Building Confidence with Personal Branding

People often ask me: “How do I talk about myself confidently in interviews or at events without bragging?” This is STILL hard for me. But I have a few tricks: 1. Ask a friend for help Ask a friend or colleague their 3 to 5 favorite traits about you. Tag them below if you want to use this post as a reason to reach out! Sometimes, it’s hard to see our own strengths. — 2. Harvest stories that show those traits Don’t just say “I’m detail-oriented.” Instead, say: “In my last role, I managed a complex, multi-phase project where tracking every detail mattered. I created a system that helped the team stay on schedule—and we launched early.” — 3. Use the ‘Problem → Hard Work → Outcome’ framework When you tell stories about your traits, structure them like this:  • What was the challenge? • What did you do about it? • What was the result? This gives people a full narrative arc, and helps them visualize you solving problems and delivering results. — 4. Let others brag for you If talking about yourself feels awkward, borrow someone else’s words. Example: “My last manager used to say I was the most organized person she’d worked with. That’s why I was often assigned to high-stakes projects.” Testimonials and quotes add credibility, and make it easier to sound proud, not boastful. — 5. Practice out loud Writing your story is one thing. Saying it confidently is another. So, say it out loud like you’re chatting with a friend. Smooth out the rough parts and make it sound like you. If you hold back from presenting your best self, just to avoid sounding like you're bragging, you might end up missing real opportunities. So, get comfortable sharing your strengths. Practice telling your story. And remember: confidence isn’t bragging when it’s backed by truth.

Do you hate the idea of selling yourself? Most people do. I won’t try to convince you to love it, but I want to help you to embrace it — because there are times in life when you need to be self-promotional. A job interview is the perfect example. Most people struggle to sell themselves in job interviews because it feels uncomfortable — they’re not used to talking about their achievements out loud. Others struggle because they are humble by nature or struggle with imposter syndrome. These feelings can sabotage the best attempts to convince the hiring manager that you’re the perfect fit. While I have no magic, instant solution, the actions that brought the best results to my coaching clients are: 1) Own your strengths Spend some time outlining at least 5 of your top strengths. For each one, write a few bullet points describing HOW you exhibit that strength. In most interviews, you’ll get some questions about your strengths (”Why should we hire you?” and “What makes you a good fit for the role?” are also strengths questions in disguise). Don’t force yourself to wing it when talking about your strengths. You’re likely to shy away from giving yourself enough credit. If you prepare, you’ll be much more likely to speak confidently and persuasively about what sets you apart. 2) Own your accomplishments Prepare your interview stories about your biggest professional wins. If you struggle to think of great examples, try doing a Success Inventory, where you “log” your wins, shoutouts, and nice feedback in one place. It helps with confidence and can spark ideas for new additions to your resume/LinkedIn profile. If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, look for this subject line in your inbox: Trick to talk about your achievements [TEMPLATE] in case you haven’t started filling yours in already. If you’re not subscribed but want the template, send me a message or comment “template,” and I will happily forward it to you via email. 3) Practice To truly get better at “selling yourself,” you have to practice out loud. Feel awkward and stumble during practice, not in a real interview. Practice will allow you to refine and adjust so you can be more self-promotional but still sound like YOU. By implementing these tips, over time, you’ll start feeling less and less dread when it comes to self-promotion. You don’t have to love this skill in order to use it to your advantage when you need it. If you’ve tried most of these and still struggle, send me a message. I’d love to help. : )

I’m working with a client who didn’t understand why their good work (on time/on budget) didn’t result in a promotion. Instead, they got feedback from their HR Business Partner to strengthen their personal brand. They came to me not understanding why this was important. I explained that promotions don’t always come because of what you DO. Promotions come because of how people EXPERIENCE what you do. That experience is your personal brand, and it shapes your reputation. Here’s a few tips to help strengthen yours: 💡 Ditch the Disclaimers ·     Stop saying things like: “This might be a silly idea…” ·     Instead try: “I’d love your thoughts about this idea…” 💡 Stop Sounding like a Know-It-All ·     It’s equally important not to sound arrogant ·     Stop saying things like: ‘Well, actually….” Or: “In point of fact…” ·     Instead try: “That’s an interesting perspective. What if we consider this as well.” 💡 Embrace Feedback ·     Seek it out ·     Show your growth ·     Senior Leaders respect those who continuously improve 💡 Own Your Expertise ·     Share insights with confidence ·     Be the person others turn to for help 💡 Celebrate Others ·     It’s also important to recognize others ·     Thank people for their help and good ideas Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. What do you want them to be saying? #PersonalBrand #Leadership #ExecutivePresence