15 Self-Evaluation Questions to Inspire Employee Growth

As an HR leader, you have likely had the experience of preparing for employee performance reviews — and getting stumped when trying to figure out the best questions to include. Performance reviews and evaluations have a huge impact on retention rate, with organizations that offer consistent feedback having a 15% lower turnover rate.

Unlike questions designed for managers or HR, self-evaluation questions aim to empower employees to assess their own strengths, areas for improvement, and future goals. These questions foster accountability and personal ownership by providing an opportunity for self-reflection. 

What Are Self-Evaluation Questions?

Self-evaluation questions are designed to facilitate introspection and self-assessment among employees during performance evaluations. Such self reflection helps employees gain valuable insights into their achievements, challenges, and areas for improvement. They also promote continuous learning and development, as structured self-reflection helps employees uncover ways to enhance their performance and achieve career advancement. 

It helps to send employees self-evaluation questions before their review. This gives people time to  prepare for the conversation by gathering relevant examples and data to support their self-assessment. Usually, this results in a more productive conversation than asking people to respond to questions without reflection.

15 Self-Evaluation Questions

Below is a list of self-evaluation examples you can use for your next performance reviews. They span various aspects of performance, including responsibilities, professional development, and behavior. Asking a range of questions like these helps people conduct a holistic assessment of their capabilities, and identify actionable steps for continuous improvement.

Questions About the Job

The following questions are tailored to assist employees in assessing various aspects of their job. They aim to identify areas for improvement and evaluate challenges or additional responsibilities the employee has taken on. By reflecting on these questions, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their job preferences and acknowledge their professional growth and accomplishments.

Examples:

1. What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most and why? What aspects do you find least satisfying or unfulfilling?
2. Are there any tasks or responsibilities in your current job that you believe could be eliminated or streamlined to improve efficiency? If so, provide specific examples and suggest possible alternatives.
3. Reflecting on your journey since starting this job or since your last self-evaluation, what new challenges or responsibilities have you embraced? How have these experiences contributed to your professional growth and development?

Performance-Related Questions

Questions focused on performance can help employees reflect on their achievements and identify areas for development. By considering these questions, individuals can assess their performance while celebrating their accomplishments since the last review. This is also a great time to identify opportunities for growth that align with their professional aspirations.

Examples:

1. Looking back on your recent work, what achievements or milestones are you most proud of? How have these accomplishments contributed to your overall performance and the success of the team or organization?
2. What specific skills or competencies do you aspire to develop further in your role? How would enhancing these skills benefit both your personal growth and your ability to contribute to your team or organization?
3. Reflecting on your performance over the past evaluation period, what feedback or suggestions have you received that you find valuable? How do you plan to leverage this feedback to enhance your performance moving forward?

Professional Development Questions

The following professional development questions encourage employees to consider the areas they wish to enhance in their professional journey. They can identify goals for the future and outline the steps needed to achieve those goals based on these types of questions.

Examples:

1. What are your career goals for the next few years or months? How do these goals align with your personal aspirations and desired professional development?
2. When you visualize your ideal job or position, what key responsibilities, skills, or qualifications do you associate with it? How can you proactively work towards acquiring these attributes and positioning yourself for such a role?
3. What specific learning or development opportunities do you believe would be most valuable in advancing your professional growth?

Questions to Encourage Growth

Self-evaluations often include questions that foster personal accountability and encourage individual growth. These questions help employees identify ways managers can assist them in achieving their goals and identify measures to track progress. This helps cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement and development.

Examples:

1. How can your manager or supervisor better support you in achieving your professional goals? Are there any specific resources or feedback mechanisms that would be beneficial for your growth?
2. In order to track your progress, what personal “guideposts” or measures will you establish? How will you regularly assess your performance to ensure you are on track towards your objectives?
3. Reflecting on your own professional journey, what are some areas in which you aspire to grow and develop further? How can you actively cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement and embrace opportunities for learning and skill enhancement?

Questions About Behavior and Values

The following questions are designed to explore how employees perceive their contributions to company culture, as well as their overall effort and performance as an employee. These questions provide individuals with an opportunity to assess their behavior and values within the larger organizational context.

Examples:

1. How do you feel you have embodied the company’s values in your day-to-day actions and decision-making? 
2. In what ways have you contributed to a positive company culture? How have your actions and interactions with colleagues influenced the work environment and team dynamics?
3. Reflecting on your overall effort and performance as an employee, how satisfied are you with your contributions to the organization’s goals and objectives? 

Self-evaluation questions can greatly benefit employees by promoting self-awareness and actionable steps for improvement. The questions encourage employees to critically assess their performance and identify specific actions to enhance their skills and contributions. 

This process encourages accountability, empowering employees to take charge of their development and make tangible progress towards their career objectives. These example questions offer employees a valuable framework for self-reflection that helps them navigate their professional journey with clarity and purpose.

Start/Stop/Continue Questions

These types of questions are a framework commonly used in self-evaluation processes to gather feedback and identify changes in behavior or practices. By categorizing actions or behaviors into these three distinct areas, employees can gain clarity on what to stop doing, what to start doing, and what to continue doing in order to enhance their performance and achieve their goals. These questions help summarize the self-evaluation process and provide employees with the next steps to take for growth and development.

Examples:

1. Stop: Is there any task or behavior that you believe is hindering your productivity or performance? What should you stop doing to eliminate inefficiencies or distractions?
2. Start: What new skill or approach do you believe would greatly benefit your performance or contribute to your professional development? What should you start doing to enhance your effectiveness?
3. Continue: Reflecting on your current practices, what actions or behaviors have been yielding positive results or contributing to your success? What should you continue doing to sustain or build upon your achievements?

Tips to Make Self-Evaluations Effective

Keeping a few tips in mind will make the questions you ask even more valuable.

• Encourage elaboration. Prompt individuals to expand on their answers by asking for specific examples or additional details. This facilitates deeper thinking and reflection, enabling a more comprehensive self-assessment.
• Explain the purpose of the self-evaluation. By providing context and clarifying the objectives of the self-evaluation process, facilitators can guide employees to approach it with a growth mindset, seeking opportunities for improvement rather than being afraid of the impact of their answers.
• Suspend judgment. The leader of the evaluation should suspend judgment and foster an environment where employees feel comfortable exploring their strengths and areas for growth without fear of criticism. This encourages employees to dig deeper into themselves, leading to more honest and meaningful self-reflection.

Encourage Employee Wellbeing

Self-evaluation questions provide valuable opportunities for self-reflection and growth. They help identify strengths and areas for improvement, as well as outline actionable steps. This promotes job satisfaction and a sense of purpose, both of which enhance employee wellbeing.

To help your employees improve themselves outside the office, reevaluate your wellness programs and benefits. Wellhub research found that 90% of companies that measure their wellness program’s return see a positive ROI. 

Talk to a Wellbeing Specialist to learn more.

References

• Wholley, Meredith. (2022, July 14). 17 Mind-Blowing Employee Engagement, Performance Review, and Performance Management Statistics. ClearCompany. Retrieved July 20, 2023 from https://blog.clearcompany.com/mind-blowing-statistics-performance-reviews-employee-engagement.