Reflective essay on personal experience and learning

Performance Evaluation

The experience of being evaluated in the working situation is that it can be initially upsetting. My reaction to the first evaluation that I experienced was a sense that my privacy was being invaded and that it was an intrusive event. The environment in which I work in is essentially very informal and 'laid back'. In contradistinction to this, the evaluation was conventional and formal and included a lengthy questionnaire and intensive interview session by a board of management.

There are two ways of looking at a work evaluation and assessment. On the one hand it seems to be an intrusive test but on the other hand it is also the best method to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a company, as well as the individual. In essence, my second response to the evaluation was a realization that this was a necessary and in fact useful process that forced me to confront gaps in my knowledge and working abilities. By extension it was therefore a positive way of improving myself. One of my colleagues pointed out that one should see evaluation not only from a narrow personal perspective but as an important way of upgrading skills which can lead to greater achievements and promotion.

The first part of the evaluation was painless and consisted of a number of questions relating to my daily work and the way that I perceived the company. This was followed by a lengthy interview with my immediate superior as well as other members of the company.

I expected a somewhat cold and confrontational atmosphere in the interview session. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that the interviewers were relaxed and friendly. The questions were at first all related to my views of the work environment and management and were easy to answer. However, the experience became less pleasant when my superior read from my file that I had received a low score in technology management and usage. It transpired that this referred to my ability to use communications technology effectively and to the best of my ability. Besides many positive points about my working performance it was pointed out to me that I was not making adequate use of the internet and email as well as networking software to increase my contacts and sales.

I was at first embarrassed by what appeared to be stern criticism of my work. My superior however was quick to point that this was not a criticism but rather an aspect of my work profile that could easily be addressed. He added that if I was to improve in this area my next assessment may lead to a promotion.

I have benefitted from the evaluation in a number of ways. In the first instance instead of feeling devalued, the assessment in fact bolstered my sense of self-motivation. I felt galvanized to improve my abilities in the areas in which weakness has been found.