Sell Yourself Constantly In the Workplace

A lot of people stop selling themselves after they get the job. They get into their jobs and focus on the technicalities and get sucked into the problems. Most times, they spend 100% of the time behind their tools e.g. computers, etc. or away from their bosses as much as they can.

However, the idea of promoting yourself and your abilities to solve problems doesn't stop at the job interview. It c-o-n-t-i-n-u-e-s even after you have got the job. It never stops. This is how your boss evaluates you for your position:

When you are at the interview
You are offered your first income after you have impressed your future boss in the interview. (1) He assesses how and what you communicate on your past job experiences. (2) He offers you the job based on what he thinks or expects you can do.

When you are in the job
When you are into the job, you will expect a pay rise or job promotion as time travels. He will offer the pay rise or job promotion based on exactly the same criteria as he assessed you at the interview. (1) How you communicate so that he knows what you have done to solve the problems in your job. (2) He offers you the job promotion based on what he thinks or expects you can do if he gives you that promotion. Most times this is based on what he sees or hears from you.

The formula never changes
The only difference is how much percentage % you will put into marketing your own self. Do you put aside 10% to 20% of your time to communicate your achievements in the job to your bosses? Or, are you stuck 100% into your job with no time to market your own product (your intangible achievements)?

Why do you need to sell yourself? Because your boss is not next to you all the time. He does not know all the efforts and contributions you put into the job, or he forgets (people often do). Your job is to let him know or to remind him of your achievements so that he thinks of you when there is an open job position to move someone up the ladder.

Do you buy certain products because you have seen it reported or advertised on TV, magazines or on the internet? Are you perhaps a little skeptical of some products you have not heard before, or where information available publicly is limited? It is the same analogy as that elusive job promotion you want. It goes to whoever has succeeded in selling himself at the workplace.

Visit www.how2talkeffectively.com for some top quality communication books not found in Amazon, ebay, etc..

Effective Communication: How to Promote Yourself at Work

It is not easy to promote yourself. You have made a positive contribution for the benefit of the company. But, your bosses were not around to witness the situation. Yet, you want them to know so that your efforts are recognized and they remember you for the next job promotion. If you make blatant loud claims, people may think of you as a show-off. Yet, some people do it so effortlessly and get recognized for the next job promotion.

How do you impress your bosses and co-workers so that they think well of you and recognize your contributions? Is it possible to do so without being ostracized? Yes, you can.

Here are some practical suggestions:

Tell An Interesting Story
Report like a journalist. Describe what happened rather than boasting loudly and focusing on you. Give details of how things happen from A to Z, highlighting the interesting angle. It doesn’t have to be a unique story about aliens falling from the sky. An interesting but ordinary daily encounter can be a good starting point for your story. Because it involves you, people will remember what you contributed.

Add Some Light Humor
Interject some light humor. Nothing beats a funny story to draw attention. If it is funny, people will hear you out. A witty person is often seen as more intelligent. It doesn’t have to be a 5-Star joke that you memorize from some bestseller joke book. It can be a simple statement of how unexpectedly someone behaved or how different a situation turned out. Laughter can bring people together. Laughter also lightens the atmosphere.

Bad Vs Good. Before Vs After
Describe the situation before you solved the problem. How bad it was, and how good it is after you have resolved the matter. It gives magnitude towards the difference you have made to the situation. Compare the worse (negative) that it was and how well (positive) it turned out after you have intervened.

What Is Your Reason
Try not to make stand-alone statements. Support your statements. Add a reason why you say or do something. When people understand why you’re doing something, they will tend to be more acceptable to what you say.

Who Else Agrees With You
Who else is in agreement with you? When you have support from other people, it will tone down people’s (your listeners) inherent defensive nature to critically evaluate your statements. People now are not dealing with you alone. They are dealing with you and a few other people who happen to share the same opinion. With strong support, your statements will go a long way.

Visit www.how2talkeffectively.com for some top quality communication books not found in Amazon, ebay, etc..