The Art of Self-Promotion: How to Highlight Your Accomplishments Without Looking Vain

In Asian cultures, where self-promotion is frowned upon and considered in bad taste, most employees tend to shy away from talking proudly about their accomplishments, much to the detriment of their career growth. The old saying “Good work speaks for itself” doesn’t do you any favours. To advance your career and scale that corporate ladder, you need to learn the art of self-promotion is essential. Discover how to be proud of your accomplishments so that your boss notices your contributions.

The importance of the subtle art of self-promotion

First and foremost, your company expects you to deliver value. It is unrealistic to think that your superiors or co-workers will notice all your talents, skills, and accomplishments. Sometimes they will give you a pat on the back to congratulate you on a job well done, but this doesn’t mean they will remember how well you did after a few months. If you’re hesitant to promote your accomplishments and capabilities, then your company will never know how to extract the greatest value from what you bring to the table.

A lot of good work falls under the radar. This is especially true for those who work from home. Because you are no longer dealing with people in person, it’s easier to discredit the hard work you put in.

For those applying for a new job or gunning for a promotion, a little boasting can’t hurt. Just remember to focus more on your abilities and the final output. But before you start bragging about your accomplishments, reflect on this:It’s not what you say but how you say it.With this said, it is important to learn the art of self-promotion. Start with these six simple ways to promote your accomplishments without seeming obnoxious.

1. Own your achievements

It’s not just you who misses out when you don’t highlight your capabilities and achievements. Your potential goes without notice if your boss or colleagues don’t understand what sets of skills, talents, and accomplishments you possess. By being proactive and sharing what you can contribute, you make everyone’s lives easier and make it possible for you to deliver greater value to your company.

Confidence is essential if you want to be respected in the workplace — but there is a huge difference between being confident and being arrogant. It’s all about striking the right balance between self-confidence and humility.

Avoid the “humblebrag”, which can make you appear insincere rather than modest. If someone compliments you for an accomplishment, don’t downplay it. A simple “thank you” is all you need to say, and hopefully, that also allows you to take the commendation to heart.

(Read more: 5 Surefire Tips to Get Promoted at Work )

2. Hone your storytelling skills for your portfolio

Give your potential employers something interesting to read, not just the basic one-sentence description. Make your profile attractive by focusing on the steps you went through, the mistakes you made along the way, and the people you learnt from in the process. Be clear on your strengths and why they are valuable. Focus on your experiences rather than your abilities. Nothing screams insecurity louder than having to spell out your abilities.

(Read more: How to Create an Online Portfolio )

3. Credit your team members and superiors

Always express gratitude for your team members’ and superiors’ guidance and support when recounting your accomplishments. This habit shows that you’re modest and give credit where it’s due. Being down-to-earth instantly makes you likeable and trustworthy, rather than a know-it-all.

Be proud of the good work you’ve been doing, but remember that you’re not the only superstar in the office. Don’t keep grabbing credit. Your humility (or lack thereof) will affect the way your peers and superiors view and value you.

Share your accomplishments by including others who contributed to the success. Highlighting the achievements of each member on your team can be an easy and authentic way to expand visibility. Also, it shows generosity and an appreciation of others — qualities that will make colleagues want to work with you.

4. Focus on the projects you’ve accomplished

If you’re still unsure how you want to promote yourself, try focusing on highlighting your projects instead. Be specific. Don’t just say that you increased the department’s sales by 20% within six months. Go through the details of how you made it happen, and make sure you have documentary evidence that you did what you said you did.

Talk about the general achievements of the company and quietly slip in what you did to help achieve the company goals. Focus on outcomes when sharing your wins. Stick to objective data and facts, which will make promoting your accomplishments more compelling to your superiors and team.

You can attempt to keep a “scorecard” for your performance each month. That way, you can see how well you progress with your projects. Consider asking yourself the following questions:

• What major projects did I move forward in the past month?
• How does that impact the overall business?
• Did I go above and beyond my normal responsibilities? If so, what did I do?
• Looking back in the past quarter or year, do I see myself making progress?

You do not need to go overboard. A few sentences are enough per question. If you need a paragraph to explain yourself, assess your achievement again with a more impartial view. You can send these progress reports to your supervisor or HR. Don’t forget to always keep a copy for yourself.

5. Promote yourself online

Everyone’s online, so you should be too. Keep building your reputation by promoting yourself on employment websites and social media channels like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Keep yourself and your materials current. There’s a lot of noise online, and you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re screaming to be heard. Stay on top of your field (and search results!) by cultivating your follower base with valuable and targeted content. Keep things professional and curate high-quality content that is relevant and worthwhile.

Establishing an online presence that extends further than your job description will make people — and not just your co-workers — notice your value and skill. Keep your CV, social media profiles, and website (if applicable) current. A lack of online presence, such as inactive social media accounts. makes you look inactive and out-of-date.

6. Send regular updates

Many workers wait for their superior or Human Resources to contact them for a performance review. Try going on the offencive and evaluate yourself before they ask. This is especially important if you work from home or work in a hybrid situation: you need a natural way to communicate your progress to the people who matter.

Share your journey with your bosses and teammates. Try sending quarterly updates to HR or a weekly email recapping what went on with you and your team that week. Because the nature and goals of work differ now and again, your timing in sending these reports may vary. However, the goal remains: to keep everyone updated with objective setting and where you are at meeting these goals.

Save good notes. Keeping track of what you accomplished yesterday is tricky enough; imagine trying to remember all the key moments from a month before. Keep to the facts. There’s a fine line between showing your accomplishments and bragging. At the same time, no detail is too small. Some achievements that may seem mundane and unimportant to you may actually be viewed with appreciation by someone else.

(READ MORE: 6 Steps to Build a Personal Development Plan for Career Success )

Time to put these tips to good use. Don’t worry if you’re not comfortable with the idea of self-promotion; it just takes practice to get used to it. Want to use this skill during an interview? Get a friend to practise with you. Do it over and over again until it sounds natural.

Mastering the art of self-promotion may result in co-workers and friendly colleagues making more of a point to acknowledge you. With this, your successes can be seen and heard without you even needing to open your mouth.

Using the art of self-promotion to find #JobsThatMatter

Ready for a job that matches your value? Use the art of self-promotion by updating your JobStreet profile. Get ready for the #JobsThatMatter and get inspired to work with passion! For more expert career advice on finding the right workplace and career, visit the Career Resources Hub.