How to Write a Performance Review

Companies sometimes ask employees to write their own performance reviews. They use this self-assessment to see how their employees view their performance. You don’t have to be afraid of this request because it’s an opportunity to highlight what you’ve done well. It is important that you present your work, achievements and performance in the best possible way.

Table of Contents

Prepare before the assessment

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Find out what your company’s requirements are for the review format. Performance appraisals vary by industry. Some companies may have an electronic review ready, while others dictate the specific categories they want you to present.

Use the format required by the company if they provide it. Carefully follow the company’s form to avoid missing any entries, and try not to scribble. Sometimes the company just asks you to fill out a certain form. In other cases, you will need to resubmit a completely handwritten assessment.
It’s better to know the company’s requirements long before it’s time to evaluate performance. That way you can keep track of the year’s achievements that match the required categories of the company. You can also tailor your work performance to meet job evaluation requirements. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Don’t write a review. The review should highlight your best work, so you must make sure there are no grammatical and typographical errors. It’s best to write a few drafts and start writing before being asked.

Remember that the assessment will become part of your track record, so you need to take this matter seriously. If something happens in the course of your career and you want to deny it, the assessments on file can be a serious problem.
You must use professional and concise language in your assessment. To keep your writing concise, pick out some of the best things you’ve done during the year to discuss in more depth. You can write a performance review on a few pages, but you don’t have to provide too much detail and overwhelm your managers. Focus on the highlights, while providing concrete evidence to back it up. Also, you should learn to edit yourself. No one wants to read a 30-page job review. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Keep your work organized all year long, by the time you’re asked to write a review. Before writing, you should gather key documents that will make the writing process easier. Collecting these materials throughout the year is a good idea. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You should include work examples if the company’s form allows examples during the evaluation. Select examples carefully to highlight your best work. Set of goals that were set in the previous audit.
A collection of work comments or progress reviews your boss sends you mid-year (if applicable). Any comments on personal work you’ve received during the year will help with the review writing process, making it more specific and meaningful.

Include the right content in the review

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Highlight outstanding achievements during your tenure. Don’t be too modest. A performance review is your chance to pick out the things you’ve done that are most valuable. Praise and be proud of them.

Focus on writing about the things you did best during the year that had a big impact on the company. You should choose the jobs that best align with the company’s mission and were specifically mentioned in the last performance review. You don’t have to discuss everything you’ve done during the year.
Even so, you need to show tact and professionalism in highlighting your accomplishments. Keep your tone upbeat and don’t offend or put your co-workers down. Focus on the merits you have done for the company.
Don’t forget to mention your achievements at the beginning of the assessment. Sometimes people just focus on what they have done at the end of the assessment. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Outline the benefits you see in your work. Anyone can write a review with a lot of tedious and generic stuff. If you can provide proof for what you say, the review will be more convincing.

Make an argument with specific facts, numbers, and dates. For example, your job is to run social media accounts for a company. Therefore, you should include in your assessment metrics (number of new likes, number of people interacting, etc.). Think about what metrics you can use to add credibility to what you say.
Compare your performance with the company’s overall goals and mission. It’s a way for you to show your worth as an employee.

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Present and discuss goals at work. You should be very specific when it comes to your professional goals that you want to achieve in the coming year. You should also talk about development goals, meaning things you want to achieve.

Explain how to achieve those goals. In addition, you should comment on the specific work goals you outlined at the beginning of the evaluation period and the extent to which those goals were achieved.
If you’ve been assigned tasks that aren’t on the job description or have initiatives that exceed company expectations, you should mention that.

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Discuss core competencies. Chances are your company has a list of core competencies they want you to achieve in your job. You should outline and discuss them in depth.

Focus on how you’ve demonstrated those specific competencies and mention how you’ve exceeded the company’s expectations.
You must use company language for those competencies as it helps to connect your achievements with the company’s expectations more clearly. Therefore, you should use the company’s language.

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Be careful when grading. Some performance reviews will ask you to grade yourself. You should clearly understand what the score you choose means.

An A 5 usually means you’ve demonstrated leadership and are a change agent at the company. An A 4 usually means that you’ve done behavior that exceeds the company’s standards and is a role model for others.
An A of 3 means that you have performed the expected behavior (generally). You should check with the company to understand how the company defines each rating score. For some companies, an A 3 means average performance and is not considered satisfactory. A score of A 1 or A 2 means poor performance and you will not be able to advance.

