Bragging and self-promotion in an online world

We shared this bit of advice before (and very much encourage you to do it):

Rewrite your job description to include all the uncompensated job duties you've picked up over the last year.

After such a rough 2020, it can be difficult to show off anything positive. But here's the thing: listing out your accomplishments and bragging about them shouldn't have a negative connotation.

If you're feeling any hesitance or haven't gotten around to it, Meredith Fineman's book on bragging and art of self-promotion includes tips and advice.

Here's what she says about the topic:

"Bragging is simply stating facts about your work, strategically, and cohesively, to advance your career or goals—regardless of your title or seniority level.

If you don’t share your achievements with your boss, colleagues, or the greater public, you're going to have a lot harder time getting rewarded for it—and who is that helping?"

Now, perhaps you've rewritten your job duties. How are you showing off that new job description?

The way we promote our skills and abilities is just as important as developing those skills and abilities.

This anecdote from Meredith's book truly delivers that message:

"Not long ago I received an email referral for a new client from someone I barely knew. No problem: I rely on a lot of word-of mouth for my business, which coaches professionals, particularly female leaders, to better advocate for themselves.

However, when I tried to research this potential client, I found almost nothing. Her work history looked sparse, and I couldn’t tell exactly what her position was or what she was currently working on. I then turned to social media. No help there either. She posted a mish-mosh of articles, and her profiles featured unclear headshots, differing descriptors, and no clear call to action. My optimism for this “loose tie” was quickly waning. Was this woman worth my time?

That all changed the second I met the woman who would soon become my client. She breezed through the door, poised, classy, and direct. In the first thirty seconds, I learned that she had decades of experience and had done tremendous work in her sector. She had ties to powerful dignitaries and was known by industry insiders for her prowess and connections. It was obvious that she was a rock star.

The problem was that it took a meeting for me to figure this out. Her online presence not only downplayed her accomplishments--it obscured them completely. She had a laundry list of bragging rights that I’ve seen clients work their whole careers to secure. It shouldn’t have taken her getting in front of me to find out what power she held. That’s probably why her less-knowledgeable and less accomplished contemporaries were booking more speaking gigs and press opportunities."

You can read the rest of this excerpt from Meredith's book at this link. She includes an exercise that will help set you up for digital bragging.

If you do the exercise, we'd love to see your revamped digital presence — or your currently amazing one if you're already an online self-promotion expert!

Meredith Fineman is an entrepreneur, writer, and media expert with over a decade of experience training individuals to use public relations as a catalyst for positive career change.