Four Brainless Self-Promotion Techniques to Avoid

Many workers think that their hard work will speak for itself. They do their work quietly and stay late at the office hoping their boss will notice their efforts. Yet when a job promotion or pay raise goes to someone else, many employees retreat to a corner, wondering what happened.

Many don’t realize that talking confidently about your accomplishments is the best way to get ahead in your career. Marketing yourself at work doesn’t have to be shameless and you don’t have to brag.

Instead, you need to develop a smart approach to self-promotion in order to advance your career. Being able to sound your horn effectively without playing the wrong tune can only happen if you avoid these four common mistakes.

1. Don’t take advantage of a tragic event to launch your self-promotion campaign The recent hurricane that hit the US states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama left millions of people homeless and cities in ruins. Hurricane Katrina is becoming one of the costliest natural disasters in history in the continental United States. The tsunami that decimated 11 countries in South Asia in December 2004 is another extremely devastating natural event. Many people were displaced and, to date, more than $2 billion has been donated worldwide to help tsunami victims. However, it is reaching a point where the publicity surrounding who is giving receives more attention than the people who lost their homes, belongings and family members. Celebrities, companies and even countries are taking this opportunity to brag about the amount of money they have donated. Some companies are even buying full-page ads in newspapers just to show what they’re doing to help. While Hollywood and the Fortune 500 choose this moment to brag about their contributions, this approach lacks dignity, tact, and modesty. Don’t make this mistake with your career. If your company has just lost a major client and is now facing a breach of contract lawsuit, this is not the time to brag about a new process you developed while working with that client. That shows bad timing on your part and you will look bad in front of your bosses and colleagues.
2. Do not show off by belittling the competition On Season 2 of the hit show The Apprentice, a contestant, Ivana, was the project manager for a losing team. While she was defending in front of Donald Trump why she shouldn’t be fired from her, instead of focusing on her strengths, she started bad-mouthing another contestant. What made Ivana’s comments so weird is that she focused on someone who wasn’t even on the same team as her. By the way, Donald Trump did not see Ivana’s comments very well and fired her without hesitation. Saying negative things about a co-worker can make you feel good, but this approach does little to improve your profile at work. When you do this, you seem uncomfortable with your own accomplishments. Instead, develop a 30-second commercial about what you do well. That way, you focus on your wins and resist the urge to make your co-worker look bad.
3. Never include traps in your self-promotion campaign Remember Enron, WorldCom and the adventures of the media mogul, Conrad Black? The executives of these companies cheated to be successful. Even though he was being investigated for siphoning company money into his own pocket, Black was outraged and stated that people should thank him for creating so many jobs, not waste his energy accusing him of stealing. The things he does on the job may not include being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, but there are some activities he may be doing right now that undermine his company’s bottom line. Whether he brings home office supplies from your company warehouse, eats a two-hour lunch, or overcharges your company for gas on his expense report, all of these actions are dishonest. You will make enemies at work very quickly if you gloat over your dishonest acts in the dining room. Also, this is a sure way to stop your career, as no one wants to work with a cheater.
4. don’t brag too much There is a business woman I met recently. I had read her book and attended some of her teleclasses. When I heard that she would be in my city on business, I sent her an email asking her to meet up for coffee. We met and I immediately regretted it. You see, this businesswoman talked endlessly about herself for the entire 30 minutes. Here I was, one of her biggest fans and most loyal customers, and my idol was bragging about her product line and how much money she made. This business woman didn’t take any time to figure out who I am or why I’m her biggest fan. I walked away from that meeting and never bought anything from her website again. It’s important to let others know about your accomplishments, but don’t do it at the expense of bad manners. Find the balance. Know when it’s appropriate to talk about her accomplishments and when to keep quiet. A good self-promoter knows the value of listening to others. This skill can do wonders for your career.

The way to advance in your career is based on your ability to promote yourself. If you don’t talk about your accomplishments, don’t expect anyone else to, but remember that your goal is to be smart in your approach and leave the brainless techniques to someone else.