Self-Evaluation

It's review time again at work. A time for reflection on past accomplishments, future goals and areas I need to improve upon. I do find it interesting that I am asked to provide a completed self-evaluation before receiving feedback from management. Like, do they really need me to point out my best attributes and weaknesses? Or is this their way of checking to see if I have a realistic grasp on how others at the Firm see me?

This year, I felt good about my accomplishments and strengths. I was happy to point out a list of my incredibly positive contributions to the workplace. I look forward to a glowing review. Yes, I'm feeling that good about me.

I also tried to express my support to a co-worker who was dealing with some recent happenings that will no doubt have a slightly negative impact on her upcoming review. But, as we are both learning to do, we worked as a team to prepare her self-evaluation, making sure her best attributes with specific examples were presented and addressing those areas she will need to improve upon with clear steps on how she intends to improve. Having been in her shoes more than once in my life, I know the best way to get through the bad days is to realize you cannot change what happened in your past, but you can take steps to make create more positive perceptions of you going forward.