Self-evaluation is a useful tool in employee surveys and performance reviews. Asking your employees to talk about their contribution to your company is an effective way to learn what they think about themselves and their work—and how they fit into their respective teams. Having good self-evaluation examples to work with, however, can boost their introspection.
Employee evaluations and performance reviews are a normal part of the work process, and they’re invaluable. They indicate the areas where an employee feels supported and where they need help, and give employers and managers a roadmap for the next stage in the employee’s work journey.
Here are some self-performance review examples to inspire your company.
Self-evaluation examples
It’s usually helpful to break down self-evaluation examples into different categories. Don’t ask your employees to answer every question—they may not be applicable or useful for the evaluation—but they can be useful in developing a self-evaluation template that works for your company.
Job description
These questions will give you a sense of how much an employee’s responsibilities match their job description:
- Do you carry out any other tasks, and if so, which? When you know whether an employee is working outside of their job description, you’ll know whether you need to do anything to help support or retain them.
- Have these responsibilities changed over time? This question illuminates whether the responsibilities of the title have changed since the employee took on the role. The employees who have consistently taken on new responsibilities and duties are more likely to need extra support.
- How do you think your department could improve? This question illustrates how the department is working overall, as well as how the employee themselves can fit into the overall environment.
- How would you describe your main responsibilities? While you might expect that the main responsibilities will match up with their title, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the answer to this question can reveal whether an employee is being overworked or underserved.
- Is there anything in your work you would like to change, and if so, how would you do it? Asking how an employee would like to see their workflow change can be very helpful when determining which departments need support, and which employees are most likely to look for a new opportunity.
- What could your superiors do to help you be more successful in your job? The answers to this question also illustrate their manager’s performance, which can be useful for a holistic perspective.
Performance and achievements
These questions are designed to measure how well your employee is performing—and the difference between how they measure their performance versus how you measure them can be illuminating:
- Do you feel you've been successful during this period? While the answers to this question will vary, depending on your employee’s individual personality, it can be helpful to learn whether they need more encouragement or other feedback.
- Do you think you could have done anything better? Most people will have at least one pain point—look out for the ones who don’t have any negative self-feedback. They may not fully understand the work or industry norms.
- What action have you taken to fulfill your responsibilities? Most employees will answer this question with a combination of job duties, plus any extra work they’re taking on to make processes run smoothly.
- What are your main strengths? Understanding what employees think of their strengths (and whether you agree or disagree) can help you find the right professional development tools for your workers.
Objectives
These questions specifically target whether an employee is achieving both company and self-set objectives:
- What objectives have you reached during this period? Whether the objectives are part of the job description or outside of it, you’ll have a better understanding of how this employee contributes to the company.
- Which ones did you not manage to achieve, and why? This question illuminates whether an employee is appropriately supported or simply falling short of their goals.
- What objectives will you prioritize for the next period? The answer to this question reveals what the employee thinks is most important about their work. It also lets you know whether they’re on the right track in the future.
- Do you think you need help or extra resources to reach these objectives? Whether you agree with their assessment or not, knowing whether an employee needs assistance getting their job done can help you prioritize certain parts of the workflow, know whether you need to hire new support staff, or take other measures.
Professional development
These questions will help you get a sense of how your employee is preparing to succeed in your company—and what you can do to facilitate that.
- What training or professional development courses have you taken part in? Sometimes an employee will alert you to the type of training they feel is necessary, whether or not they were able to access it through your workplace.
- Are there any areas you would like to train in? This question reveals where the employee feels they need help, or which skills they’d like to develop to move ahead.
- Do you need extra resources or training to do your job? Finally, this question demonstrates whether your workers feel they’re supported professionally—and where your company may be falling short.
Having good self-evaluation examples ensures that you’ll put together a great evaluation form. These questions can also be adapted for interviews, so you can get a better understanding of a candidate before you bring them on board.
Collect self-evaluation answers with Voiceform
Asking the right questions is just half the battle. You also need survey tools that can assess and analyze respondents’ answers, so you know where the company is performing well, and where you can improve.
Voiceform makes self-evaluation easy. The multimedia response tools enable your team to capture honest answers in whichever way an employee feels most comfortable. Our products serve everyone, from individuals to enterprise-level clients. To learn more about our product, book a free demo or sign up for Voiceform today.
