How to Write an EPR

Job Description

When completing the Job Description section of the EPR, use bullet statements that fully describe the ratee's duties:

    - Manages $1.1 B in communications infrastructure at the Louisiana missile tracking center 
    - Processes communications outage reports for US Northern Command theater operations
    - Analyzes communications requirements and determines and engineers efficient comm links
    - Assists theater operations participants in resolving procedural and operational issues

These job description bullets should begin with the action that is being described. Start the bullet statement with a present-tense verb whenever possible (Manages, Directs, Supervises, Repairs, etc.).   Normally you won't have to write your own Job Description. The workcenter usually has two or three standard versions of the workcenter's duty description that can be copied and pasted and management usually prefers that you use the accepted version. One version is used for ranks up to SrA or so and another one is used for NCOs and supervisors. Most people just leave the Job Description blank and let their supervisor fill it in since they have access to this information.

Performance Assessment

When completing the Performance Assessment blocks and the Additional Rater's Comments block, where the ratee's accomplishments are documented, the bullet format is different from the format used in the Job Description block. In these blocks, the bullet statements should have two parts:

 
      Part 1.  Describes the accomplishment.
      Part 2.  Describes the accomplishment's positive effect or impact.
             

Example: Washed over 99% of stored aircraft--reduced corrosion problems by 75%

Note that bullet statements are limited to two lines. Even though we're allowed two lines to elaborate on each accomplishment, to give the best impression, the EPR should consist mostly of one-line bullet statements -like this:

-  Traced problem on faulty interface panel to burned resistor, replaced--restored monitoring capability
-  Delivered over 75K gals of JPTS; supported five temporarily assigned U-2s--zero delays to mission
-  Mastered all facets of PACAF's largest distribution element in record time--reduced workload on team

Click here for more bullet statement examples sorted by the categories required by the new AF Form 910.

The reason for this abbreviated style of writing is that, in the past, a lot of people had problems remembering or even identifying their accomplishments. When it came time to fill out their EPR, typically they could only come up with three or four accomplishments and so they would have to try and stretch them out to fill the required space. Even worse, they would add a lot of "fluffy" adjectives and big words to describe their accomplishments --just to fill the required lines. The end result was a lot of fluff and hot air that didn't say much. The requirement for bullet statements prevents that kind of writing.

Although the goal is a single-line bullet statement, sometimes it's difficult to adequately describe a complex and important accomplishment in a single line. In that case, by all means, use two lines. Just don't use too many two-line bullets or it might appear that you don't have many real accomplishments and you're trying to fill space. The format below is commonly used for two-line bullet statements (although variations are acceptable).

- Oversaw long overdue and complicated preventive measurement inspections (PMIs) on terminal equipment
-- Trained seven techs on alignments, prevented future maintenance delays, ensured continued operation

It consists of the main bullet and a sub-bullet. The double dash before the sub-bullet on the second line indicates that it supports the line above. The single line bullet and the two-line bullet format can be mixed as required. Liberties may be taken with this format. A bullet can consist of two or three or more fragments and the accomplishment can exceed one line and run into the second line--like this:

-  Provided valuable assistance to Tobyhanna Army Depot maintenance team; replaced azimuth motor
electric brake assembly; enabled depot team to proceed with troubleshooting of autotrack failure

The goal is conservation of space and short, compact, meaningful statements. Bullet statements don’t have to follow strict grammatical rules. For example, substituting commas or semicolons for "and" and omitting articles such as "a" or "the" will help you shoehorn an accomplishment into a single line.

Bullet statements describing accomplishments (for the Performance Assessment Section) should begin with the action that is being described. Start the bullet statement with a past-tense verb whenever possible (Managed, Directed, Repaired, Authored, etc.)

• - Registered over 3K participants...
• - Identified, isolated loss of radar to fault in...
• - Repaired broken nose-wheel...

Don't start a bullet statement with adjectives as in "Quickly and efficiently registered..." or "Expertly and consistently identified...". Yes, there's nothing technically wrong with saying it that way and it may be just what you want to say but the Air Force frowns on unnecessary adjectives. And this kind of thing suggests that the accomplishment isn't significant if you have to resort to this kind of inflation. BUT, if being quick and expert is somehow above and beyond and needs to be emphasized and you think you can get away with it, use it!

Clarify what the individual did; be specific as possible. Review every word and evaluate whether it's too broad. If another word can narrow the meaning, use it. Don’t leave room for doubt. Examples: “Participated in” could mean anything from “showed up for” to “directly managed the operation.” Make sure the EPR says what he actually did. Another example is “Active member of Base club” which could mean anything from just paying their dues to planning and organizing special events. Be specific.