Tell the Whole Truth

When it comes to gentle self-promotion, most people say too little about what they have accomplished. This is a big mistake.

There are certain forums in which you have an obligation to tell the whole truth. These include your resume, bio, and any business- oriented social media profiles you maintain (i.e. your LinkedIn profile).

By the way, if you don’t have a bio, you should. It includes some of the same information as your resume but should be written in a narrative style. Imagine that you are giving a presentation; whoever introduces you should be able to read your bio as your introduction, and it should work perfectly.

In all of these forums, you need to be as specific as possible about your accomplishments. Here are some examples:

Increased sales by 22% in my first year, by personally visiting customers instead of just calling them on the phone.
Developed a new process for screening resumes that shortened the time needed to hire a manager from 75 days to 42 days.
Won a Gold Award for Artistic Achievement from the Association of International Artists.
To qualify for dual majors in Biology and Sociology - in six consecutive semesters, I took five courses instead of the normal four.
To broaden my thinking and improve my writing, I read two books every week and wrote summaries that I posted on my blog, CoolBookSummaries.com.

Notice that each of these statements is specific, factual, and clear. Make it as easy as possible for others to grasp your accomplishments. This isn’t bragging; it is telling the whole truth.