Show-Off, Being—OK—But Not a Blowhard

Q. I can’t believe what’s happening. We’re going through re-organization and my boss told us we have to re-apply for our own jobs! What’s going on? And how do I do this without being a blowhard? —Theresa W.

A. Welcome to the new world of mergers, “re-orgs” and corporate survival. Asking you to re-apply for your own job is a technique that many companies now use to get a new focus on who’s doing what and who needs to work harder—or be replaced. Don’t fight it, or you’ll appear to be a foot-dragger. Instead, show enthusiasm for a fresh opportunity to show off what you’ve done and can do to make the company successful.

Firsts step: rewrite your resume, and plan how you’ll re-apply for your job. Don’t just list previous positions or summarize previous job descriptions. Show what you accomplished in each position you’ve held—how you made a difference in the company’s success, and contributed to the bottom line. Remember, your boss or organization is now asking, “Why should we “hire” (or keep) you? Could someone else do the job better, faster? Would someone else, perhaps with fresher ideas, be a better choice than you are?” These are tough, challenging questions, but actually a reality that everyone working today should deal with daily. If you can’t show how you make a difference, and that you’re really needed for the company to succeed, you’re vulnerable for downsizing.

Writing in Fortune, Anne Fisher highlights a new book by Executive Coach Peggy Klaus (American Express, Disney, Goldman Sachs, among other companies). Klaus is also the author of Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It (Warner Business Books). She says if ever there was a time to learn the subtle science of self-promotion, this is it—and not only for people whose careers are now on rocky ground because of restructuring: “It’s stunning to me how many people believe that if they keep their heads down and work hard, their boss ‘will just know’ what they’re contributing, and how valuable they are, as if there were some kind of psychic connection. You have to let people above you know what you’re doing, what skills you’re developing, which goals you’re achieving.” Klaus pinpoints some myths about bragging that can get you into trouble: "A job well-done speaks for itself," "Good girls don't brag," "Humility gets you noticed," and "I don't have to brag; others will do it for me."

Fisher notes that, if you have a whole new management team to impress, bragging is even more critical than usual. “But how to do it without turning into one of those people whom colleagues will duck into the nearest broom closet to avoid?” Klaus says the more specific details you give, the clearer your achievements will be to people who don’t know you well.

“But don’t spout off a laundry list of items beginning with ‘I.’ That’s just boring. Instead, practice talking about your accomplishments gracefully, by weaving them into a narrative.

Then practice telling your story until it comes naturally.”

Klaus devised a 12-item checklist of possible talking points (in her book or at www.bragbetter.com) for your job interview:

1. What would you and others say are five of your personality pluses?

2. What are the ten most interesting things you have done or that have happened to you?

3. What do you do for a living and how did you end up doing it?

4. What do you like/love about your current job/career?

5. How does your job/career use your skills and talents, and what projects are you

working on right now that best showcase them?

6. What career successes are you most proud of having accomplished (from your

current position and past jobs)?

7. What new skills have you learned in the last year?

8. What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are today, both professionally and

personally, and what essential lessons have you learned from some of your mistakes?

9. What training/education have you completed and what did you gain from those

experiences?

10. What professional organizations are you associated with and how—member,

board, officer, or the like?

11. How do you spend your time outside of work—including hobbies, interests, sports,

family, and volunteer activities?

12. How are you making a difference in people's lives?

You’ll find other valuable topics in Klaus’s book that can help you boost your career, including:

• How to use the latest technology to further your cause, like harnessing

voice mail and e-mail for bragging to clients and colleagues

• Tips for those without the so-called "real" jobs—those taking time off to

care for children, the semi-retired, and laid-off workers

• The art of turning job interviews into job offers