Guidelines for Writing Great Self-Reviews

by jochen issing

Introduction

In every company I worked for, every engineer on every level had to write a self-review about their performance at least once a year. These self-reviews are not just a formality but a crucial part of the performance evaluation and promotion process. They allow engineers to reflect on their achievements, demonstrate their value to the company, and advance their careers.

While the task of self-reflection may not be a favorite among many engineers, it is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your career growth. By mastering the art of writing effective self-reviews, you not only learn to present your achievements in a way that is easier for others to comprehend, but you also gain a deeper understanding of your professional journey. This self-awareness is a rare but crucial skill in engineering.

The first thing that you need to remind yourself of before you start writing, especially if you are European (Americans are usually really good with this):

Self-reviews are not the time to be modest. It’s the time to brag and show off.

A great technique often promoted for interviews is the STAR method. The ‘S’ stands for the situation, so you should describe the problem before your accomplishments. ‘T’ stands for the task you had at hand, ‘A’ stands for the action you decided to take. And ‘R’ describes the results, or better, the actual outcome of your actions. This method provides a clear structure for presenting your achievements and their impact, making it easier for others to understand and appreciate your contributions.

My Proposed Three-Step-Model

I often simplify it to only three steps (Problem, Output, Impact - POI):

  1. What problem did we have? (P)
  2. What actions did I take, or what was my output? (O)
  3. What difference did I make, and what was the actual outcome and impact on the company? (I)

Writing a Great Self-Review

Collect the Data

This section describes likely the most painful but most helpful part of the self-review for the individual engineer because you have to go back in time and reimagine what the world was like before implementing all those improvements, then work your way back to the present day.

How you collect your data highly depends on your work. Think about all the artifacts you created, the plans you made, the pull requests you landed, the design docs you wrote, and the projects you contributed to, and note them all down. This is when I curse my past self if I fail to take notes and track my work and the improvements I have made. Adding descriptions and acceptance criteria to tickets and writing down my decisions helps to avoid such conflicts with myself.

Remember, your self-review is not just about your contributions but also about the collaborative efforts that have led to your achievements. Consider the artifacts you’ve delivered, the projects you’ve contributed to, and the ways you’ve enabled others to succeed. Your ability to foster collaboration, make compromises, and make sacrifices is equally essential. As you progress in your career, the value of teamwork and cooperation only increases.

Writing the Self Review

Once you have the data, you should see some logical clusters or “projects” you worked on. Use these clusters to create a little story for each one.

Every story goes through the three steps outlined above (POI). I usually create an outline with bullet points to structure my review, but the technique you use is really up to you.

Most of the self-review time, I work only with that outline.

Some recommendations for writing the content:

  1. Only use abbreviations if you define and explain them in the document where necessary. Even within Engineering, deciphering abbreviations can be cumbersome, and the promotion committee’s members must go through dozens or even hundreds of them.
  2. Write your self-review for the least technical person farthest away from your current level and area of expertise in your company that you can imagine.
  3. The people who assess your performance cannot consider points they need help understanding. It’s on you to describe it comprehensively. Keep in mind that the performance review is not a dialogue. Nobody will reach out to you and ask what you meant by this and that.
  4. Describe the hard work you did and focus on the outcomes. Remember that there are only two universal currencies: time and money. Your CFO and the rest of the company will love you if you save tons of both. When describing the impact of your work, consider the tangible benefits it brought to the company, such as increased efficiency, cost savings, or improved product performance.
  5. Remember, you’re not alone in this process. Don’t hesitate to seek support from your manager and colleagues. They can help you recall your achievements, offer a different perspective on your work, and highlight the broader impact of your contributions. This collaborative approach strengthens your self-review and fosters a sense of support and camaraderie within your team.
  6. Keep your self-review short. As mentioned above, your readers have limited time, and the more redundant your text is, the worse your impression will be. Please don’t make it too short either, and ensure you know the length of the company standard self-review. Keep your self-review concise, focus on the most significant achievements and their impact, and avoid unnecessary details or repetition.
  7. Don’t fall for an ego trip. Reviewers wanted convincing signs of collaboration and teamwork in all the companies I worked with in the self-review. Achievements, where you formed the team and the culture, are of higher importance the higher your level is.

Special Note on Promotion-Cases

Promotion cases need to be very well-written self-reviews. You need to master all the sections of this article and put extra effort into making it the best self-review you have ever written.

In every company I worked in, there was some form of committee that decided which promotion cases were accepted or rejected and with which reasoning. Those folks usually had to assess engineers in very different areas of expertise.

These facts put more pressure on you to get more support from others in your organization. Including potential promotion committee members in the writing process is highly beneficial. They can provide valuable insights and help you present your achievements in the best light. However, be mindful of the potential for politics to influence the process.

Closing Note

I have shared my experiences with reading and writing self-reviews for performance review cycles, including promotion cases. If you follow the recommendations thoroughly and have significant contributions to draw from, the self-review can be fun and is excellent training for growing as an engineer.

Bottom line, my recommendation always is:

Don’t waste much time arguing why certain processes are useless, but make them useful to you, your colleagues, and your company.

Self-reflection and building a solid reputation are worth the effort.

Good luck with your next self-review!
jochen