Self-Evaluation Examples: 60 Sample Answers to Inspire Your Employees | Zavvy

Inspire your team by sharing some self-evaluation sample answers. We round up 60 for you. They’ll make your next review a breeze.

But many of your employees might struggle to express their answers or rate themselves. As a result, they will probably need some extra guidance.

You can incorporate self-evaluations in your 360 reviews; there are tons of potential questions for a self-evaluation session.

No feedback process is complete without an element of self-evaluation. It’s like a song without a chorus – a vital part is missing.

↩️ Why is it necessary to do self-assessments?

Traditional appraisal systems focus on managers rating employees’ performance, with little space for employee input.  

In a Harvard Business Review article, professor Douglas McGregor, specializing in personal development and motivational theory, presented self-evaluations as a way to give employees and managers a way to collaboratively judge workplace performance rather than putting it on the manager.

“Managers are uncomfortable when they are put in the position of ‘playing God,'” McGregor wrote.

Self-evaluation is a component of 360-feedback. Briefly described, 360-feedback means everyone gives (anonymous) criticism and praise to everyone to help each other’s professional development.

It may be tempting to skip the self-appraisal part in a hectic work environment.

But a healthy feedback culture, including self-evaluation, ensures everyone gets back into alignment fast. Plus, it lays the foundation for a better work atmosphere with less friction and more room for career growth.

Feedback types on Zavvy

❓ What should a self-assessment evaluation include?

Successful self-evaluation should hit the sweet spot between not covering enough and being overwhelmingly long. It should touch on points like:

• Performance – achievements and accomplishments vs. goals.
• Growth and development – desired areas of growth.
• Start/stop/continue – behaviors the employee wants to start, stop and keep doing.
• Values/behavior – actions vs. company values – were they aligned?
• Social/soft skills – capability to collaborate and relate.
• Job/role related – actual work tasks vs. job description and what the employee would like to do more/less of.
• Goals – states goals for the coming evaluation period and a rough plan for reaching them.

➡️ Share these employee self-evaluation tips with your employees to equip them for a smooth self-review experience!

💡 60 Relatable self-evaluation examples 

Below, you’ll find some employee self-evaluation sample answers. Share them as inspiration for self-appraisal sessions in your company on your 

👭 Collaboration and teamwork self-evaluation examples 

1. I enjoyed joining the new team last month. I tried to strike a balance between looking for answers before reaching out to someone and not waiting too long to ask for help. I aimed to reply to emails as quickly as possible, although there’s room for improvement in that area.
2. As part of this team, I’ve demonstrated strong work ethics and collaboration skills. I logged in on a Sunday morning to ensure our new product launch ran smoothly and to be there to answer questions for the newer team members. 
3. I admit that I prefer to work independently over working in a team. As some team members pointed out, I could improve my communication skills and response frequency.

🗣 Communication self-evaluation examples 

1. I am actively promoting a culture of clear communication and openness within my team. I understand the benefits of using constructive criticism when necessary and positive feedback to reinforce a work atmosphere that supports growth and learning and that everyone enjoys!
2. I do my best to answer emails and messages promptly and politely. I can improve my tone of voice since some people perceive me as overly critical.
3. I find immense value in communicating with my team about important decisions. We have a culture of shared decisions, and everyone’s opinion matters, regardless of seniority. 

🤝 Negotiation and conflict resolution self-evaluation examples 

1. I successfully negotiated $1.1M in acquisitions during the last evaluation period. I owe this partly to my mentors, who have taught me the art of interpersonal skills and using analytics to persuade.
2. I’m interested in further evolving my negotiation skills – but coming from a background in design, I have yet to perfect my craft, especially regarding confidence.
3. We had a period of friction within the team, which I solved by listening to and showing compassion for all parties involved. The communication around work tasks hadn’t been clear from the management, leading to misunderstandings. The atmosphere is a lot better now.

🌱 Growth and development self-evaluation examples 

1. Through daily micro-learning, I have become comfortable with PhotoShop. So, I have been able to assist the design team with assets when they’re short of time.
2. The most significant step in my development since the last period is that I’m now a team leader. It’s a challenging yet exciting position! My next step is to take the management training.
3. I could have prioritized growth more. We were understaffed, so I often needed to cover for my colleagues. Still, I could have raised the question with my manager. 

