Marketing Yourself Truthfully
Are you as effective as you say you are?
When most of us talk about our work we are the equivalent of a workplace eHarmony self-description. We are effective, hard working, have a good sense of humor, dislike gossip and have a better understanding of the job than most other people. We certainly know more than the boss.
The reality may be far from all of that, but that is what we tell our friends and family. If they believe us they probably wonder how we are able to tolerate being the only brilliant person in the organization–especially when we are treated so unfairly.
I’m not suggesting that you tell the exact truth to those you want to impress. “Actually, I’m an obnoxious, malingering backstabber who drags everyone down.” I’m suggesting that you become as good as you say you are.
*Do you think you are the kind of person who can solve problems? What’s a problem you’ve effectively solved in the last few weeks? (The key word there is effectively.)
*Do you think you work well with others? When has been a time in the last few weeks when someone else might not have handled a situation well but you were able to work effectively and build a bridge instead of a barrier?
*Do people think of you as a leader? What is a positive thing you have led others to do or be?
*Do you say you believe in personal and professional development? What is a negative trait you have overcome? What is a trait you are seriously working on right now? What have you done to learn more about your work and be more effective in it, other than learning from the mistakes you’ve made?
*Do you think you are an effective supervisor? What are some specific things that you have done in the last week that could provide proof of that?
The bottom line is simply this: Anyone can say how good they are at work. They may even intend to be as good as they say they are. But if there aren’t any ready examples, it probably isn’t reality.
There is as time and place for confident statements about what we do and what we can do. Just be sure you can prove it with examples of what you have done.
