Guide
Self Evaluation Examples for Your Performance Review
A strong self evaluation names your two or three biggest results with numbers, shows how you worked with others, admits one real area to improve with what you're doing about it, and sets goals for the next period. Write it as evidence, not adjectives.
Key takeaways
- A strong self evaluation leads with two or three results that matter to the business, each with a number and your part in it.
- Specific evidence beats adjectives in a self evaluation, so "cut cost per lead by [X]%" says more than "highly results-driven".
- An honest area for improvement, paired with what you're already doing about it, reads as self-awareness rather than weakness.
- Keep a running list of wins through the year, because most people forget half of what they did by review time.
- End a self evaluation with goals for the next period and the support you need to reach them.
Download all 2 templates (Word) Opens in Google Docs too.
What is a self evaluation?
A self evaluation is your own written assessment of your work for a review period, usually filled in before your manager writes theirs. It’s your chance to put your results on the record in your own words, and it often shapes the conversation about your rating, raise or promotion.
Most forms ask some version of the same questions: what you achieved, how you worked, where you can grow and what’s next. The examples below follow that order.
How do you write a good self evaluation?
Write a good self evaluation by gathering evidence first and writing second. If you sit down to a blank form and feel like you did nothing all year, that’s normal: memory is a poor record keeper, and your calendar, sent folder and dashboards are better ones.
- Collect the evidence. Last year’s goals, campaign reports, dashboards, launch notes, kind messages from stakeholders.
- Pick your two or three biggest results. Choose the ones that moved a business number or unblocked a team.
- Write each as action plus result. What you did, what changed, and how you know.
- Add how you worked. Collaboration, leadership, process improvements.
- Name one real area to grow, with what you’re doing about it.
- Set next-period goals and the support you need.
- Cut adjectives. Replace “great”, “excellent” and “passionate” with what happened.
Self evaluation examples for results and achievements
Lead with results, because they’re what your manager has to defend in calibration. Use a number where you have one, and say what your part was.
Results: In [period], I led [campaign / program], which [result with number: grew qualified pipeline by [X]%, cut cost per acquisition from $[X] to $[Y], lifted email revenue [X]%]. I [your specific part: built the audience strategy, rewrote the onboarding sequence, ran the A/B tests].
Treat these as a starting point and write them the way you’d explain your year to a colleague over coffee. Your manager knows how you talk, and a form full of borrowed phrases hides the person they’re reviewing.
| Marketing area | Example line to adapt |
|---|---|
| Brand | “Launched the [product] campaign on time and under budget; aided awareness in our tracker moved from [X]% to [Y]%.” |
| Social | “Grew engaged followers on [platform] by [X]% by shifting to a weekly short-form series I scripted and produced.” |
| Content and SEO | “Refreshed [number] underperforming articles; organic sessions to that set grew [X]% in [months].” |
| Performance | “Rebuilt our [platform] account structure, cutting CPA by [X]% while holding conversion volume.” |
| Lifecycle | “Redesigned the onboarding sequence; 30-day activation rose from [X]% to [Y]%.” |
| Product marketing | “Ran the [feature] launch; sales used the new battlecard in [number] deals in the first quarter.” |
No big number this year? Small results count. “Took over reporting and cut the weekly prep from a day to two hours” is a real result your manager can repeat.
Self evaluation examples for collaboration and teamwork
Collaboration lines should show who you worked with and what got easier because of you. Name the teams, not just “cross-functional partners”.
- “Set up a weekly sync with sales so campaign briefs reflect what reps hear on calls; [number] briefs this year started from their input.”
- “Worked with product and design to cut launch review cycles from rounds to [Y].”
- “Onboarded [number] new team members and wrote the channel playbook they now use.”
- “Managed our agency relationship through a team change without missing a flight date.”
Self evaluation examples for areas of improvement
Write your area for improvement as a specific skill, why it matters and what you’re doing about it. Honest and specific reads as maturity; vague or fake ("I care too much") reads as avoiding the question.
Area to grow: [Specific skill, e.g. presenting to senior leadership / forecasting / delegating]. This mattered this year when [short example]. I've started [action: taking the QBR presentation, a forecasting course, handing weekly reporting to [name]], and I'd like [support: feedback after each exec readout, a stretch project] next period.
More examples to adapt:
- “I sometimes go deep on execution and come up late for strategy. Next half, I’m blocking two hours a week for planning and bringing a quarterly plan to our 1:1s.”
- “My written briefs have been longer than people read. I’ve switched to a one-page brief template and asked two stakeholders for feedback.”
Our guide to what are your weaknesses uses the same idea for interviews.
Self evaluation examples for goals
Goals should be specific, measurable where possible and tied to what the business needs next period. Two to four is plenty.
- “Grow organic sign-ups [X]% by [date] through [program].”
- “Launch [channel or test] with a clear read on CAC by end of Q[number].”
- “Take ownership of the [budget / agency / reporting] and present it at QBRs.”
- “Prepare for a [next title] role by leading [project] end to end.”
If you’re aiming for a promotion, say so here, and link your goals to the next level’s expectations. Our how to ask for a promotion guide covers that conversation.
Performance review phrases you can use
Performance review phrases work best as openers you finish with your own evidence. On their own they’re filler; with a result after them, they’re useful.
| Category | Phrase to finish with evidence |
|---|---|
| Quality of work | “Delivered [work] that [stakeholder] used to [outcome].” |
| Job knowledge | “Became the team’s go-to on [tool / channel], training [number] people on it.” |
| Initiative | “Spotted [problem] and proposed [fix] before it was asked for, which [result].” |
| Communication | “Wrote the weekly update that [team] now uses to plan, replacing [old process].” |
| Productivity | “Shipped [number] campaigns this half, up from [number], by [what you changed].” |
| Dependability | “Hit every launch date this year, including [hard one], by [how].” |
| Leadership | “Coached [person / team] through [situation], and they now own [area].” |
Mistakes to avoid in a self evaluation
Each of these has a simple fix.
- Listing tasks instead of results. “Managed social channels” says what you were hired to do. Add what changed because you did it.
- Taking credit for team wins without saying your part. Name the team and then your contribution; it’s more credible, not less.
- Writing too much. A few strong paragraphs get read. Cut anything you’d skim in someone else’s.
- Being too modest. If your manager has to guess your impact, they’ll guess low. State it plainly.
- Surprising your manager. If you disagree about something important, raise it in a 1:1 before the form goes in.
Start a “wins” note today and add one line a week. Next review, half the work is already done.
FAQ
How long should a self evaluation be?
As long as your form allows, but usually a few short paragraphs per section is enough. Managers read many of these during review season, so clear results in fewer words get more attention.
Should I rate myself high or low on a self evaluation?
Rate yourself honestly against the definitions your company uses, and back the rating with evidence. A high rating with clear results is easier for your manager to support than a modest one they have to argue up.
What should I write if I had a hard year?
Be honest about what got in the way, focus on what you did deliver and what you learned, and set clear goals for the next period. A calm, factual account is far stronger than either excuses or apologies.
Can I use AI to write my self evaluation?
You can use it to organize your notes or tighten wording, but the results, numbers and examples have to come from you. Read the final version aloud to make sure it sounds like you.