🧠 Emotional intelligence self-evaluation examples 

1. I am in control of my emotions and don’t take criticism personally. I actively listen to my team and sympathize with their feelings without getting too invested or overstepping my boundaries.
2. I often get frustrated when someone doesn’t understand my explanations, reflecting that I have little patience with myself. I need to learn how to manage my emotions better. I have downloaded a meditation app which is a start.
3. My emotional intelligence has helped us close deals since it helps me understand clients’ needs.

🌟 Company or personal core values self-evaluation examples 

1. I lived the company values – they were in the back of my mind throughout every decision I made.
2. I found it challenging to see how my daily work aligned with the company’s core values. I will cover this in my next one-to-one meeting.
3. Since the company’s core values align with my own, I find them easy to follow. I constantly look to contribute to causes that expand collective consciousness, and that’s also what my research does. 

🧑‍💻 Work ethic self-evaluation examples 

1. Since the last performance evaluations, I have shown a strong work ethic. I’ve arrived early or stayed late if necessary to ensure we meet goals. Still, I’ve made sure to get plenty of rest and enjoy my spare time. I realize that self-management is important to meet goals and keep a healthy work-life balance.
2. I have chosen to save my vacation days until the next period since we are in a critical growth phase. I realize my contribution is essential to reach the next level as a company and team.
3. I’ve demonstrated high morale at work since the previous evaluation process – this since I got criticized for taking time off with too short notice. This time, I made sure to announce a day off well in advance to facilitate my team and our customers.

🙋‍♀️ Self-motivation self-evaluation examples

1.  I demonstrated high self-motivation when I started a new project to improve our Pinterest strategy. This project discovered gaps in our existing approach. As we changed our strategy to remedy these gaps, our monthly visitors increased by 225%.
2. Two weeks ago, I decided to stay on a Friday night to finish the project one week ahead of the deadline – simply because I felt motivated.
3. I enjoy chatting with my colleagues during breaks – yet I stay focused and motivated during work. I frequently get complimented on my positive attitude. However, I find myself getting distracted in the mornings. I’m more of an evening person and get most of my work done in the afternoons.

🦸‍♂️ Reliability self-evaluation examples 

1. I always keep my commitments and actively encourage other team members to follow my example. 
2. I follow the agreed-upon strategies, align with company values and use industry best practices to ensure my work is always top-notch. 
3. If necessary, I’m ready to work overtime to meet deadlines and client expectations – and I have done so a few times during this last period. Thanks to my commitment, we haven’t missed a deadline, even facing unprecedented events.

🤯 Working under pressure self-evaluation examples 

1. Sometimes, I get stressed or lose my temper under pressure. I see these events as opportunities for growth. I will work on this until the next performance appraisals by making time for daily meditation and distinguishing my private life from my work life. 
2. One of my positive attributes is that I work well under pressure. Last week, we had to prepare a quarterly plan for a stakeholder presentation, and half the team was on sick leave. I managed to take on some of their most critical tasks while finishing the plan well ahead of time.
3. I always meet deadlines thanks to my strong prioritization skills. When I lack experience in a specific area, I plan extra time to ensure I finish my tasks on time before submitting them to my manager.

⏰ Time management self-evaluation examples

1. I find time management challenging. When a task seems difficult or tedious, I tend to put it off until the last minute, which leaves little time to do it properly or revise it before submitting it. 
2. Over the years, I have evolved my time management skills a lot. I know how to prioritize and get the most important tasks done on time – even if it means rearranging my schedule. 
3. I sometimes find time management challenging – but I’m getting better at it! I’ve learned to set boundaries, say no, and delegate when I estimate I won’t be able to finish all my tasks on time.

💼 Leadership self-evaluation examples

1. I consider myself a good leader. I have a feeling for finding the right people for the right projects – something I often get positive feedback from my team members about. However, I could improve my communication style as I can appear too authoritative. 
2. I enjoy performance management – setting challenging yet attainable goals for my team. But I do realize that I could be more present during team meetings.
3. I enjoy supporting my team members in their professional growth. I have implemented the 360-degree feedback system we use. Regular reviews have increased productivity, and the company culture is more positive.

🙌 Problem-solving self-evaluation examples 

1. I am flexible and adaptable. I find it easy to go with the flow and find creative solutions as new problems arise.
2. As a marketing manager, I’m open to quickly finding new ways of solving problems. We ran out of ad budget during our last launch and still had a $10,000 sales gap to fill. I organized a last-minute pop-up store with a partner, generating $20,000 in sales during the first two days.  
3. I go above and beyond to please the customers. When we received a negative review due to a delayed delivery (a problem with the carrier and thus outside my immediate control), I immediately apologized and offered a $50 gift card as compensation. The customer worked in sales and client retention and recommended us to their team as a great example! We also got some additional sales – all delivered on time.

