WHY MASTERING SELF-PROMOTION IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER
Many of us struggle when it comes to talking about our own accomplishments or achievements. It can feel like you are being ‘big headed’ ‘bragging’ or ‘over assertive’. Finding the right balance between confidence and bragging is a serious skill that takes some practice. If like many others self-promotion is a skill that you need some support with then you are in the right place. Our top tips to self-promotion will put you on the right path to achieving optimum confidence levels!
Why is self-promotion something that as women, we find so difficult? Studies show that women feel that self-promotion is one of their biggest barriers to personal development. This can limit career progression and can even result in losing out on promotion, bonuses and missing opportunities for serious career growth.
Further studies have shown that women who openly share their accomplishments are more likely to be disliked by both men and women! This systemic fallacy makes highlighting accomplishments and shouting about achievements essential for any woman looking to progress her career.
Self-Promotion isn’t all about your career, it can be linked to any achievements whether they are inside or outside of work. Whether you are reading this for career support or personal support being able to recognise your strengths and successes and be confident enough to tell people about them is not only good for your personal development and career but also good for you sanity and most importantly your mental health. We want the days to be gone where the project that you have worked on for months goes unnoticed or you are too scared to tell your friends that you are starting a new business!
It is more important than ever that as successful young females we self promote. This is all part of changing the narrative and creating truly diverse and inclusive cultures within organisations. Let’s be disruptive and lead the way in making real change.
5 top tips for savvy self-promotion:
Start small
Write down the phrase I am amazing because… set a timer and write for 2 minutes without stopping about all the things you have achieved. These could be both personal and professional. You don’t need to fill the page. This exercise is about opening your mind and identifying all of your successes. If you don’t know them or believe in them then how is anybody else going to?
Practice sharing your successes in a comfortable space
Choose a few of the statements that you have written and read them to a friend/family member or colleague and tell the story behind them. This can feel really awkward and uncomfortable at first. I am sure that many of them will speak for themselves, but storytelling is a great way to share. This exercise is to encourage you to start saying them out loud.
Practice positivity
We have been taught that talking about achievements can be seen as bragging with a misconception that doing so is an ‘I’m better than you’ attitude. That’s why it is so important to share your achievements in a positive way, not trying to one up anyone, but explaining how hard you have worked, what you have had to sacrifice and why this has lead to such a successful outcome. The more you share, the more people will relate and will be able to share in your successes with you. Storytelling is a really good way to make things memorable.
Use your successes to benefit your audience
Explain to your boss why your achievement is so beneficial to them and the impact that it has had on the organisation. Proving that there has been tangible change can really help with getting others to recognise and buy into your success
Be comfortable with being proud of yourself
It is so important that you believe in yourself first and have taken the time to celebrate and congratulate yourself on your own achievements. Too often people look for recognition from others - you have to be your own number one cheerleader!