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Present your assessment in a structured way to get the most out of it. Sometimes companies will require an assessment in advance. If they do not have this requirement, the presentation of the assessment is important.

Start with an upbeat, confident opening sentence. This will be a summary of what you have achieved during the year. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
Then you list the achievements, including detailed information to demonstrate. For each achievement, ask yourself “what good is that?” This question will help you focus on providing evidence that the contribution is aligned with the company’s goals and valuable. Never start a review with a pessimistic sentence.
If there’s a goal you haven’t met or an area that you acknowledge needs improvement, don’t mention it at the end of the review. That’s because you want to start and end with an upbeat. The last part is also important because sometimes it’s the part people remember the most. Put the things you need to improve in the middle of the review.

Use the right tone of voice in your review

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Focus the content of the review on you. This may sound obvious, because after all, their purpose is to ask you to rate yourself. However, sometimes people make the mistake of being pessimistic and exalting others.

Don’t use defensive language in your review. Be as optimistic as possible. For example, you could write, “I respect other people’s time so I schedule meetings according to the work schedule of team members, colleagues, and clients whenever possible.” The time in the example above is upbeat and makes a good impression on you.
Others are pushed out of focus. Now is not the time to criticize other people’s work or personality.
You also shouldn’t compare yourself to others in a review when you want to highlight an achievement. You can highlight what you’ve done without berating colleagues who haven’t achieved the same.

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Offer constructive criticism of your weaknesses. If you only state the perfect things in the review, it doesn’t seem very realistic. Therefore, you should admit your shortcomings very carefully.

You should write the critique so that the reader feels you are actively solving the problem. For example, you could write, “Because I’m so focused on the task at hand, and sometimes I’m too perfectionist, some colleagues find me a bit demanding. I’m looking for ways to improve my communication in the workplace. those situations”. This way of writing shows the writer’s optimistic attitude (being a perfectionist with high concentration can also be a good thing at work) in addition to acknowledging weaknesses.
Identify some areas where you need to improve. However, you should not write too much in this section. The review should focus primarily on achievements, while also acknowledging a few areas where you are trying to improve or develop. Do not write too many harsh things about yourself, or they will see you as lacking in confidence. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
One way is to focus on optimism by offering suggestions for improvement. Always maintain an optimistic and action-oriented attitude. Use language that shows progress. Instead of saying you failed at something, say it’s an area you want to improve, and explain how to achieve this. ^{[8] X Harvard Business Review Trusted Source Go to Source}

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Mobilize career development opportunities. If you’re looking for training or meeting opportunities, the performance review is the place to go. However, do not use the evaluation to negotiate salary.

You can also present innovative ideas that benefit the company. ^{[9] X Research Source}
What does your boss use the performance appraisal for? Should you find out if it is shared with others, or are they using it for bonus calculation or other matters?

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Write complete sentences. Sometimes people write big notes on a review that makes it look sloppy. You should not write short sentences in your job evaluation.

For example, don’t use the phrase “content revision” because it’s too short. You’d better write a complete sentence to explain the main idea. You can use bullets to organize information.
Remember, your line manager may not be the only one reading the review. Reviews can be submitted to higher levels, so you need to interpret the information clearly and in detail, rather than assuming that people know what you’ve done or understand what you mean. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Always maintain optimism and honesty. Even if you are mentioning an area that needs improvement, you can rotate it into the future. Focus on the future, not on past failures.

You shouldn’t sound pessimistic, complaining, angry, or arrogant, but instead maintain a positive attitude, and emphasize your accomplishments in a voice that speaks to your dignity.
If there’s something you don’t like about the company, this really isn’t the place to de-stress. This is your chance to highlight why the company needs you.

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Show it off, don’t just say it. It is important that you provide detailed information when writing performance reviews. Don’t just write generic sentences.

For example, instead of saying, “I always deserve credit at work. I always show up for work and meetings on time, and attend all meetings,” you could provide accurate statistics on attendance. meetings and give specific examples to show their reliability.
Providing evidence for general statements (including numbers) will make the assessment more meaningful and credible.

Advice

Start writing reviews early, don’t let the water get to your feet to jump.
The most important thing is: maintain a positive attitude.
Read last year’s performance review so you can remember the goals you’ve outlined.

Warning

Don’t fake or lie about anything.
Don’t name other employees in a negative situation.

Steps

Prepare before the assessment

Include the right content in the review

Use the right tone of voice in your review

Advice

Warning

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