Top Tips for the Evaluators of Tomorrow

guardian_top_tips

Dear evaluators,

‘Tis the season for giving thanks. I’m thankful for the experienced evaluators who have guided me, mentored me, and nudged me in the right direction over the past few years. Thank you!

A few months ago, I discovered the 9 top tips for the journalists of tomorrow by the Guardian. They collected tips about the tools and skills that novice journalists need to survive — and thrive — in journalism. What if we created a similar guide for evaluation?

I’d like to collect and compile your career advice for novice evaluators. Want to help me pay it forward? Just add a “comment” below on one or more of the following topics:

  • What’s the best evaluation advice you’ve received? Who was it from? How did it affect your everyday evaluation practice?
  • What do you wish you knew about evaluation earlier? (Check out Karen Anderson’s take on this question here.)
  • What are your interview, resume, and cover letter tips for job candidates? (Or, your pet peeves that candidates should avoid?)
  • What are the must-have technical skills and must-have interpersonal traits for the next generation of evaluators?
  • “__________ has been the most challenging aspect of evaluation for me personally, and __________ is how I deal with it.”
  • “__________ will be the biggest challenge facing our field over the next 10-20 years, and __________ is how we might deal with it.” (Check out more predictions about the future of evaluation here.)

Thanks for your commitment to our field.

Ann

P.S. Thanks to everyone who’s shared their tips via Twitter! Here are a few of those comments:

[tweet https://twitter.com/MetricMaven/status/270923591971901440] [tweet https://twitter.com/limeygrl/status/270926866305671168] [tweet https://twitter.com/KimFLeonard/status/270974409483902976] [tweet https://twitter.com/jessachandler/status/271211374296850432]