Gauri Chhabra
In this new world of selfies, the art of promoting your own self is not only limited to sending your pics to your loved ones but also promoting yourself at your workplace and giving your career a push – into the limelight. If you’ve decided that standing out is the strategy you’ll use to accomplish your big life goals and you’re already well on your way- o far, you’ve overhauled your dating profile to catch more eyes, and you’ve signed up to sit in the front row of your spin class for added motivation to get in top shape- now it’s time to map out how the “Look at me!” strategy can catapult you to career success-and not just annoy your coworkers.
Whether you’re angling for a job change, promotion, or just a pat on the back from your boss, learning how to promote yourself at work can give you the edge you need. If you don’t promote yourself, no one else will. After all no one knows your story better than you do- you only need to master the art of narrating it.
To master the art of tooting your own horn, check out these techniques geared toward helping you build a personal brand that projects confidence-not arrogance-and will make others sit up and listen with rapt attention
Keep your resume updated:
Look back and ask yourself- 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. Whether you are on the lookout for a job or not, keep your resume updated. Writing your achievements would cement them in your mind and would make talking about them a lot easier when the need arises.So keep a running list-whether it’s in a word doc format or the Notes app on your phone or just some notes scribbled on a piece of paper-and review it weekly, monthlyor quarterly. Be sure to include impressive, quantifiable facts, such as saving the company money by bringing an outsourced project in-house, or decreasing attrition by 10% last quarter.
This way, you’ll know exactly what to highlight when you get a chance meeting with your CEO at the foyer for just 5 min. You know what to say and how to pitch in! Also, it can be especially helpful when you’re preparing for a performance review,since that’s a time when you know your contributions will be evaluated. Plus, it’s an opportunity to position yourself for the promotion or raise you’re after without sounding too amateurish because now you have statistics to prove your worth.
It’s all in the story…
To make yourself sound like a hero – you need to have the art of storytelling. Reading off that list isn’t the most palatable way to draw attention to your accomplishments.If your boss or another coworker asks you a general question-“How’s that big project going?”-instead of blurting out a fact-“Amazing! I’m singlehandedly increasing departmental revenue!”-take the opportunity to frame your success in narrative form, with a beginning, middle and end. Splurge in some spice and drama, such as problems and challenges that you had to overcome along the way, to keep it interesting and sustain your boss’ attention.By doing this, you’re relaying a triumphant story that people will remember-and possibly even retell. The best part: You are the protagonist.
A note of caution though: Just don’t let that get to your head, and overuse the word “I.” Sprinkle in the term “we” and the names of other key players, to keep from sounding like a braggart.
Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you:
It may seem counterintuitive, but treating others as you’d like to be treated 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, it builds your reputation as a kind and resourceful professional-and that sticks with people.
Plus, you have already made an investment that will pay you in the long run. The person you helped will look for turns to repay.
Market yourself with content:
Think of places where people would try to locate you- online. A good place to start is your LinkedIn profile. Add examples of projects that you’ve done, PowerPoints or charts, and images that showcase work you’ve completed-anything to make it stand out. Not only will this beefed-up profile garner attention from recruiters and other influencers in your industry, but it’s also likely to catch the eye of your boss if you’re connected on LinkedIn.As an extra step, post regular status updates that hint at what you’re doing well at work, like a link to the academic paper you published, or a photo from a recent conference. And it’s especially advantageous to offer a tip every once in a while, so your connections can take away some value from your posts.
You may post some nuggets of wisdom you drew out from the recent book you have read. This would make others feel that you are athoughtful person and if anything related to the topic come sin the organization. It would definitely come your way.
Connect and collaborate:
The two buzz words that are going to rule the roost in 2015 are communication and collaboration. So apply dollops of collaboration in your day to day activities. If your job description includes collaborating with employees in other departments, it’s crucial to nurture those relationships-it will give you a glimpse of your company from a different perspective, plus make you a more knowledgeable employee.So set up regular one-on-one check-ins with your cross-functional partners to make sure the projects you’re working on are running smoothly, as well as brainstorm ways to work together more effectively in the future.Come with a set of intelligent questions, listen to what the person says, and then ask, ‘What are your challenges?’Once you’re equipped with this information, you can then segue into a discussion about how you can fix any issues that have arisen since your last meeting.
After all, the more value you can provide to people in different departments, the more valuable you’ll be to the company as a whole. And that’s exactly the kind of personal brand that can helpyou get to the next level.
Share Credit:
It may sound paradoxical but let me explain. Most of us want to keep all the credit to ourselves. What we do not realize is when we share it we are actually escalating ourselves into more limelight by drawing others in the folds and thereby increasing the surface area of the news.Whenever you want to draw attention to something great you’ve done, ask your manager if you can point it out by recognizing everyone who helped you achieve that goal.Maybe it’s a group dinner for the team of people who helped you develop a successful advertising campaign, or cookies in the conference room for the people who helped you boost customer satisfaction on a specific product upgrade.Regardless, this move can give your colleagues a morale boost, endear them to you for helping promote their successes-and make them more likely to return the favor.
What you’re doing at your company isn’t as important as what others perceive you’re doing, so be proactive in spreading good news through celebrations and sharing credit with your team.
Sponge in all that you get:
It’s so simple yet so many people fail to do it. But you’ll never know the opportunity on the other side of a conversation if you don’t take the time to follow through and absorb all information that you get.Remembering to do this is really the story of my career. When I first got into the Information Technology landscape, I was introduced to a lot of people through friends who said, “You should know so-and-so!”But introductions only go so far.Afterward, it was on me to do my own research on that individual-and book a meeting. And I was willing to do anything. I’d offer to bring coffee or lunch to that person’s office, just to get the opportunity to be in their presence and learn.
Try it. By doing this you will increase your network and your knowledge- people would come to know about your dedication and passion and the word would spread.
Therefore, you do not need to shout -‘Hey look at me’! All you need is to change your focus and make others lips curl into a WOW!
That’s when you bear an exclamation mark!
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