It’s not bragging if you can back it up
➔ If you’re like most people, you feel at least a little awkward about blowing your own horn. Let’s face it, it makes most people uncomfortable to talk about themselves at all – much less in a flattering way.
The bad news is that, when you’re in the middle of a job search, you have to be able to talk about yourself and present yourself in the most positive way possible. After all, it just makes sense. If you were sitting on the other side of the desk, would you hire anyone who spoke in less than glowing terms about themselves? Probably not.
Yet it is something that we must do in order to be successful.
Of course there is a flip side. Over hyping yourself or inflating your past experiences beyond what they really were is a recipe for disaster. Let’s not even go there.
Back to speaking highly of oneself
We all know how important LinkedIn has become in the modern-day job search. One section of your profile that is closely examined by hiring managers and recruiters is the recommendation section.
Recommendations come from people who know you (or have worked with you, etc.) who are willing to state their feelings publicly. These tend to be much coveted endorsements.
It’s rare however, to have someone voluntarily offer a recommendation without an ask or some prodding. It all depends on the relationship that you have with the person, but you’ll find that many people, when asked, often comply.
The problem with seeking recommendations is, not surprisingly, that most people legitimately don’t have the time to draft a recommendation for you. All of which brings us back to our initial comment: saying something good about yourself.
Your best chance of securing a recommendation from someone involves having a rough draft at the ready that you can send to them. It goes without saying that the person from whom you’re seeking the recommendation will have the chance to modify your draft as they see fit, but if you’ve done most of the work for them, you’ve just offered them the path of least resistance.
So, go ahead. Tell us something good about yourself.