You must have control of the authorship of your own destiny. The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand. ~ Irene C. Kassorla
In my practice, one of the services I provide is interview assistance. The front end of the session is learning/education and the back end focuses on implementation and practice. The other day I was working with a client on naming and claiming her key career successes and once again, I heard:
“I hate talking about myself.” Many times, clients have shared with me that “talking about myself” feels weird, strange and uncomfortable.” Still other clients tell me they are too humble or have too much humility to “talk about myself.” Humble. Humility. I checked a thesaurus for synonyms and antonyms; which words, if any, listed below might describe you?
Humble:
Synonyms: demure, down-to-earth, lowly, meek, modest, unassuming, unpretentious
Antonyms: arrogant, chesty, conceited, egotistical, haughty, highfalutin, hoity-toity, huffy, imperious, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, uppish, uppity
Humility:
Synonyms: demureness, down-to-earth; lowliness, meekness, modesty.
Antonyms: arrogance, bumptiousness, conceit, egotistical, haughtiness, pomposity, pompousness, presumptuousness, pretentiousness, pride, superciliousness, superiority, toploftiness
Humble. Humility. Good words to remember as you share your story with prospective employers. That said, consider that you are looking for a job in one of the most intensely competitive markets in years. Keep in mind that you are looking for a job along with millions and millions of other job seekers who may not be quite so humble and / or may not possess a humility factor that flows as deeply as yours. Are you doing yourself more harm than good by not knowing your brand and by not taking the time to practice speaking about yourself and your value?
To the best of your ability (while you are being humble and showing your humility), I would encourage you to invest the time and energy it takes to get to know Brand You very, very well. Become a master at knowing yourself and how to converse about yourself in a manner that educates versus exasperates the Hiring Manager.
Know your product’s assets.
Know your product’s liabilities.
Know your product’s value.
Know your product’s key successes.
Know why (and how) your product can outperform the competition.
Know why an organization would want to invest in you.
Know what makes your brand distinct.
Know your product’s interests, preferences and passions.
Know your target organizations.
Know your market worth.
Know how your product differs from your competition.
Know why the employer ‘should’ invest in the product – the amazing Brand You!
If you do not know with some degree of confidence and certainty the answers to the basic career questions stated above, perhaps you are not yet ready for product launch? Perhaps you are not yet ready to go to market? Perhaps there's no better time than now to get started in the process of learning about yourself?
Maximize your chances of getting hired by going to market when you know you have amassed a large body of knowledge about your brand. Go to market when you can speak with ease and confidence about the product (you) in sharing your best features, knowledge, skills, abilities, successes and the value you will deliver. Go to market when you have convinced yourself that you are well-prepared and ready, armed with ample humility and humbleness, as you outshine your competition with facts, examples and compelling evidence to win your case with a job offer!
To have a thing is little, if you're not allowed to show it, to know a thing, is nothing unless others know you know it. ~ Charles Neaves
posted by: billiesucher
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