Too modest to succeed?

British people tend to be modest; it’s in our DNA. Sometimes we’re even self-effacing. Of course, in some ways it’s an endearing quality: “…he’s an absolutely brilliant artist - but so modest with it.” A very human trait but one which, sadly, can lead to career opportunities being missed. Our natural tendency towards modesty can make the identification, and then presentation, of our own skills quite difficult. So how do we identify the skill(s) we might possess, and how might they actually appeal to someone else?

• Are we all too modest?
• What different types of skill are there?
•  How do they become our ‘features & benefits’?
• How best to present them? 

When it comes to CVs, how often have I heard people say: “Oh, I don’t want to blow my own trumpet like some reject from The Apprentice”?  However, it’s so important to be able to identify our own skills, particularly those that might be useful to an employer. When we approach someone in the hope of being offered a job, we’re essentially presenting ourselves as a ‘product’ with the employer being the ‘customer’. And whenever you buy anything, from a dishwasher to a car, you’ll consider closely the various features and benefits as they apply to you and, subsequently, you’ll make a decision based on these facts. That, essentially, is the process here.

Some skills are easy to identify - such as those employed by a tailor or a surgeon; but some less so. The so-called ‘soft’ skills employed by a good team leader or manager, which can include e.g, leadership, communication and a capacity for persuading people, are just as important. These quite rare and much sought-after skills are usually definable through close examination of your personal experience and achievements.

The ability to identify these and see them as features & benefits in what is the ‘product’ (ourself) is absolutely vital in our presenting a brand image. Once we have a range of known skills to draw from, we can work with those individually to great effect.

One way of identifying our key skills to the reader is to review our CV and place on the front page four that we know will appeal to them, whoever they may be. And remember, people tend to look for experts, not generalists. The four key skills say that you’re really good at these and the reader will say, “Hah! This is exactly what we need..!” A long list of ‘skills’ – or more often ‘attributes’ on a CV is pointless.  (Quite honestly, the longer the list, the more dilute and unimpressive it becomes.)

Finally, we have to be able to distinguish between a skill and an attribute. Very simply, a skill is something that can be gained through experience and/or tuition. However, in most cases, an attribute tends to be something either we were born with, or develop through life. It’s often a very fine distinction – and easily confused.