final copy, ask one of your friend or colleague to read and give you the correct feedback about whether the self-evaluation looks genuine and relevant. In fact, your friends may have some brilliant suggestions for adding into your evaluation report.

Writing a self-evaluation is an important task, more so if it has the potential to affect your career development. Do not rush over your self-evaluation to finish it off as soon as possible. You should take adequate time (at least a week) to complete the whole thing. Your self-evaluation should reflect your progress and accomplishments in an honest way.