We all know it’s important to sell yourself in job interviews.
Bigging up our skills is not just conventional, but highly recommended in the hiring process, but what if we kept that attitude up day-to-day when we got the job?
Experts are saying that making our achievements known in the workplace is key – no matter how uncomfortable Brits might be with bragging.
Meredith Fineman, author of Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion, is quoted in The Times saying that raising the things you’re doing well at is something we should all be doing – especially those who work from home.
‘There’s this misconception that talking about your work is not part of your job, but it is,’ she said. ‘It makes you a good communicator.
‘People think it’s really all just fluff, but it’s a huge part of your work, especially when there’s so much remote [working]. You have to do bragging double duty because people aren’t in the room.’
Indeed, one person’s ‘bragging’ is another person’s ‘saying it like it is.’
Psychotherapist and founder of the consultancy Humane Startup Ashlie Collins said she had to get used to a less ‘in-your-face’ style of self-promotion when she hopped over the pond from America to the UK in 2017.
She said: ‘People do see it in the UK as bragging, whereas in the US it’s seen as self-promotion. That’s how you get ahead – you push boundaries.’
If you have trouble singing your own praises, try making a list of things you’ve done well to remind yourself.
You can then refer back to it in times of need – like appraisals, for example.
Business consultant Richard Crawford Small previously told us: ‘Whether it’s a chalkboard on the wall or a spreadsheet on your laptop, keep a record of all your successes – even the tiny ones – then gradually your confidence will be boosted.
‘It’s also helpful, practically, to have this all in one place in order to remind yourself of just how much you’ve achieved and how far you’ve come – especially on days when things feel daunting, or you’ve faced a knock-back.’
Pippa Ruxton, a career and leadership coach at Polygon Coaching, also suggested logging our achievements in the workplace with a view to being more confident in 2023.
She told us: ‘Keep a folder of positive feedback that you can look through. Use that as evidence of your strengths and what makes you uniquely placed to do your job.’
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