Here is how you can master the art of self-promotion at work

Why is it that when our friends or family share their achievements with us, we're ready to talk them up with compliments but often turn into a shy, scaredy cat when it comes to boosting ourselves? Now we aren’t encouraging you to toot your own horn every chance you get; no one likes that person. You don’t have to turn into a shameless credit hogger to present your accomplishments. Nor do you need to eat the humble pie when it comes to promoting yourself.

Self-promotion refers to communicating your achievements, work, and talents with people to grow your professional opportunities, increase your visibility (within a company or otherwise) and scale your career to new heights. The basic truth of the corporate world is that in order to succeed in any industry, you need people to notice your best work and your passion. You can’t let the fear of rubbing people the wrong way keep you from climbing the corporate ladder.

And as important as it is to keep your head down, put in the hours, and actually be good at your job, you also need to get recognised for it. And self-promotion is just the tool you need to ensure all your hard work is acknowledged and celebrated by your bosses and peers. Sometimes, letting your work speak for itself is not enough; you always need that push.  

Have faith in yourself  

We get it, it can be very uncomfortable to talk about (let alone celebrate) your achievements at work. You don’t want to come across as a brag. However, in this Road Runner-paced world, you also don’t want to get stuck as a small cog in a gargantuan system. You need to make an effort to stand out and get noticed. What's the best way to do that? Owning your accomplishments mindfully and with confidence instead of shying away from them. We know how utterly cliche this sounds but—if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

One way of building faith is through self-validation techniques. No boss is going to give you pats on the back for every small thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it yourself with small treats and confidence-boosting pep talks every time you feel like you’ve achieved something. It doesn’t have to be a big win, it could be something as simple as meeting a deadline you were dreading. This self-validation will eventually grow your confidence to a level where you can start promoting your work. And the more you do it, the less uncomfortable it gets.

Optimise your social media pages   

We spend hours and hours doomscrolling through our social media. And while sending random memes to your group chats and wracking your brains on a caption for an image of your breakfast is fun, you have to wonder if we are really using the medium to its full potential. In a word, no. Social media apps like LinkedIn and Instagram are the biggest platforms to showcase our talents and work. Yes, it’s daunting and if your post doesn’t get as much engagement as you’d want, it’s also disheartening. But, the key is to persevere and be consistent. You don’t have to be an influencer with three million followers to harness the true power of social media. Take this as a sign to post about your most recent achievement and you will see how it helps you grow and build a community of genuine supporters. 

As important as self-promotion is, no one likes a credit hogger. So, unless you’ve worked on something all by yourself, give people who helped you the credit they deserve. Acknowledge the part they played to get you to your end goal. It’s all about finding the right balance to make yourself shine but also include the people who contributed to the project you are so proud of. After all, in this corporate dog-eats-dog world, most things are often a team effort. And sharing credit doesn’t bring you down; it will only create a positive and uplifting atmosphere between you and your colleagues. 

Don’t deflect compliments

Do you tend to get flustered when someone pays you a compliment? Do you tend to respond with some version of ‘Oh, it was no big deal’ that completely negates your effort and achievement? Stop it immediately. Getting comfortable with compliments is one of the biggest steps to mastering the art of self-promotion. This doesn’t mean that you go about fishing for compliments or turning into someone who only talks about themselves but don’t sell yourself short. 

At the end of the day, it’s about what you can do for the company while also ensuring personal growth. So, instead of hiding in the shadows, when you proudly display and acknowledge your work and the impact it has had, it will pave the way for new and bigger opportunities.  

Feature image credit: A still from Four More Shots Please! 

Also read: Can you manifest the social media feed you want?

Also read: What toxic positivity feels like and how to to overcome it