How to Self-Promote Without Being a ‘Self-Promoter’
If you don’t do it, nobody else will
We’re often told that success is not about what you know but who you know. The implication there, of course, is that we should all get to know more of the right people — so we should all get busy building our personal brands, expanding our networks, and leveraging our contacts.
Of course, that’s all easier said than done. It can be difficult to strike the right balance between highlighting your abilities and bragging, and uncomfortable to try. Why do we find it so hard to promote ourselves, even when we need to?
“There’s a pervasive stereotype of this pushy, over the top, slightly arrogant type that comes to mind when we think of self-promotion,” says Evelyn Cotter, the founder of SEVEN Career Coaching. The more introverted, she adds, may be especially wary of seeming that way: “Those of us who aren’t extroverts cringe at the thought of pushing ourselves to the front and ensuring we’re seen and heard.”
Gender can be a factor: Self-promotion can been seen as a negative for women, who are expected to appear modest, research has shown. Women are more likely to deny credit for their successes, in part because they are more likely to experience backlash and social and economic penalties for doing otherwise.