⚖️ Decision-making skills self-evaluation examples 

1. I don’t shy away from tough decisions. When they are needed, I ensure to do them fairly and impartially. I make informed decisions where all parties have had the opportunity to share their opinion.
2. Making quick decisions is my Achilles heel – I prefer to wait out the situation, which sometimes has us lose important opportunities. That’s why I’m transferring from sales to a backend role with more expert skills and fewer executive endeavors. 
3. I enjoy taking risks and am not afraid of making quick decisions. I trust my experience and instincts to guide us right – even when it goes against logic and reason. That led us to close a $2M acquisition deal last quarter that our competitors shied away from.

🧘 Customer experience self-evaluation examples 

1. I’m frequently taking the initiative to improve the customer experience. For instance, I created a customer satisfaction survey showing where we should focus our efforts for an even more seamless customer journey.
2. I effectively handle difficult or hostile customers by active listening and, if necessary, financial compensation.
3. I always go the extra mile to ensure our customers keep choosing us ahead of our competitors!

🤩 Innovation and creativity self-evaluation examples

1. I regularly consider the input from others and try to find a solution that everyone is happy with.
2. I constantly challenge the status quo and look for ways to innovate and improve.
3. I could have been more creative in some situations instead of doing the bare minimum. 

🎯 Job performance self-evaluation examples

1. I regularly challenge myself to perform better.
2. Since the last evaluation, I didn’t improve my performance as much as I wanted. I had an unexpected sick leave for two weeks which derailed me, and I will do my best to compensate in the coming period.
3. I am proud of my performance when the stakeholders gave us extra work on short notice. Not only did I finish on time – I also supported my junior colleagues.

📈 Productivity self-evaluation examples

1. I find that my productivity varies throughout the day. I try to adapt by arranging meetings in the afternoons while I’m usually more energized.
2. I have listened to podcasts and read books about productivity, and I’m happy to say I’m more productive than ever! I’m excited to share my findings at the team meeting next week.
3. Focusing on one task at a time and turning off email notifications helps me avoid feeling overwhelmed and stay productive when working on a challenging piece of code. 

🎖️ Achievements self-evaluation examples

1. On my initiative, we switched to a new accounting software which helped the team accomplish their tasks 20% faster. This allowed us to take on a new client with an estimated +$100k increase in revenue for the next quarter.
2. Due to poor time management, I only achieved half of the goals I set for myself. Instead of setting more realistic goals, I will boost my time management skills through the training offered by HR next week.
3. I have met and exceeded my objectives from the last evaluation. I’m proud of myself and grateful for the support from my mentors.

📚 Job Knowledge self-evaluation examples

1. I have consistently improved my coding skills by taking online courses and in-house training by senior colleagues. I master React now and will move on to backend languages in the coming period.
2. I would have wanted more time to expand my brain surgery skills. I needed to cover for sick leaves and a lack of specialists in other areas, leaving little time for professional development. 
3. I recently hosted a training session for new hires. I surprised myself with the knowledge I’ve gained recently, thanks to the copywriting team’s support and my senior colleagues.

👯 Now that you’re done with your self-evaluation, is it time to evaluate your peers? Then, check out our article Peer Review Examples: 50 Effective Phrases for Your Next Performance or Skill Review. You’ll find lots of tips and no-nos.

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➡️ Create a culture of growth and constructive feedback with Zavvy

Feedback is not a good-to-have but a must-have for companies that want to stay competitive and attract top talent. 

Your company and workforce need feedback as a pillar for performance, learning, and growth.

And in the digital era, you can easily outsource feedback operations to software solutions. After all, who has the time to: 

• manually create forms,
• send them to employees, 
• compile spreadsheets, 
• monitor manually who has sent what and who is behind?

With Zavvy’s 360 feedback, you will set up a highly customized feedback process with just a few clicks. You will be able to:

• Combine feedback types (upward, downward, peer feedback, and self-evaluations).
• Manage anonymity and transparency.
• Choose questions from our templates.
• Customize audiences.
• Seamlessly send notifications and reminders.
• Gain a clear picture of the results, your single source of truth.

Start a new feedback cycle with Zavvy

And as an added bonus, you can link feedback to role cards and development plans to make the most out of feedback.

Create a culture of growth and constructive feedback with Zavvy. Your employees will start looking forward to the regular feedback sessions!

Discover how Zavvy will help you drive performance, engagement, and growth in a free 30 minutes demo.