Hoity-toity talk
- At February 16, 2011
- By Nathan
- In Career Planning
0
Presenting yourself as God’s gift to humanity is not likely going to help your careers prospects. Claiming to be able to meet each and every need an organization has is a bit much. Confidence is one thing and cockiness is another.
Comparing yourself to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs may not be the best way to describe your computer skills. Familiarity with Microsoft Office is a basic skill that many employers look for. But very few people reading this are likely comfortable working with all the different part of this software program. Be specific. If you do not know how to operate Excel say so.
You may be tempted to hint that you have experience that you do not really have. Everybody wants to hire somebody with experience; someone who can hit the ground running as it were. And it can be very frustrating when you do not have experience and are trying to get some. “How can I get experience if nobody will hire me without experience?” you wonder.
As someone who has done a bit of hiring over the years, let me just say that faking it shows. Occasionally you may hear about a brilliant scam artist here or there who passed themself off as a pilot, a doctor, or a lawyer, and got away with it – for a time. Most mere mortals would not be advised to even attempt such shenanigans.
Tasks that appear to be simple and straightforward are often much more difficult. Have you ever tried jumped into a home renovation project only to discover that you may not live long enough to finish it? If exposed as a faker on the job your employer will lose confidence in you as person, and you will probably lose the job you just lied to get. It is a lose-lose situation.
Selling yourself is a legitimate and essential part of your quest for a career. But try not to engage in false advertising.
