I was talking to a good friend last week, and he asked me to take a quick look at his self-assessment year end appraisal. My friend is very qualified, excellent at his job, but I was quietly freaked out because he was so modest.  So while year end assessments can feel like an administrative PIA, they are important. A couple of hints:

1. Don’t make it a laundry list of what you did. Accomplishments are important, but you want to tie them into a more strategic statement. For instance, if one of the goals was for the department to become more efficient,  state your accomplishments (cross-training, re-engineering processes) within the strategic frame. Otherwise, it just becomes a laundry list of things.
2. Don’t be overly modest. This friend ranked himself average on everything….he’s not. This is not the time to be humble. At the very least, you should be a solid 2, with a few 1’s. if you’re a top performer (1 being the best!). Ranking yourself 1’s on everything is a little off-putting, but ranking yourself too low hurts too….the reader is going to think: “what does the person see that I don’t?”
3. Assume other people will read it. It’s not just for your boss….if you’re up for promotion, your reviews will get circulated and they live forever. Pay attention and write it well. Keep acronyms to a minimum. Write it for a person who knows nothing about what you do.
4. Metrics are powerful. Just like in resumes, it’s great to see metrics which make the point: 30% decrease in errors, 10% increase in new sales.
5. Many companies require you to input into a template. Create it in Microsoft word, hone it, and paste into the system while keeping a copy. Too many stories of people who work in the template, only to lose it after hours of work.