How To Tell Your Career Story When You Hate Talking About Yourself

We all know that one boastful guy who loves the sound of his own voice. He’s a huge self-promoter and never misses an opportunity to tell you about the epic deal he closed, the cutting-edge tech gadget he has, or what an expert/guru/ninja/influencer he is.

Eww, right?

As cringeworthy as someone like that can be, at least he has one thing going for him: he’s proactively telling his career story.

Everyone has a unique story, but not everyone leverages its power. Properly crafted, your career story helps to differentiate you from your competitors, highlight your value, and draw others to you. 

And while you wouldn’t want to be like that self-obsessed braggart, you can take charge of your professional narrative to build your personal brand and position yourself for success.

Here’s how to tell your career story when you hate talking about yourself:

Google yourself

Before you object, consider that this is the first thing someone will do when they’re trying to find out more about you—are you confident that you know what will appear? When crafting your career story, it makes sense to gather intel on yourself to see what’s out there—and determine if it’s current and helpful or out-of-date and potentially embarrassing.

Make it easy for others

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone knew exactly why you’re the go-to person in your industry? Better yet, what if you were top-of-mind with potential employers, partners, or clients? 

A great career story does that, but it requires clarity. When you’re clear, your intended audience quickly understands who you are, what you offer, your value, what differentiates you, and how you can help them.

Even if you’ve had seemingly unrelated jobs in vastly different industries, you can always find a common thread (or two) that weaves together your personal and professional experiences. Think beyond titles and roles to help others easily connect the dots.

Remove irrelevant experience

Remember to sell your destiny, not your history. You’re not doing yourself any favors by hoarding past career experiences that have nothing to do with how you want others to perceive you. If something isn’t relevant, it’s muddying your message and will confuse—or lose—your intended audience. Instead, be ruthless about paring down your profiles to support what you want to do, not what you’ve done.

Share your wisdom

Your career story isn’t limited to your LinkedIn profile or website’s About section; it also includes how you interact and engage online. Aim to provide value and serve, not sell.

Amplify your thought leadership by consistently sharing your wisdom, perspective, and insights in your zone of genius through your social media content. You can also do this by leaving thoughtful comments on other people’s content—especially of those people in your industry whom you admire.

When you freely share your wisdom, you proactively help others know, like, and trust you and understand the value you bring.

Let other people sing your praises

Think back to the earlier example of the self-promoting guy: Would you rather hear from him—or one of his happy clients—about how awesome he is? Who would you trust more for objectivity?

The beauty of third-party endorsements is that they serve as social proof, word-of-mouth recommendations from those who’ve worked with you rather than you tooting your own horn.

Reach out to your bosses, colleagues, customers, and clients to ask them to write a brief recommendation on LinkedIn or a review of your product or service that you can include on your website. Having others sing your praises adds another layer of credibility and legitimacy to your overall career story.

Remember, once you have your career story, it changes everything, including how others perceive, pay, partner with, and promote you, so be sure it positions you for success.

This article was first published on Forbes.com. Find it here, and my other Forbes articles here.

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I'm a social media ghostwriter (yep, that's a thing) who helps leaders craft their stories to communicate and connect better by magnifying their reach and impact. (Think personal branding and thought leadership.) Contact me if you'd like my help.?

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