It’s that time of the year again! The annual appraisal form is about to be dropped in your mailbox. And like so many others, you’ll sit on it till the deadline looms. Then you’ll scurry to fill it by copying from your colleagues and just get done with the ritual. This, however, is not the best way to go about it; nor is it a great idea to see your appraisal as a sheer formality.
Getting a great appraisal depends a lot on how your efforts are listed on paper and summarised to reflect measurable growth. But, summing up each achievement succinctly in your appraisal form can be pretty challenging and exhaustive too.
So just read on for some tips to make sure that the weight of your work translates effectively in your assessment form as well:
Start with listing your responsibilities
Your appraisal form gives you the perfect opportunity to speak about not just the work that you handle, but also about the initiatives, bigger projects and development plans that you are involved in. So, this is your chance to voice your involvement loud and clear and list all your responsibilities within your organisation. It is quite common for people to write lengthy essays or long paragraphs, but brevity is the key. It’s always better to write bullet points that reflect your achievements and goals and support them with explicit examples. This is an important occurrence that captures the spirit of the year, so attention to figures, facts and metrics are vital for a fruitful discussion. It’s better to keep a log of your feedback and refer to them.
Connect your accomplishment with KRAs
Simply writing about your high-performance areas won’t suffice. Appraisals measure your performance based on the expectations from your employees. So, don’t just mention random facts, instead connect them to your KRAs. This will not only draw focus to your overall performance but also demonstrate that you have a good understanding of your job responsibilities.
Keep your tonality crisp and professional
Refrain from using informal words or phrases. It can be the worst way of writing your self-appraisal. Even the best of employees can appear shabby with a badly written self-appraisal. So keep your tone professional and sentences short. It’s always better to write in first person.
Carefully acknowledge mistakes
Unless you’re the best thing that ever happened to your organisation, you’re likely to have flaws or have made blunders too. Try and give the best feasible spin to your problem areas so that you don’t provide your boss ‘the noose with which to hang you’. Identify your short comings and ask for whatever assistance you require. Address your weaknesses; but tread lightly. Rather, focus more on your strengths.
Evaluate honestly
Some people simply talk about their achievements which could be a risky move. It can often backfire and in some cultures could be equal to a career suicide. So if you are planning to give yourself an “excellent” rating, make sure you have accomplishments to back it up. And if you aren’t really a stellar worker, be candid enough. Write about why your rating is low and how you are planning to turn things around.
Ask for career development:
Smart employees utilize appraisals to lobby for professional growth opportunities. So even if your manager isn’t openly asking for it, include it nevertheless “because if you won’t ask, it’s never going to happen.” Be precise. Explain the parts of your work that excite you most and recommend ways to become more involved in them. You might be willing to be a part of a certain brainstorming meeting or keen on taking some sort of training. Just make sure your requests echo your business requirements as well.
