Speaking well of yourself isn't bragging -

If you do it right

This month I call for you to declare yourself independent of the feeling "If I speak well of myself in job search, then it's too 'braggy', right?"

Actually, no. One time after I hosted a recruiter panel for those between the trapezes (between jobs), one of the recruiters pulled me aside and said, "You know, the group had great questions...all I want to add is that unless the candidate actually tells us what their successes are, we will never know about them".

This comment underscored that the resume doesn't tell them everything. He went on to say, "In the interview, tell us how you can help the team, the company, based on what you've done before. What's been successful for you."

What about that nagging fear of bragging? Unless your tone is "it's all about me", HR and hiring managers, and recruiters, hear it as evidence you can do the job.

Yes, give credit to team members who were critical to the team's success. But also talk about YOUR role. How did you save (accounting) or make (sales) money? Or save or make time (Operations, IT)? Or solve problems (anyone)?

And how exactly did you do that -- a step at a time, outline the how. And the what: WHAT was the benefit of you being involved at all? What impact did you have? How did anyone know you were even there - what did you do that proved you were there?

Be sure to sketch these stories out well before any interview so that telling them becomes second nature to you. Why? I had a Director of Finance client who at first was mystified by my request that he jot down 5-6 success stories. "Joanne, I do the numbers, nothing exciting!"

But once he wrote the successes down, he saw the value of it, and went on to write a dozen stories! He put them in a table on an 8.5 x 11" page, he said, and he reviewed them before networking, and before each interview. He saw how they made him more inquisitive about each contact's business and role in that business, which made him a better networker. He decided to stay at his company but along the way became more skilled in helping others -- because in our work together, he'd gotten better at probing and listening and helping.

Tip: If it helps you introduce your successes, use wording that emphasizes what you LOVE to do. Example: "I love catching Operations costs that can be cut, and have gotten very good at it. For example..."

That's what networking is: helping by illustrating how you can help. Being an introvert or extrovert doesn't matter: your examples of success prompt the other person to talk about their successes! Anyone can become the best networker simply by active listening AND a desire to help. And sharing your successes.