It’s the start of a new year. I want to put the focus on self-promotion because that’s truly what a job search is all about. Whether it’s interviewing or networking, sending in a resume, or meeting someone at an event, your first job is promoting you.
You saying that you’re good, great, capable, talented, unique, special. Out loud. Clearly, audibly and confidently.
Without apology.
No matter how many strategies I offer to help people speak about themselves, I see people shy away from Self-Promotion.
They freeze, they mumble, they don’t look me in the eye, they ramble…
And most telling of all – they apologize!
Did I sound arrogant? Was that too much? Was I being rude?
No, no, and no.
Here’s the reality:
Self-promotion can be so unfamiliar to us that it feels uncomfortable, maybe even inauthentic. Yes, it’s like a muscle that hasn’t been developed. You don’t know your strength because you haven’t experienced it. You don’t know what it feels like to be bigger, more visible, more audible and more direct about who you are and what you offer. You haven’t learned how to live in a self-promoting body.
When you experience yourself feeling your substance, taking up more space and commanding more attention, you almost scare yourself.
Is this me?!
Your body, voice and mind has lots of practice in the realm of apology, scarcity, less-than… in being small. From a young age, you may have developed habitual patterns of speech and body and mind that show up the moment you talk about yourself with pride.
NO MORE APOLOGIES.
We live in a time when many people have access to media and most all of us are expected to post a professional profile BOASTING about what we offer, CLARIFYING what makes us special, and PROMOTING ourselves for all who surf the web to see.
There is no place for being sorry or modest in our profiles, introductions, applications or interview stories.
There is room for us to build capacity to promote ourselves authentically.
It’s a new year. It’s time to build new muscles. It’s a time to develop new habits.
May this be the year you post a big red A on your screen saver, in your notebook, on your mirror and on your dashboard.
A for an ATTITUDE that AFFIRMS your value.
A for ASSERT. Step forward and assert yourself. Develop a practice of stating things directly and clearly.
A for AFFIRM. Affirm what you offer and what you value. As you speak about yourself out loud, choose examples from your history that show what you are committed to, how you have made a difference, and why your work was important.
A for ABUNDANCE. You offer a unique mix of skills, accomplishments, values, personality traits, training, connections and more. Feel your fullness as you stand and speak.
A for AUDACIOUS. Just for fun, try to be really big, bold, and boastful when you speak. Ask someone you trust to listen and to tell you how your words landed. Go for it!
A for AUDIENCE. Make sure you practice promoting yourself in front of others. Before you tone it down or polish it up, find out how your words and your energy lands. Find out what others experience when you speak.
And, if you find yourself apologizing in words or in your posture, consider that you may be having growing pains as you build your self-promotion muscles. Give yourself time to get in shape and get comfortable!
May this be the year you ASSERT and AFFIRM your value, without apology.