The Importance of Self-Promotion

I was introduced to the #IamRemarkable movement when a very close family friend mentioned it to me. Especially being a woman pursuing a technological career in a mostly male-dominated field, I was very intrigued about learning more about self-promotion and gaining confidence in who I am. Thus, she invited me to attend the workshop that she was hosting at Leanin Flower Mound, and I got to meet so many incredible role models and strong professional women. Even though I am still in high school, the experience empowered me and inspired me to spread the knowledge that I had gained. After the workshop, I quickly decided to sign up for a session to become a #IamRemarkable facilitator, and I recently attended this session in late May.

Self-promotion is about educating the relevant people about skills and value that you can bring to the organization. So people can make the best possible choice in terms of recruiting you and knowing that you’re the best person for the job.

Through the #IamRemarkable movement, I learned about why self-promotion is important and why there is a stigma around it. Oftentimes, when we describe self-promotion or even google it, we associate it with being "forceful" or "bragging." This is especially true when women promote themselves and are proud of their achievements. This movement seeks to change that. It has been shown through data that those of self-promote are much more likely to obtain the job they want in comparison to those who do not. Self-promotion is a necessary skill not just to demonstrate why you deserve the job or promotion, but also "so people can make the best possible choice in terms of recruiting you." When you highlight your accomplishments and skills, your employers can determine how best to utilize your talents in the workplace.

It’s something that you need to exercise just like a muscle ... eventually with time, you will own it and you’ll be proud to tell the world what you’re great at.

It does not stop there, though. Similar to a muscle, "you need to exercise" and use your self-promotion skills actively. Through a lot of practice, it will become second-nature. There is a short course that the initiative offers that briefly explains self-promotion and how to practice it. I have linked it below, and I hope that you explore this as well as take the full #IamRemarkable workshop if you can.

I hope that together we can not only empower others and ourselves in our respective workplaces, but I wish to also help in changing the narrative around strong women and minority groups in the places that educate us. If we start early in the school environment, I hope to help erase these stigmas that exist even in young students. It is immensely important to make these changes to improve our society piece by piece, and I am excited to share my knowledge as a facilitator with my classmates and see more and more women promote themselves to achieve what they desire.

To read the full #IamRemarkable story, click here

To view the course, click here