Are you a show off?

Swati Khatri

In today’s world of competition where professionals are too keen to showcase their USPs to the world, it is of utmost importance to  present one’s skills in a positive light and not to come across as someone who can’t stop bragging. So, how does one present oneself positively, yet not come across as a show off? It’s all about finding that sweet spot. Let’s explore this further.

Be confident but relevant

Everyone appreciates confidence. But be careful not to become annoying. The key here is to be relevant. Stating how much you scored in your graduation degree is not important. Professionals around you are not interested in your academic achievements but what you can bring to the table. It’s about the problems that you have solved and the challenges that you can overcome. 

You don’t need to be a great orator to communicate this to others. People will be interested in you if your efforts are relevant and genuine. Your story needs to be told but in the right way. Swati Nathani, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Team Pumpkin puts this as, “While narrating your story, it is important to keep the professional expectations from you at the centre.” 

Don’t be too eager

Many a time during an  interview, a candidate is too keen to share his achievements and keep harping on the milestones achieved. A similar thing can be seen on social media when a person keeps on posting about every little accolade that has come his way. Such a professional may appear as someone who is too keen to impress.

It’s important to talk about your work as a whole and not just as a benchmark. Let others know how much you enjoy your work.  

Be self-aware

You will always be appreciated if you come across as someone who is self-aware. What this means is that you know about your weaknesses along with your strengths. While it’s always good to keep on widening your horizons, committing to an assignment which you won’t be able to deliver can work negatively for you.  Roshan Baid, MD, Alcis Sports explains this as, “Committing to something that you know you will not be able to complete can harm your reputation and future flow of opportunities, besides leaving the other party in lurch.” Similarly, showing off a fake image on social media can be bad for your professional journey in long run. 

Everyone is a winner

Remember every professional that you have worked with is as much a winner as you are. Always talk collectively. You need to elucidate your strengths but don’t forget to mention that the final achievement was a collective result of a team effort. Nathani says, “If you make your narration as ‘we’ instead of ‘I’, your arrogance goes out of the picture while you get your due credit too.” This also helps you come across as a true team player. For example a social media post stating, “A fulfilling session with my team” is much more appreciable than just, “A session with my team.”

Communicate effectively

Achieving milestones is not enough. You need to add credibility to these milestones.  For this, you need to review your way of communication. Just reflect upon your last professional get- together, have a look at your social media profiles or just your communication in general. If any changes are required, be quick to take the necessary steps. Krishna Kumar CEO, CropIn Technology explains, “It is important to review how others perceive, what and how you communicate. As it’s not just about your professional destination but also your professional journey.”