Three Effective Questions to Ask During Your Year End Self Evaluation

By Chelsea Babin

Whether you’re preparing for an annual review with your boss or simply want to reflect on your own work performance to help you set goals in the New Year, these three effective questions will help you keep it simple. If you want to keep your year end self evaluation short and sweet, stick to these three questions! Or, if you want to be more thorough, use these three questions as a starting point to help you dive deep and create effective goals for the New Year!

1. What mistakes did you make and how did you learn from them?

Perfection isn’t attainable and some mistakes will always be made. However, if you’re not learning from your mistakes, it will be difficult for you to grow personally and take the next step in your career. Take a moment to ask yourself this question and reflect on the mistakes you made at work this year. Then, take a moment to assess what you learned from those mistakes. If you’ve thought of a glaring mistake but have no idea what you learned from it, take some time to evaluate what you could have done better or what you could do better in the future to avoid that same scenario. For habitual mistakes like regularly arriving late to work or missing deadlines, you may want to create some goals or new years resolutions centered on correcting those bad habits.

2. What did you accomplish this year that you’re really proud of?

Now that you’ve reviewed the negative, it’s time to review the positives! Think back on everything you’ve accomplished this year that you’re proud of. Maybe you were working towards a goal all year and you reached it or maybe you finally started that side project you’ve been dreaming up. Although a work self-evaluation should focus mostly on in office accomplishments, don’t forget to include any accomplishments that are relevant to your career advancement such as expanding your professional network or learning a new technology in your spare time.

3. Are you willing to let go of anything in order to focus on something else?

It’s always important to reevaluate your priorities and make sure you’re working towards a few goals that actually matter to you rather than a smattering of goals that may or may not be that important. Narrow your focus to a few things you could do in the New Year to improve your career and focus your goals on those things. It’s okay to let go of something you thought would be important to you last year and, when you ask this question, you’ll really see which goals you need to focus on and which ones you can set to the side now that you’re less passionate about them.

A lot of companies conduct annual reviews and performing a year end self evaluation is a great way to prepare yourself for those but they’re really an effective tool on their own! If you want to make sure you’re setting the right goals for the new year, learning lessons from your mistake, and taking time to congratulate yourself on your many accomplishments thus far you only need to ask yourself these three questions!