Just to share with you this lovely and inspiring article. It helped me…it may help you, too. Cheers!

The Art of Self-Promotion
By Caroline Levchuck

Are you more comfortable reciting your responsibilities than your
accomplishments? Worried you’ll be perceived as a braggart if you toot your
own horn? Stop worrying and start promoting yourself. There’s a big difference between being an obnoxious braggart and showing employers why they should hire you.

Employers are more likely to hire people who can effectively communicate
their strengths with confidence. If you’re still nibbling on that piece of humble pie, put it down.

When It’s Time to Change

It’s one thing to recognize your greatest accomplishment. It’s another to
express it appropriately.

Communicate your strengths only when they’re relevant to the topic at hand.

When an interviewer says, “Lovely weather we’re having,” you shouldn’t reply
with “I single-handedly brought in $1 million in revenue last year.” But,
when the interviewer mentions that a position requires someone who’s
assertive and industrious, that’s your chance to mention your achievement.

Never change the topic abruptly to relate an accomplishment. Instead, make
sure it’s relevant to an interviewer’s question or current topic of
conversation.

Leave Disclaimers in the Dust

How do you express your strengths?

Do you speak in active, direct phrases? Or do you begin statements with “I
don’t mean to brag but …” or “I was lucky enough to …”

You’re not bragging, and it likely wasn’t luck. So practice promoting
yourself without the qualifying phrases.

Make a conscious effort to speak using direct statements. Begin sentences
with “I did,” “I believe,” “I accomplished” and the like. And try to look
people in the eye when you’re speaking to them.

Brand U

There’s no one else just like you. So how do you distinguish yourself from
the pack?

One word: Branding.

Branding is the perception that others (including employers) have of you.
It’s the way you present and express yourself that shapes people’s opinion
of you. Powerful businesspeople and celebrities, like Bill Gates and Oprah
Winfrey, often develop a personal brand.

Your brand can make you unique and valuable — and more than just another
resume.

Trust Yourself

It may sound cliché, but it’s true: You have to believe in yourself for
others to believe in you.

To be able to promote yourself believably and sincerely, you need to have
confidence in who you are, what you know and what you’ve accomplished.

Even confidence can be learned if practiced. When you’re feeling insecure,
practice telling yourself self-affirming statements. Or make a list of your
talents and skills. Carry it in your pocket and, when you’re feeling unsure
of yourself, take a peek at it.