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I am software engineer. I have performed following task. How can I write this information in fancy manner in my self appraisal to make it sound more appealing:

  1. Led the development team. Managed the task of other developers.
  2. Code review for other developers
  3. worked on XYZ application and delivered it ahead of time.
  4. Worked on XXX application and delivered without single issue.
  5. Managed scrum in absence of scrum master.
  6. Coordinated with various stockholders to deliver solutions.
  7. Architecture simplification by removing legacy technology.
  8. Integration with X system without any issue.
  9. trained new team members
  10. Server migration & decommissioning legacy servers
  11. Bug and task management.
  12. Documented various workflows

for example, instead of saying "documented various workflows", I can write I clearly document all my assignments and projects so that others can easily understand and maybe use the same information and finding in future projects.

coworker
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2 Answers2

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How can I write this information in fancy manner in my self appraisal to make it sound more appealing

I'm going to give you the advice I give on resume reviews and performance reviews. I recommend quantifying your contributions. Obviously not every contribution is quantifiable like running scrum or doing code reviews. But having zero numbers in your contributions is unusual. I also expect some more specificity on your accomplishments.

For instance:

Worked on XYZ application and delivered it ahead of time.

By how much did you deliver the application ahead of time? What did you do personally ensure this? It's a pet peeve of mine if someone tries to take credit for a team's effort. Being more specific about your contributions will help.

Worked on XXX application and delivered without single issue.

I guess I have a healthy bit of skepticism. I haven't seen any software project deliver without an issue. Is without a single issue actually reality? Did you do enough testing to make sure the end user doesn't get bugs? Or is it that you shipped without any blocker issues?

Documented various workflows

Being more specific here helps. Did you document how people should make coffee? Or how GPDR requests are handled automatically? The latter is a lot more impressive than the former.

jcmack
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  • Thanks makes sense. great points. But catch is, I do not want to write essay here. – coworker Aug 13 '20 at 01:09
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    There's no need to write an essay. "Worked on and delivered XYZ application 30% earlier than expected by implementing ABC and DEF" – Giorgio Zanni Aug 13 '20 at 03:10
  • Do you even recommend to specifically mention standards like "Documenting stuff" etc. I always tried to specifically highlight things I was especially proud of or which are relevant for the position I am applying for and leave out details that should be taken for granted if you write "software developer" or are irrelevant for the career I´m seeking. – Daniel Aug 13 '20 at 12:58
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Make everything a CAR story.

Challenge Action Result

That is the best way to demonstrate what you did.

That way, it doesn't sound too vague or self aggrandizing.

IF it's too wordy, then just go for action-result.

  • Delivered X early, saving company Y dollars
  • Conducted code reviews, increased code efficiency by X %
  • Improved system architecture, removing X, Y, and Z vulnerabilities

You want to present things in a positive manner that demonstrates your results.

Example, instead of

  • Coordinated with various stakeholders to deliver solutions.

Something more like

  • Engaged stakeholders and improved delivery time and product quality
Old_Lamplighter
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    Great points. This is exactly i was looking for. – coworker Aug 13 '20 at 13:36
  • @coworker the most important thing is to quantify things. it sounds less like bragging, or like you're just passing time. – Old_Lamplighter Aug 13 '20 at 13:38
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    How may one find out how many dollars they safe? – guest Aug 13 '20 at 17:32
  • @guest Easily if you remember that time is money. That's why I'm still employed. I can quantify that I've saved my company 20 million since I started. – Old_Lamplighter Aug 13 '20 at 18:18
  • @guest The formulas are simple: Hours saved((salaries of people)/(hr)). Or, for delivering early: = ((Revenue generated by product per annum)/(days)) (Number of days prior to deadline) ) Haven't you ever done any ROI calculations? – Old_Lamplighter Aug 13 '20 at 18:22
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    Sorry, I don't have any clue how to calculate other peoples salary or the revenue generated by product per annum or the number of days prior to deadline and I have no clue how to find this out. I don't find this so simple. And I haven't probably done any ROI calculation because I don't know what this is – guest Aug 13 '20 at 19:04
  • I felt a little bit stupid now because you said it was so simple, but apparently I am not the only stupid one: https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/136901/contributions-in-a-cv-for-developers – guest Aug 13 '20 at 19:06
  • @guest ROI = return on investment. We do it all the time. You estimate, it doesn't have to be precise. You can find the salary ranges easily either through HR, or online with glassdoor. If you know something is due on day X, and you know how many days early it was delivered, you've got that number. Actually, you could add your own salary into that calculation, because you saved that expense as well. – Old_Lamplighter Aug 13 '20 at 19:07
  • @guest I used to teach classes on the subject. and it's even more important in a self review, because if you can quantify that you are bringing in far more money than it costs to employ you, it makes a very strong argument for retention. – Old_Lamplighter Aug 13 '20 at 19:10
  • Who is "we"? Anyway, I don't think I could so easily quantify how much I did and my team collegues. Maybe I should take a class by you. You might want to answer the other question. – guest Aug 13 '20 at 19:12
  • @guest Our company/department = "we". It is how our projects are justified. If something costs more to produce than it saves, it's not efficient. Projects are prioritized on ROI. – Old_Lamplighter Aug 13 '20 at 19:15