3 Ways to Brag Without Being Obnoxious

Recently I was talking to a young job seeker who went completely slack-jawed when I mentioned she needs to promote her accomplishments to others.

I was not surprised by her reaction, because I'd gotten the same one from another job seeker -- this one a bit older.

I get it. I remember the first time someone told me that my hard work would never pay off if I didn't let other people know about it -- often. I immediately dismissed the notion that I would go around "bragging" about myself.

So, I totally ignored the advice. Then, I saw someone I trained be promoted to my position when I left -- and be given a hefty raise even though she didn't have as much experience as I brought to the position. Then I saw someone with a lot less knowledge -- and loads of bad advice -- become popular with career advice sites.

When I wrote my second book, that's when I finally got it. My agent wasn't about to take me on unless I proved to her that I was worth it. She made me jump through a lot of hoops: who could help me promote my book, what was my standing in my field, why would anyone listen to me, etc. It was tough at first, but then I switched my thinking to this: I am a product.

Yep, that's right. Think of your career like a product, and this is whole idea of promoting yourself to others is going to be much easier. For example, if you were selling toothpaste, how much would you sell if you never mentioned how the product could save you from getting cavities? Would anyone be interested in having the toothpaste if you never talked about it, never explained its wonderful qualities and what a difference it can make?

Nope.

The same is true for your career. If you don't make the effort to tell others about your skill and your ability to make a difference, then they're going to skip over you and move onto the next toothpaste, er, person.

Now that you understand why it's so important, here are some ways to make yourself known to others without feeling like an idiot:

• Remember that your boss doesn't know everything. You may assume that because she's your boss, she's aware of all your accomplishments. Wrong. Bosses are busy people. Find a way to periodically check in with your boss (in person is best), just to update her. "Wow, I had such a great meeting with Sharon the other day. I was able to help her solve some production line problems, and I think it really made a difference in our monthly goals," you might say. 
• Keep your network informed. LinkedIn is a great way to let your network know of promotions (they will automatically send "new job" alerts to others), but you also want to continue to show your increasing knowledge or expertise. Try blogging on Linked or some other professional site -- they often accept guest authors. Tackle a timely subject and provide some smart solutions or insight.
• Always keep your elevator pitch fresh. When you hop on the elevator at work and run into a senior vice-president from another department, what is your reaction? A brief head nod? A smile? If so, you're wasting a golden opportunity. While you don't want to be obnoxious about it, you can always say something like, "Hey Jim! It's nice to see you! I was just thinking about your department the other day when I was working on my new app that will shorten delivery times. I'm hoping it will be something other departments can use, also." Maybe you don't always have something super-exciting to convey, but never waste the opportunity to show others you're on the ball. "Hi, Jim! That was a great article you wrote in the company newsletter. It really inspired me to think about ways to be more efficient this quarter -- I plan to submit some ideas to my department head by next week."

Remember, no one is going to care about your career like you. That means you've got to nurture it and help it grow -- or it will wither and die.