Bragging Rights: How to Effectively Complete Your Self-Evaluation

June 22, 2017 | Insights



By Monica Blacker

Brag. It’s not a four-letter word. Though, as women, we sometimes shy away from bragging, even at times when it matters most. This trait can cause women to miss out on opportunities to advance their careers, particularly when it comes to self-evaluations.  However, with an organized and purposeful approach, women lawyers can go forth and claim the recognition they deserve.

In order to conduct a successful self-evaluation, it’s important that you do the following:

1. Understand how compensation is dealt with at your firm

How can you prepare an effective self-evaluation if you don’t know what you’re being evaluated on? Make sure you know what metrics are important for your compensation.

In addition, before beginning your self-evaluation, carefully read and follow the instructions provided by your firm. The easiest part of your self-evaluation should be ensuring that the final version is the correct length, carefully inputted, and turned in on time. I suggest you respond in bullet points and not paragraph form to make it easier for the reader.

It’s also helpful to review your organization’s business plan or marketing materials to make sure your self-evaluation is aligned with the firm’s goals.

2. Take credit for what you did

Keep in mind the “we versus I” concept. Being a team player is a great, but your self-evaluation is the place to take ownership of the successes you have produced. Be enthusiastic about your accomplishments and write with authenticity and pride. A self-evaluation isn’t the place to highlight your team.

When writing your self-evaluation, make sure the size and importance of your projects are clear. Dollar amounts are key, so state the value of transactions, trials, and projects you have worked on and identify the benefits to your organization. Include your hours and collections figures in the description, however, don’t rely on numbers alone.  Tie your responsibilities and accomplishments to your numbers and explain why your numbers show important contributions.

Instead of writing an account of everything you did that year, focus on the most meaningful assignments and highlight your top deals instead. Emphasize any significant increases in your performance and address decreases in your numbers head on with plans for how you will increase performance in the future.

If you managed other lawyers, paralegals or personnel, include their hours or collections in your descriptions. You should also discuss the people you work with: executives, partners, peers, junior colleagues, and staff at your organization. Your interactions with the individuals you work with can help showcase your professional development.

Use action words that identify you with positive results; organizational, leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills as well as initiative and creativity are likely to be the traits valued by your organization. Avoid emotional words or vague, sweeping generalities. Your evaluation should be clear and concise and use specific examples as  much as possible.

3. Keep a glory file during the year

To make the preparation of your self-evaluation easier, keep a file during the year with your accomplishments and kudos. Whether it’s a file in your email, a list on your phone, or a hard file in your desk, no one can remember all the praise and excellent results they received over the past year. Having a list/file, will make drafting your evaluation infinitely easier. I’m lucky, my husband helps keep my list and he highlights items that I wouldn’t list because I see them as “part of my job.” He is a great reminder of the many things I do that actually go above and beyond.

Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing your evaluation. If you keep a list of your accomplishments during the evaluation cycle, this process will be easier and you will be more focused in your drafting.

4. Have someone else review your self-evaluation before you turn it in

Ask a more senior colleague or good friend to review and comment on your self-evaluation once you’ve written and carefully edited it. If they are on the compensation committee, even better. If you can, get a male to review your self-evaluation and help you address point number two above.

Though your evaluation is the place to brag, avoid exaggerations and overstatement. Make sure your evaluation is credible and that all of your key points can be supported. Most importantly, consider whether your self-evaluation gives the reader a good sense of what you do at the firm and how you do it well. If it doesn’t, then you should try again. Keep in mind, many evaluators read hundreds or thousands of evaluations every year.

In closing, a successful self-evaluation will clearly communicate your successes and their significance to your practice, clients, and the organization as a whole. It will give the reader a sense of who you are and what you do well.

The information in this article was presented at the 2017 Women’s Mentoring Circle program, hosted by the Dallas Women Lawyers Association (DWLA) and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL).