Self-evaluation is a process that many law firms and corporation legal teams integrate into their routine. As challenging as they may seem, they are also an opportunity to reflect on past practices and identify areas of improvement. If done right, they can build a strong case for your career development within the firm or company. Here are some tips to make your self-evaluation process more consequential.
Research The Criteria
To be able to evaluate yourself or anyone for that matter, you need to be well-acquainted with the criteria. Understanding how your performance is measured or judged is crucial. It could be skill-based or result-based, or it could depend on a client satisfaction survey. Consider what defines a win in your legal department, is it quantitative or qualitative? Familiarize yourselves with the company’s core values and how your contribution has furthered company goals. More clarity you have on the criteria, the better prepared you are. It can be helpful to discuss with a mentor at your company to remove any ambiguity.
Keeping A Done List
Keeping track of all your accomplishments is integral to your self-evaluation process. Maintaining a running list throughout the year makes it easier when it’s time to document your work for the self-review. Regular updates either weekly or monthly can be of great help and using calendar reminders is a good way of doing that. A simple list in your OneNote or Word document with categories based on the nature of your work (like trainings, arbitrations, mediations, projects, etc) is an effective way of keeping track.
Know Your Audience
Another essential aspect in this process is to identify your audience. This could be your direct manager or a review committee. Understanding the preferences of this audience can shape the format of your self-evaluation. Bullet points could be suitable for some, while others might prefer well-detailed paragraphs. Tailoring your self-evaluation according these preferences would assuredly further your cause.
Invest The Time
Writing your self-evaluation well is worth the time and effort. You might consider it a tedious task, but a well-crafted evaluation can be your strongest argument in making your case for promotions or appraisals. Specific examples to showcase how you have added value to the company can give you an upper hand.
The original article on this topic was written by Meyling “Mey” Ly Ortiz, an in-house at Toyota Motor North America and can be found here at Above the Law.