How to Promote Yourself at Work

How to Promote Yourself at WorkHow to Promote Yourself at WorkHow to Shamelessly Self-Promote at WorkSometimes you have to toot your own horn.We all know that one person at work the one who never misses an opportunity to pump up his own work. Did you landsee that I landed the Jennings account? Boom A braggart, a blowhard, and annoyingly successful. Meanwhile, you keep your head down, work hard, and keep the faith that your accomplishments will get notlageiced and youll get the recognition you deserve.Unfortunately, unless youre hoping to build up a stash of karma points, youre not doing yourself any favors by keeping quiet. Like it or not, promoting yourself at work is a necessary part of your career. You dont have to be a blowhard like the Jennings account guy, but you do need to be able to let your co-workers and your bosses know what you do, what you excel in, and what you accomplish in your job.If youre not aya how to start, here are some tips to help you promote yourself at wor k without annoying your entire office.1. Change how you think about self-promotingIf the very idea of self-promotion makes you cringe, you need to change your perception entirely. You probably think it means bragging and pumping yourself up above others, but it doesnt have to be like that. In fact, it shouldnt be like that.First, accept self-promotion as a part of your career. Just like the tasks you do on a daily basis, promoting yourself is a necessity. Think of yourself as a great product you may be amazing, but if you dont advertise to the right crowd, no one will know. If you think its your boss job to take note of who is kicking butt and performing at a high level, youre kidding yourself. Your boss has a lot on his or her plate and a lot of employees to handle, and thus simply cant see everything that goes on. In that light, youre not bragging, youre simply keeping your boss in the loop. Simple, right?2. Understand your best skills and accomplishmentsThis may seem like one of those things that go without saying, but it really needs to be said. Before you can actively promote yourself within your work environment, you need to take note of what it is that you do best. Do you excel at training new employees? Have you developed new methods or procedures? Are you a deadline beater extraordinaire? Make a list of your strengths and then think about the successful projects that youve worked on. How did your skills help create that success?3. Focus on the projectsNow that youve done your personal inventory, its time to let your office know just how much you contribute. To make this easier, dont focus on yourself, but on the successful projects that youve been a part of recently. By providing updates at gruppe meetings and commenting on the success of your projects, you can demonstrate your successes without hammering the team with I did this and I accomplished that. Instead of being boastful, youll come across as a team player who is only concerned about the suc cess of the company, but youll also make your part in things clearly known.RelatedHow to Successfully Track Your Work Wins Throughout the Year4. Share kudos with your teamVery few successes come from working alone. You probably had help, right? Take time to recognize those who helped make your accomplishments happen. Even if you have to dip into your own pocket to reward them with free lunch or a simple card, the benefits will outweigh the cost tremendously. Here are a few suggestionsGive your helpers recognition during an office meeting or even a private meeting with your boss. Youll come off as gracious, endear yourself to your team, and casually promote your success on that project.Have a party (even if its just a lunch date) to celebrate successes. Your team will love you for it and the rest of the office will notice.Not the team lead? No worries. Talk to the team lead to see how the project came out and give some kudos to those who helped you do your part. The team lead will no tice your interest and your ability to notice the efforts of others.5. Make yourself an industry expertIf you are serious about building your career, youre probably already on LinkedIn and some other social media sites. Take the time to do more than just create a profile. Post blogs about your profession and share your insights. Welcome connections from others in your field. If you consistently pop up on other peoples screens as a resource of information in your field, youll quickly brand yourself as an industry expert. How cool is that?Are there people who you consistently see on your Linkedin or Twitter feed who are providing valuable tips and information? Dont just read their posts, comment on them and start dialogues. Then, create your own posts and add your name to the field. Its an easy task and, frankly, its kind of fun to get out there and discuss the tips and tricks that you have learned.Think your boss wont notice? Think again.6. Reach out to other departmentsIf you find y ourself with a little downtime, even if its in the break room, talk with the people in your company who work in other departments. Try to get a feel for what they do well and where they may need a helping hand. If you are able to provide that help, youll quickly become a resource for that department and build a name for yourself outside of your own team.The beigabe to this strategy is that youll also learn new skills while working with other departments, adding even more to your resume.7. Be ready for chit chatWhat does office chit chat have to do with self-promotion? Everything If you wind up at the coffee machine with your boss who says, Whats new? you may be inclined to blurt out the typical Nothing much.Opportunity wasted.Casual office conversations comprise a large percentage of the communication you have at work every day. Dont miss this opportunity to discuss a project that you are working on and how it will impact the company. Again, make sure to focus on the project and the team, not yourself. Show your enthusiasm for the project and its potential. These little conversations serve to build a positive reputation for you throughout the office.Learning to promote yourself at work comes much more naturally to some people than others, and thats okay. The fact is that you need to think of it as another part of your job if you want to further your career. Does that mean you need to become the office braggart? Not at all. Just continue to find little ways to let your peers and your bosses know what youve been up to and how successful youve been. Its not bragging, its simply keeping them in the loop.When you learn to change the way you think about self-promoting, youll learn that its not as hard as you think. If all else fails, look at someone you admire in your office and pay attention to how they do it. Just like the skills you learned in school that trained you to be good at your job, the skill of self-promotion is essential for being successful in your car eer.Click on the following link for more advice on getting ahead.Your resume is another opportunity for self-promotion. Make sure youre doing it right with a free resume critique.Recommended Reading6 Ways to Impress Your BossHow to Brag on Your Resume Without Sounding Like a Jerk7 Questions to Ask Your Boss on a Regular Basis