Self-Assessment How many times, during the course of your IRS career, have you prepared a self-assessment and shared it with your manager as part of the annual performance appraisal process? If the answer is “never”, ask yourself why. You may think it’s your manager’s job to do the appraisal. You may be very busy and think that you don’t have time to write a self-assessment. After all, it does take time and effort.

Objectives Understand your right to provide a self-assessment Demonstrate why providing input to your evaluation is important Define how to be pro-active rather than re-active Provide a list of tools to use in providing input Prepare you to make the process less painful Show you how to provide input throughout the year rather than at the end of the evaluation Stepping outside of yourself and providing objective feedback of your own work can be difficult; however, this may be the document that can have a significant impact on your overall evaluation. Be realistic – Keep it real. You need to take a good, close look at your own performance over the past year and decide what kind of progress you have made. In your world you may be all 5’s need to show your manager how you are all 5’s.

Law Article 12, Section 4(B)5, of the National Agreement states that “During the final thirty (30) days of an employee’s annual appraisal period (or otherwise agreed upon), the employee may prepare a self-assessment to submit for their manager’s consideration. Employees will be allowed a reasonable amount of official time, not to exceed four(4) hours to prepare such assessments”. The National Agreement gives you the right to provide input to your evaluation. Employee may received Administrative time to prepare self-assessment at an agreed upon time between the manager and the employee the time may not exceed four hours. The National Agreement states the self-assessment may not exceed four pages. Don’t write a novel. A self-assessment is a document that states how you think you did during the past rating period based upon your CJE’s.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? a. Manager not always aware of everything you do (remote management) b. You are accountable for your performance and evaluation c. Assists manager in the evaluation process d. Help to create a more comprehensive evaluation You are the one who is the most familiar with what you do, day in and day out. You know your strengths and weaknesses. Manager may not have kept track of all the positive achievements you have made. a. Maintain a continuous flow of dialogue with manager Keep abreast of what you are working on Solicit feedback throughout the year b. You must self-market your abilities and performance This is the time to pat yourself on the shoulder Toot your own horn Helps to promote accuracy in your evaluation Moves from subjectivity to objectivity Support evaluation by using examples of your accomplishments Allows you to be more competitive promotes dialogue between you and your manager develops mutual goals increased satisfaction for everyone (win-win)

Now is the time to begin… WHEN DO I BEGIN? Now is the time to begin… Start the day of your evaluation Discuss with manager plans/expectations/goals/ways to improve performance during the coming year (This the Manager’s role in the process)

WHAT DO I NEED TO BEGIN? Develop your own tool kit: -Position Description -Critical Job Elements -Prior Year’s Evaluation -CLP -Training – (External & Internal) (See attachment for additional ideas) This is something you want to work on all year. Be proactive and not reactive.

HOW DO I BEGIN TO WRITE? Brainstorm a list of accomplishments Organize the items under job elements and aspects Start qualifying the details of each item Write in narrative or bullet form Sit on it for a day Make any additional changes before submitting Keep a daily or weekly journal of accomplishments. Have a drop file of examples of work performance or feedback Remember examples can be captured under more than one job element (arrange to achieve balance) Example: How well, the benefits, timeliness, how did it benefit others My preference is a narrative statement using the PAR model (Problem, Action, Results) Describe your work product, its impact on your Division’s goals, positive feedback received during the year, positive results, and the benefits. Write in the first person. Again, don’t write a novel. Rewrite – rearrange. Ask a trustworthy person to review for you. 6. Make any final changes and submit to manager.

In Summary Your self-assessment is your chance to inform/remind your manager about noteworthy accomplishments that support your CJEs.