Ever wonder why you’re not being promoted or getting a raise even though you’re killing it at your job? It could be that you haven’t mastered the art of self-promotion.
We hate to break it to you, but advancing your career requires you to promote yourself at work. If there's one thing you could learn at the workplace, self-promotion is a critical component of professional development and recognition. Going to work, performing your job, and hoping for the recognition you deserve isn't going to cut it in today's business environment. You must speak up and share your successes if you want to succeed in your career, get promoted, and receive raises.
To master the art of self-promotion, check out these five steps that will help you build a personal brand that projects confidence—not arrogance—will make others pay attention, and eventually a promotion!
1. Keep a list of your achievements
Before you can talk about your accomplishments, you have to pinpoint what they are.
Think back: When was the last time that you updated your résumé? If it’s been a while, chances are there are awards you’ve won, speaking engagements you’ve rocked, and successful projects you’ve managed.
So keep a running list—whether it’s in a Word doc or the Notes app on your phone—and review it weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Be sure to include impressive, quantifiable facts, such as saving the company money by bringing an outsourced project in-house or increasing sales by 10% last quarter, according to Leonard Lang, Ph.D., the author of “Guide to Lifework.” By having a list, when you’re ready to start self-promoting, will help you know exactly what to highlight.
Keeping tabs on what you already achieve can also be helpful when you’re preparing for a performance review. Plus, it’s an opportunity to position yourself for the promotion or raise you’re after.
2. Show your storytelling skills
Reading off your list of accomplishments maybe isn't the most appealing way to highlight your achievements, that is why Lang advises you to hone your storytelling abilities.
If your employer or a coworker asks you a general question, such as, “How's that large project coming along?” —rather than stating a fact—“Amazing!” I'm raising departmental revenue on my own!” —use this occasion to tell a story about your achievements, complete with a beginning, middle, and end.
To make your story more interesting, you could add in moments of “drama,” such as problems that you had to overcome along the way, to keep it exciting and sustain the listener’s attention.
By doing this, you’re relaying a triumphant story that people will remember—and possibly even retell to others.
Just don’t let that get to your head, and overuse the word “I.” Instead, sprinkle in the term “we” and the names of other key players to keep yourself from sounding arrogant and braggart.
3.Help others
It may seem counterintuitive, but the Golden Rule—treating others as you’d like to be too—works surprisingly well when it comes to getting ahead at work.
Helping someone else could be as simple as trouble-shooting with your coworker when she’s at a crossroads on an important project or offering to make a strategic connection for someone you just met at a networking event.
When you go out of your way to be generous, Lang says, it builds your reputation as a kind and resourceful professional—and that sticks with people.
4. Find a promoter
For a good reason, athletes, singers, and actresses hire publicists and agents. But in the case of intermediaries, they are thought to be less self-serving, giving them an air of objectivity. In a business situation, the same thing can happen.
For example, Stanford's Jeffrey Pfeffer was giving two job interview transcripts when they were responsible for determining a new employee's wage for a test. In the first, the candidate would say things like, "Anyone who has worked with me would say I am a natural leader."
“Anyone who has worked with her would say that she is a natural leader,” said a recruiter in the second. The candidate who brags through an intermediary is more “likable”, seen as more competent, and getting more salary than the candidate who brags directly. According to other studies, secondhand bragging is less likely to evoke negative emotions like envy and resentment. Even obvious conflicts of interest, such as when an executive search agency is paying a percentage of a new hire's salary, do not appear to harm intermediaries' credibility.
Of all, no one brings an agent to a performance review, and having a cheering recruiter attend your job interviews is highly uncommon. However, you can identify intermediaries, such as peers, supervisors, or mentors, who will gladly speak up for you—as long as your request is respectful. Though, doing this is easier than you might think. Research led by Vanessa Bohns from Cornell University indicates that we tend to underestimate others’ willingness to help by about 50%. Benefits also accrue to the helper. Research on “positive gossip” suggests that people are seen as more competent when they brag about others. That means, of course, that you, too,
5. Be present in social media
Now that you've mastered the ability to “wow” a live audience with stories of your triumphs, you could also keep your online followers informed as well.
Your LinkedIn profile is an excellent place to start. Add examples of your work, PowerPoints or infographics, and photographs from projects you've completed—anything to make it stand out. Not only will this beefed-up profile grab the interest of recruiters and other industry influencers, but it will also grab the eye of your boss.
Post regular status updates that hint at what you're doing well at work, such as a link to a recently published academic paper or a snapshot from a recent conference. It's also a good idea to throw in a tip now and then so that your contacts may get something out of your articles.
So those are the five-way you could master the art of self-promotion. Now try to do it and earn the promotion that you deserve!
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