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FORDHAM UNIVERSITY • GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION • CAREER SERVICES • GSECAREERS@FORDHAM.EDU

THE ART OF SELF-PROMOTION IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

Job searching is about sales and the product you are selling is you!

If no one knows about your product, who will buy it?

A job search is no time to be modest. Think hard about all of your abilities and take credit for your

distinctive achievements and talents. Your marketability is affected greatly by how much you

believe you are qualified and marketable for a particular job. It is important to realistically assess

your education, experience, and skills and learn how to promote your talents.

• What do you have to offer an employer?

• What qualifies you to perform a job effectively?

ARE YOU SELF AWARE?

Before you can begin to market yourself, you must first be aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

Your ability to communicate your worth is a function of your ability to recognize value in your own

experiences and see how it can be translated into new capabilities.

Sell your strengths and demonstrate your:

• Knowledge

- An employer needs to know that, through your education and experience, you’ve learned the

information, techniques and industry vocabulary appropriate to the level and responsibility of

the job you are seeking.

• Skills

- Can you perform the actual tasks required by this job function in this industry?

• Abilities/Accomplishments

- An employer must determine if you are able to do the job. You will have to demonstrate that

you have successfully done this job elsewhere or that you have the necessary skills to

succeed in this position. Your best chance of success is a combination of both.

Do not discount your nonprofessional experiences. Instead of worrying that you have no professional

experience, think about the amateur experience you do have.

Take the attached “BRAG! Take-12 Self-Evaluation Questionnaire”

(from Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It, Peggy Klaus,...