Your performance evaluation as an accountant is your opportunity to show your bosses how you have added value to the firm and describe how you will continue to do so in the future. Good goals for an accountant include developing a wider range of accounting expertise, improving your personal and interpersonal skills, reaching specific career-related milestones and learning from the experience of colleagues.
Expanding Your Accounting Skill Set
Accounting covers a pretty wide area. Depending on the company, an accountant's duties might range from daily bookkeeping to complex tax preparation. While your position in accounting might be an extremely specific one, it's always a smart idea to broaden your expertise. When writing your self-evaluation, consider setting a goal of branching out wider in the field, perhaps by undergoing training in different aspects of accounting such as tax accounting, budgeting or cost analysis. The more you know about the field, the more valuable you will be to yourself, your colleagues and your employer.
Strengthening Personal Traits
Although you might already be a top-notch accounting professional, continuous improvement is always a solid objective. So a good goal to set is strengthening the personal traits needed for optimum performance. For accountants, these traits typically include logic and reasoning, analytical thinking, communication skills, attention to detail, organization, dependability and teamwork. One of your goals on your performance evaluation can be to improve in all of these areas by seeking additional training and coaching.
Reaching Specific Objectives and Milestones
Include any quantifiable goals or milestones you want to achieve at work. Perhaps your ambition is to get promoted, perhaps to senior accountant, or even to put yourself in position to be considered for partner. By writing these goals out, you can clearly and directly communicate your ambitions and aspirations to your bosses while also showing that you're serious about remaining with the company for the long term. Provide a brief map on how you plan to reach the goal, such as by passing the CPA exam, expanding your client base or taking management classes.
Learning From Others
People who achieve career success tend to be eager about learning and getting better. When evaluating yourself and your accounting performance, think about how you can learn from others. By carefully observing fellow accountants and seeing what works for them, you will likely pick up tips and techniques that can improve your own performance. Concentrate on the things that others do well that you might be able to utilize in your own position. Indicating a goal of perpetual learning expresses a strong drive to flourish and take control of your career.
