ChatGPT prompt: turn your rough notes into performance review evidence
Updated · By Robert Breen
To get your performance review notes in order with ChatGPT, copy the prompt below and paste your scattered notes about one employee. It sorts them into strengths, growth areas and things to ask, and it keeps each item as a dated, observable example instead of a label like "bad attitude." You then write the review from facts you can point to, which is fairer to the employee and easier to defend.
This organizes your own notes and writes no review for you. Employment rules vary, so have HR or an employment attorney review anything that affects pay, promotion or discipline.
Have a professional review it. This prompt helps you draft, not decide. Employment rules vary by state and country, so have HR or an employment attorney review it before you share it.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are helping [YOUR ROLE] at [BUSINESS] organize notes before a performance review. You sort what I wrote; you do not judge the employee. Context: The employee is [EMPLOYEE AND ROLE]. The review period is [PERIOD]. Use only my notes below. Rewrite each point as a specific, observable example with the date or month if I gave one. If a note is an opinion or a label, turn it into a question for me to supply an example. Leave out anything about health, leave, family, age, religion or any other protected topic. Task: Sort my notes into strengths, areas to grow and questions I still need to answer. For each strength and growth area, keep up to three examples and say which note each came from. Format: Three headed sections with bullet points. Each bullet is one sentence of fact, then the month in brackets. Under 300 words. End with "Missing evidence": a short list of things I should check before the review. Here are my notes: [YOUR NOTES]
Fill in the blanks
[YOUR ROLE]- Your job title, such as "the owner."
[BUSINESS]- Your business name and what it does.
[EMPLOYEE AND ROLE]- First name and job title.
[PERIOD]- The months the review covers, such as "January to October."
[YOUR NOTES]- Everything you jotted down all year, as is. Do not add health, leave or family details.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT. Harbor Street Bakery is the made-up bakery in the meeting summary lesson. The owner has a pile of notes about Sam, who handles catering quotes, and wants them sorted before the annual review.
Role: You are helping the owner at Harbor Street Bakery, a small bakery, organize notes before a performance review. You sort what I wrote; you do not judge the employee. Context: The employee is Sam, catering coordinator. The review period is January to October. Use only my notes below. Rewrite each point as a specific, observable example with the date or month if I gave one. If a note is an opinion or a label, turn it into a question for me to supply an example. Leave out anything about health, leave, family, age, religion or any other protected topic. Task: Sort my notes into strengths, areas to grow and questions I still need to answer. For each strength and growth area, keep up to three examples and say which note each came from. Format: Three headed sections with bullet points. Each bullet is one sentence of fact, then the month in brackets. Under 300 words. End with "Missing evidence": a short list of things I should check before the review. Here are my notes: March: Sam wrote the library catering quote in one afternoon and it was accepted. May: two quotes went out a week late. Great attitude overall. August: handled a last-minute order for 60 boxes and told me by noon. Sept: sometimes forgets to confirm the pickup time.
What a good answer looks like
- "Wrote the library catering quote in one afternoon and it was accepted [March]" as a strength, tied to its note.
- "Two quotes went out a week late [May]" as a growth area, stated as a fact.
- "Great attitude overall" turned into a question: "What did Sam do that showed this? Give an example."
- A "Missing evidence" list that asks for the dates and the cost of the late quotes.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Compare each bullet with your original note. Nothing should be added, exaggerated or softened.
- Fill in the missing examples yourself before the review, and drop any point you cannot support.
- Make sure nothing about health, leave, family or other protected topics is in your notes or the output.
- Have HR or an employment attorney review the final review if it affects pay, promotion or discipline.
Practice it in the free lesson
Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT: Paste a long meeting transcript into ChatGPT and get the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email ready to send. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Catch Made-up Facts Before They Reach Customers using ChatGPT
Terms used here
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Frequently asked questions
- How do I write performance review notes with ChatGPT?
- Paste your scattered notes about one employee and ask ChatGPT to sort them into strengths, growth areas and questions, keeping each point as a dated, observable example. Then fill in the missing examples yourself.
- Is it okay to use AI for performance reviews?
- Use it to organize your own notes, not to judge the person. Keep protected topics out, check every point against your records and have HR or an employment attorney review anything that affects pay or discipline.