Results speak for themselves, but not always loudly or to a large enough audience. If you have achieved some positive results at work, it is up to you to publicize them so people know your worth. Nobody likes a braggart, though. So how can you sing your own praises and keep people tuned in?
Know your strengths, and come up with several instances when you put them to use to the benefit of your employer. Turn these instances into engaging stories, and be alert for opportunities to share them, says Denver-based career development coach Sandra Naiman, author of "The High Achiever's Secret Codebook" (JIST Works, 2009).
"Relevance is the key to talking about achievements without coming across as bragging," she says. Information you share should pertain to the situation at hand, a topic brought up in conversation or a problem someone is trying to solve. It should be useful.
For example, if a co-worker is catching grief from a customer, you can start by empathizing: "I know just how you feel. The same thing happened to me." Telling how you turned the situation around will call attention to your customer service abilities while providing your co-worker with possible solutions.
You can also create opportunities to promote yourself by asking questions of others to get them talking about your areas of expertise. "A good self-promoter will call attention to himself by paying attention to others. Eventually, the conversation will turn around and then it will be his turn to talk," says Barbara Poole, founder of the career management website Employaid.com.
Give credit where credit is due. When appropriate, say "I contributed to this" as opposed to "I did this." However, if your leadership skills were largely responsible for a significant achievement, it's appropriate to say "I and my team did this." Don't minimize the contributions of others, though, in backing up the importance of your role.
Along those same lines, don't forget to acknowledge your colleagues' successes with congratulatory notes. Those people may be more inclined to help spread the word when you perform well.
Effective self-promotion is an ongoing campaign that involves more than just tooting your own horn. Actions speak louder than words, Poole says.
Pass along kudos you receive, such as customer thank-you notes, to management. Demonstrate your knowledge and leadership ability by training a new co-worker. Write an article for the company newsletter to share your expertise.
Preparing a weekly status report on key projects gives you an opportunity to highlight your contributions and accomplishments, focusing on results as opposed to process, Poole says.
However, Naiman says to use formal updates sparingly unless your supervisor and project partners encourage them. "You don't want to annoy people who are already inundated with e-mail," she says.
Exercise restraint when using social media to market yourself. Although tools like Facebook and Twitter allow you to promote yourself in ways that add value to other people's professional lives, most people misuse those tools by simply plastering themselves all over the Internet and pestering people with constant status updates, Poole says.
Limit your online posts to news and information your professional network will find useful, such as an interview you granted or an article you wrote. If you win a prestigious award or achieve an ambitious goal, go ahead and trumpet your achievement. "But don't keep streaming information about yourself," Poole says. "Nobody cares anymore. Be discerning."
