Someone, at some point, said something like, “We are all the lead characters in our own personal TV shows.” When I tried to find the source of this quote, I was instead greeted with a flood of blog and social network posts with some permutation of the phrase. Which, I suppose, is pretty fitting.
There’s no use denying that Western cultures (if not all cultures) reward self-centeredness. We champion the individual, the personal achievement, and the solo effort. Do you know the names of the other swimmers who helped Michael Phelps win all those gold medals during the team events?
With the development of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and other “Web 2.0″ sites, the importance of the individual has grown. Now, we amass faceless hordes of followers (or faced hordes of acquaintances) to read our latest 140-character thoughts, check our statuses (statii? or is it just status?), peruse our vacation photos, and watch our rants. It’s all about getting yourself out there to your audience (whoever that may be) and promoting your personal brand.
But when everyone’s brand is fighting for market supremacy, how do you stand out?
You have to show a benefit.
Whether it’s your expertise in a subject, your unique cult of personality, or your balance (or imbalance) of desireable traits, you need to be able to tell people why they should care. And as this is a key component of the job search (especially the interview), you need to sell it well.
After all, while the individual may be self-interested, a business is utilitarian. If you can’t show the benefit of your contribution to the company (and its superiority over those of your competitors), you won’t get the job. And there is a way to reconcile the relationship between these two narcissists.
While I’m not advocating full-on ego fluffing here, there is a certain pride that everyone takes in their work, no matter their job. Paying sincere and non-obsequious comments can also help to show your desire to work with a company in a way that simply stating that you want to work there (or even worse, saying it’s been a “dream of [mine] to work here”) cannot.
Similarly, be wary of talking about your accomplishments in such a way that they turn from examples or facts into boasting. By being judicious in your examples and concise in your commentary, you will communicate your message much more clearly than if you just recite or expand upon your entire resume. Please keep in mind that this also applies during progress reviews.
So cut back on the dozen status updates, refrain from Tweeting during intimate moments, and keep your ego in check – it just might help you get (or keep) a job.
