He said “If you ever consider relocating to this place, make sure you plan to be active on LinkedIn for at the least 6-8 months – like, comment, share, post, connect. Just be active on it.” And as I begin to write this post, this conversation stood out that displayed the need to be visible and, in a way, to talk about your own accomplishments.
My first boss was a friendly chap who also happened to know me well. On the first day of my work, he gave me one golden advice which I have since passed on to countless young professionals, tongue in cheek of course! He said ‘Work hard for sure, but make sure it’s seen by those who must see. Better if your boss’ boss knows it well. Visibility is important to grow’. That piece of advice has stuck with me ever since. I may not use it anymore, but it’s a precious advice nonetheless.
Professional life is all about promotions. Your resume is a small sachet of your real self that serves to promote you. Your appearance is also a promotional endeavor and so is your appraisal meeting. The world is divided into cultures that are comfortable about promoting your own self and those that feel embarrassed about it, owing mainly to their upbringing. Considered not modest in many cultures, bragging is a necessary evil oftentimes. In the book ‘Brag: How to toot your horn without blowing it’, author Peggy Klaus says that most people are repelled by the very notion of bragging and consider it obnoxious even when they know it’s necessary.
Bragging or boasting about one’s own achievements may not be considered the best thing but it’s something you can’t do without; especially if you’re working in an extremely competitive work environment. This is something which everybody loves to indulge in themselves but are unwilling to tolerate when others do it! Human psychology, you said? Well, delve into it deeper and you’re confronted with another entity- Narcissism which is a close but elder cousin of bragging. Read more....
