Annual self evaluation is not an easy exercise. It requires some concentrated efforts of introspection, thought and careful understanding about the wrongs. Most often, people easily recognize the faults, weaknesses and strengths of others, but fail to recognize their own self.

Knowing yourself is the first step to skills development and career progression. By analyzing the previous year’s performance, one can easily discover their hidden potentials and the primary obstacle at the same time.

According to John Reed from Robert Half Technology, companies use self-evaluation as a strategy to meet two purposeful goals:

1. It leads employees to evaluate themselves and their performances at work.
2. It assists managers to conclude whether or not an employee has an accurate understanding of their job performance.

Self evaluation is most essential for professional development and here are some pointers to bear on mind for both the employer and the employee as they begin their self evaluation process:

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Think about the long-term career map

Focusing on career development in your current job is the first step towards the bigger goal. However, in self evaluation, long-term career is a significant point to focus on. When you think that your recent job is not really helping you to harness your talent potentials or impacting your self-confidence, consider to redirect the career map.

Imagine where and how you would like to position your personal brand in the next 5 years – as a manager, with a higher salary, getting a specific skill certificate and so on. Discuss it in an open dialogue with your employer and let them know your career aspirations in the longer run.

Ask yourself the hardest questions

Just be honest and answer these critical questions to self-evaluate yourself better:

• What are my strengths?
• What are my weaknesses and how to overcome them?
• What are the areas wherein I should take personal initiative to improve and be a stronger employee than the last year?
• What could be done better and accomplished this year?

Ask for Training, Guidance and Mentor

Annual self evaluation is an stage wherein both employers and employees can exchange ideas and career vision, to accordingly propose a program for their professional skills development. Employees should further be allowed to take advantage of learning exchanges through webinars, seminars, training sessions etc.

Document Your Achievements

As important as self-evaluation is to map your future career goals, also document your achievements during the career progression stages. Record and present the self evaluation as best as it could be. Be critically specific about the achievements you managed to achieve and skills certificate in the recent past. This documentation is essential for the company to evaluate your performance, productivity and efficiency during your working to promote you further and offer you adequate salary increase.

Ask For Guidance, Direction and Mentoring

Last but not the least, do ask your employer to provide an objective review and assessments related to your performance in the workplace. Share your inputs and feedback with trust that it would be accepted professionally, and would not change anything between you and the employer.

Post the self-evaluation process, understand the key improvement areas and focus efforts to get them right by inculcating time management habits, brainstorm on your weaknesses, let go off your egos and emotions to be able to stun yourself and the employer with critical honest feedback to chart out your career pathways for progression.

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