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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.

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    Those look fine. I don't see a need to embellish.
    – Makoto
    Commented Aug 12, 2020 at 22:55
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    @Makoto: exactly
    – coworker
    Commented Aug 12, 2020 at 22:56
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    If you agree they look fine, then what is the problem?
    – thursdaysgeek
    Commented Aug 12, 2020 at 23:01
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    @thursdaysgeek: I want to write same thing but make it look more attractive.
    – coworker
    Commented Aug 12, 2020 at 23:03
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    @coworker - This might seem pedantic, but you could start by capitalizing all your bullet points and having consistent punctuation; either use a period at the end or don't.
    – morsor
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 at 8:24

2 Answers 2

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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.

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  • Thanks makes sense. great points. But catch is, I do not want to write essay here.
    – coworker
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 at 1:09
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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
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 at 3:10
  • 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
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 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
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    Great points. This is exactly i was looking for.
    – coworker
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 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
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 at 13:38
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    How may one find out how many dollars they safe?
    – guest
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 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
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 at 18:18
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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
    Commented Aug 13, 2020 at 19:04

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