Search the Site |
Promote Yourself? Why not! But How do I do it?
By Jill G. Zimmerman, Guest
Just look up the definition of self promotion and you will instantly know why we all prefer not to do this and even if we do it, we prefer not to label it as such. Self-promotion: "Things that you do or say in order to make people notice you and think you are important." Synonyms include: showing off, boasting, one-upmanship and pretension. Yuck! Who would want to be described as any of these?? I suggest a paradigm shift is needed to shift our perspective to a more positive and practical view of self-promotion. This begins with when is it important to self - promote? Two instances immediately come to mind: during introductions and when exploring job opportunities. If you think of self promotion as an introduction, it is nothing more than helping someone get to know you. When exploring a job opportunity, as an insider or an outsider to an organization, it is nothing more than expressing your interest in something and providing information as to why they should pick you! In an introduction or exploration of a job opportunity, think of self-promotion as finding the intersection between your strengths, interests and something the business (or your audience) needs. Strengths Let's start with your strengths. This actually sounds easier than it is. Can you quickly summarize your top 3 strengths? If not, here are a few suggestions as to how to identify them:
Interests Continuing with the ‘know thyself' perspective, being clear about your interests continues to complete the picture of you. What do you like? What gets you energized? What kind of work do you love? Hate? What is it about your strengths as well as your interests that make you uniquely you? Think again about your accomplishments and what motivated you to achieve these things. Begin to combine this into a powerful message about you. Business Needs This brings us to the ‘so what', which can also be thought of as how you focus on the two or three most critical elements of your self-promotion. What does the business (or your audience) need? Whether it is an introduction or a job opportunity you are seeking, it is important for you to know your audience. Who are they and what do they represent? Is there a specific business need or area of focus that you can bring your expertise to, now or any time in the future? In a networking situation, you should be aware of who you are networking with. What do you want them to remember about you that might be relevant to them? When seeking an opportunity, what is the business need and what is it about you that will help meet this need? Here is where you tell your story about your strengths and interests but it gets remembered when it is relevant to the person you are talking to. Finally, in order to do this effectively, it takes prep and practice time. Prep time means you have thought about this in advance and have taken the time to get to know yourself and to write down your strengths and interests, including the specific instances where you have demonstrated them in the past and the results or outcomes you achieved. It also means practicing saying them out loud! You need to hear how it sounds and to be comfortable talking about yourself. Thinking of this as getting to know you or expressing interest in an opportunity (focusing on the business need or on your audience) takes you away from being boastful or showing-off and shifts you to sharing your strengths and interests to meet someone else's needs. About the Author Jill G. Zimmerman Vice President, HR - Talent Acquisition & Development, Discover Financial Services  Jill Zimmerman joined Discover Financial Services LLC in September 2006 as Vice President in Human Resources of Talent Acquisition & Development. In this role, she is responsible for the talent management and development strategy for all employees, through the executive ranks, at Discover. Jill and her team provide the strategy, programs and tools to attract, hire, develop, assess, retain and motivate the people resources of Discover. Jill, an Officer of Discover, also partners with the Officers and Executive Committee of Discover to provide strategic consulting around business needs. Prior to joining Discover, Jill spent 25 years in multiple roles, as a leader, manager, consultant and individual contributor within three other large consulting and financial services organizations; Hewitt Associates (9 years), Bank of Montreal (3 years) and Harris Bank (14 years). Over the course of her career, her focus has been on strategy and change; helping various organizations align their people strategy to their business strategy and lead and manage the people aspects of complex organizational change. Jill also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, teaching courses in Executive Success Skills and Talent Management to MBA students. She acts as a Mentor in the Menttium Program for Women, focused on 1-1 coaching, growth and development for high potential women in participating organizations and is a member of the Global Women's Leadership Forum Advisory Board. Jill holds an M.S. degree and has completed her doctoral work in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois- Urbana and a B.S. degree in Psychology and Business also from the University of Illinois. blog comments powered by Disqus |