What does self-promotion mean?

To put your case well during a job interview you need to tell the panel what you have to offer, expressed in the most beneficial light. This is what self-promotion is all about.

You may be thinking it is something else. I’ve found people confuse self-promotion with:

• Saying they are better than others

Telling a selection panel what you have to offer is not the same as saying you are better than others. There is no comparison involved. You are saying what you have to offer. It is up to the panel to decide if what you offer is more interesting/attractive than what someone else offers.

• Being an obnoxious skite

There is a vast difference between confidently saying what you have to offer and bragging in an exaggerated, know-all kind of way. For a person who is reluctant to say much at all, there is very little risk that you will transform into one of these people. What you do need to be willing to do is move to a point where you can state what you have to offer in sufficient detail so that the panel can assess your claims.

• Unnecessarily telling the panel what they already know

If your boss is on the selection panel it may seem like you are telling people what they already know about you. The problem with this is that even if they do know what you do, you still have to tell them during an interview. While your boss may know, in general, what you do, they are unlikely to know in the detail you imagine. No one knows what you do as well as you do.

So when you attend an interview you need to go prepared to say what you have to offer in a confident manner, in enough detail, at the right level of detail, with a link to the job you are applying for.

Other useful articles:

• Modest bragging - how to do it 
• 12 ways to undersell yourself at interview

Dr Ann Villiers, learning guide, professional speaker and author, is Australia's only Mental Nutritionist® specialising in mind and language practices that help people build flexible thinking, confident speaking and quality connections with people. Visit www.mentalnutrition.com to learn more about Mental Nutrition. Visit www.selectioncriteria.com.au for free resources unlocking the mysteries of public service jobs.