Market Yourself

I sat down with a fellow intern, Ben, at work the other day, and he reminded me of an important lesson that I had let slip: Always market yourself.

I realized immediately that Ben was right. I had not been marketing myself well the last few times I had introduced myself to people. You see, I tend to be a little bit self-deprecating. A little bit VERY self-deprecating. It’s not that I don’t think highly of myself–I can assure you that I do–it’s usually just a lame attempt at humor. But people don’t generally find that kind of humor funny.

You can be a little bit more subtle than this.

I’m sure a lot of people can relate to my situation–regardless of how you got there. Maybe you’re trying not to sound arrogant. Maybe you are telling jokes that are falling flat. Maybe you just don’t dress as well as you could. There are a million ways to fall short when marketing yourself, and almost everyone does it to some degree.

So a few rules:

1. When someone asks you what your job is, make it sound interesting. You probably think it’s interesting, so grab your listener’s attention from the start.
2. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you have an opinion. You are there for a reason, so just do it! People like to know that you are engaged in what they are saying, and they will likely appreciate the feedback. But keep it constructive as often as possible. Criticism doesn’t always go over well.
3. Make sure to express interest in others. This is the most basic skill that most people lack. If you express interest in others, they will be interested in you. Everyone is their own favorite topic, so ask people about themselves. And be sincere about it! You will find that you can learn a lot by just asking questions about the things people are interested in.
4. Act professionally. The definition of this can depend on what your industry is. Silicon Valley has a very different code of conduct from Wall Street.
5. And finally, the cliché that you hoped I wouldn’t bring up: Dress for the job you want to have. If you show up anywhere dressed to the lowest common denominator, you will be treated as such. If you dress like you are important, you will likely be treated that way. I once got a job as a waiter in part because I wore a tie to the interview. How you dress definitely matters.

A great article has already been written about a lot of this by the folks over at The Art of Manliness. One of their best articles is called “How to handle being out of your depth,” and I highly recommend that everyone read it.

In the meantime, market yourself. It’s a great tool for career advancement and everyday relationships.

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