Are you searching for a self-evaluation sample essay you can use to make sure your own is outstanding? The self-evaluation part of the performance review is a huge opportunity to share what you offer your company and what achievements you’ve had since the last time you sat down to talk about your work. While it might seem like just another task to complete, it can offer a ton of benefits.

The Self-Evaluation Sample Essay and Your Road to Success

In some cases, your company might offer a simple template scorecard where you add a paragraph for self-reflection. In other cases, the space might be more open with prompts and lots of space. Whether your company uses one or the other, it allows you to share what you’ve achieved in the past and how you would like to improve in the future.

A self-evaluation sample essay can make it easier to put down your thoughts. These essays provide a basic response that you can tailor and change to meet your needs. By seeing what others are writing, you can get the basic format down and apply it to your own achievements. We’ll be sharing examples below so you can be sure your self-evaluation looks perfect.

Use a Self-Evaluation Sample Essay to Guide Your Work

In companies that require a self-evaluation, a sample essay can be useful. However, it’s important to be aware that the specific prompts will vary based on what company you work in. Sometimes, the directions on what to write about can even be unique between departments. The self-evaluation sample essay below is only an example. You can take the words and change them as you like to better reflect your achievements.

Add in numbers, metrics, and accomplishments from your own work life. For example, let’s say the self-evaluation sample essay reads, “I am talented at making sure everyone on my team is included and comfortable. Showing vulnerability, honesty, and being open is possible through (my past mistakes/perceived weaknesses/personal needs). By doing this, I create a place of belonging and safety for my team members.”

You like that self-evaluation sample essay, but you want to be sure it fits your own experiences. As a result, you change a few things, add in personal details, and come up with something like the following:

“I’m talented at making the people on my team feel comfortable and included because I share my personal needs in a vulnerable, honest, and open manner while asking for help. This creates a place of psychological safety and makes everyone feel a sense of belonging. As an example, when the pandemic had just started, I asked a direct report to take over a meeting with our auditors. I was a caretaker for my mother with Alzheimer’s at the time, and my emotional energy was not sufficient for such a high-pressure meeting. As a result of taking the meeting, the direct report later noted that they felt more comfortable asking for emotional support from me and their team members as I had done the same for myself.”

Below, you’ll find a self-evaluation sample essay for several categories. You can see some that focus on strengths and others that look into methods of improvement. Use these as templates for your own evaluation.

Adaptability and Flexibility

  • I do quite well on teams when versatility is needed in the role. I can offer praise to encourage the people around me. I act as a strong leader and always feel comfortable being in charge of sharing opinions or making decisions. At the same time, I can take a step back and let someone else take charge while offering emotional or tactical support to the other team members.
  • Sometimes, I have trouble with last-minute changes to a plan. I appreciate being prepared, so these changes make it challenging to stay composed while I work through my new role in a project. I plan to work on this by taking a course on public speaking. Being put on the spot would make me more confident when these changes occur.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

  • I’ve always done well at problem-solving since I’m good at distinguishing between causes and symptoms. I excel when solving long-standing or complex problems. I think through things methodically and can determine future issues that might arise as I break down an issue into all of its singular parts.
  • Complex problems can sometimes drive me to distraction. It’s hard when I’m under pressure to separate causes from issues related to problems. As I go forward, I want to challenge myself to share the results with peers and managers when I find solutions. Knowing there’s an expectation to share will drive me to do deeper and more systematic thinking.

Innovation and Creativity

  • I’ve always encouraged the people around me to share their most creative and innovative ideas. I make sure to make it clear that I feel there are no bad ideas, which means that innovative ideas and thoughts can be brought into brainstorming issues to find solutions to problems that might otherwise go undiscovered.
  • It can be hard for me to branch out beyond the design elements that I’m familiar with and comfortable with. This is especially true when working with challenging clients. I’d like to improve on this by having peers look over my work before it’s sent to a client. This can ensure I’m challenging myself in terms of creativity.

Collaboration and Teamwork

  • Much of my best work is collaborative because hearing the ideas of my team members makes me energized. I do well when working with others, and cross-functional working brings out the best outcomes for me. I like to see how different departments can enable and support each other in ways that can improve our services and products for clients.
  • Sharing tasks with coworkers is challenging for me, especially when working with new employees. Delegating tasks doesn’t come easy for me, which has led to me taking on too much work in the past. As I move forward, I want to be more involved in onboarding new employees. Helping them with training on our tools will allow me to ensure they understand the processes.

Accomplishments and Achievements

  • I’ve consistently succeeded in building partnerships with brands like companies X, Y, and Z, all of which have a large overlap in target markets. When I worked with company Y on project A, I was able to expand our typical brand reach and awareness using marketing efforts in a previously untapped market.
  • Delegating tasks is a challenge for me, which has made it a struggle to meet all objectives in the past since there is only so much time in the day. To create an improvement in this area, I want to set up 30-minute meetings with all my direct reports over the next month. I’ll ensure they are trained well on onboarding clients so I know that I can delegate tasks successfully.

Cooperation and Communication

  • While I am not the most outgoing person, I’ve improved my communication skills to a huge degree by using our messaging software. It’s made me feel more comfortable communicating delays and concerns, relaying messages, and asking for help from others.
  • When I feel stressed or excited, I have trouble communicating my concerns and ideas properly. However, I’m a visual person, and writing things down on paper helps me build my thoughts. As I move forward, I’d like to improve by taking a few notes before I share what I am thinking.

Additional Tips to Use with a Self-Evaluation Sample Essay

Now that you’ve chosen a self-evaluation sample essay to work off of, we have a few more tips that you can put into place as you finish writing up info about your achievements and weaknesses. When you want to create a review that impresses management, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, rather than saying you have a skill, show it. Use examples to give a manager a window into what you are capable of. While it might take several factors to reach success, that’s okay. Own it and show what you are capable of. Use a list of your skills as a way to choose examples that fit and show how you achieve success.

At the same time, use numbers whenever possible. Adding metrics to your self-evaluation lets managers better understand the extent of your accomplishments. Numbers are a great way to support your examples and show all the hard work you do.

Not sure what accomplishments to talk about? Start a journal where you write them all down. You can pull from the most impressive ones or choose achievements that match certain skills. It’s a great way to remain up to date with what you’ve done in the past and how it has helped the company.

In Conclusion

The use of a self-evaluation sample essay may make it easier to get started with writing for your next performance review. When you take the time to craft this document with care, it can offer a host of benefits. Be accurate, clear, and concrete about your performance to provide a reminder to your manager. The right self-evaluation can also be a great tool to advocate for your career and yourself.