I spoke to a colleague last week who lamented and said “I didn’t really get anything done this year!.”
I said, “Really? That’s surprising since I know you are a go-getter.”
She said, “yes, I am, but I didn’t have the right support to do the things I was hoping to do. ”
I replied, “So really, it’s not that you didn’t get anything done but you couldn’t get the things you wanted done.”
“I guess ” She agreed.
I walked away from the conversation wondering how she would write her self-evaluation this year. I hope she is not so “critical of herself” as she was with me. I wrote about the 5 tips to writing a good self-evaluation. Below are 4 more tips on how to write a good summary of your accomplishments inside the self-evaluation.
Tip 1: Be Your Own PR Agent
The exchange I had with my colleague is common. I know a lot of over-achievers who are a l
ittle too hard on themselves. I was one of them until I realized that being too hard on myself doesn’t help me work smart.
This is especially true when it comes to summarizing our accomplishments. It’s important to be our own PR agent when it comes to summarizing our accomplishments There is no one better at demonstrating to others how truly awesome we are. So look for all the stuff you did accomplish this year. Even if a project is not yet finished by EOY, you can say “Lead xx project to achieve yy and it’s currently on track to launch in Q2 next year.”
Tip 2: Include the “Soft Stuff”
Your accomplishments do not have to be just project on track or product launched. In additional to the “hard stuff” of your job, it’s also good to include accomplishments around building relationships, teamwork, and leadership.
Relationships matter and if you have built strong relationships with a lot of cross-functional partners, then say so. Teamwork also matters. If you have been a good team player, especially going beyond your role to help your manager or the team, then also highlight it.
Tip 3: Focus on at Most 5 Accomplishments
Less is more. Many of my directs would share with me 20 bullets of accomplishments. Unfortunately it achieves the opposite effect of what they hoped. Because the list is so long, I am still not sure what “big things” they accomplished this year, nor can I remember these 20 things.
It’s important to list only up to 5 accomplishment instead. Those that had the biggest impact for your customers, your business, and/or your team/partners. The human brain can process at most 5 things at a time before it feels overwhelmed. You want your manager to remember what you accomplished.
Tip 4: Don’t Caveat with What You didn’t Do
Your accomplishments are all meant to be positive. Don’t include language that discuss what you didn’t do and why. It’s unnecessary and distracting.
At the End of the Day…
Be bold and complimentary to yourself. You deserve it. Nothing ever works out exactly the way we expect. Many things are outside of our control. It is up to us to shift our perspective. The self-evaluation is a chance to also shift your manager’s perspective. Go forth and “Brag” about your accomplishments. As long as they are true, why not put your best foot forward. Most likely your manager will just copy your accomplishments and put it directly in the year-end evaluation, on record.
Want to Learn More
We discussed this topic for 50 minutes in last month’s coaching call. Watch or Listen to the recording inside the Soft Skills Gym. For the first time, I upload the Zoom video of the call as well as the recording 🙂
Your Comments: What is your biggest challenge when summarizing your accomplishments? Do these tips help? What else would you share with others?
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