In a world where everyone sounds loud and life moves at warp speed, it’s easy to blend in and miss the opportunity to showcase your worth.

Add to this the militaristic mentality of “service before self,” which promotes acceptance of responsibility and accountability, and discourages the search for credit or praise—and you have a recipe for filling yourself up.

For more than 11 years, I have volunteered to teach personal branding and civilian readiness to transitioning service members at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Every month, I’m amazed at how quickly service members tell the experience, talents, and skills they can offer to potential employers.

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Likewise, I have trained and mentored hundreds of active Sailors and Veterans, Soldiers, Coast Guardsmen and Marines and see the same thing: It takes tremendous prodding and inquiry to get them to articulate the value they will bring to the private workforce.

Is this because the value is not there? barely!

That’s because the idea of ​​”selling” yourself is seen as arrogant, arrogant, and bombastic. I’ve heard more than once:

• “If you’re good, he should see it,” or
• “My track record speaks for itself.”

This is partly true. In an ideal world, recruiters and interviewers would spend the time necessary to learn about your military career and understand the importance of your skills. They will carefully consider the various life and service experiences that have shaped you into the tremendous asset that you are, and your past will clearly set the course for your future.

But this is not reality.

Today, it’s up to you to clearly and confidently articulate and explain why you are the right fit for this job, promotion, or leadership opportunity.

How to “sell” yourself

Self-promotion isn’t about taking out billboards on the highway flashing your resume at passersby. It’s about being intentional and strategic about how and where you show up, who you know and what they know about you, and making yourself visible.

To sell yourself to potential opportunities and connections:

1. Be clear about your personal brand

Your brand is who you are, what you stand for (values) and what you care about. Identify the assets in your personal brand that are most important and important to your career goals: What relationships influence you most – the people who inspire and motivate you or the ones you learn and grow from? What experiences in your military career are most important to you? Was it transactional and tactical or emotional and relational?

When you have a sense of who you are and what means most to you, you can seek out others who feel and think similarly. Together you will support and encourage each other and provide each other with professional opportunities.

This becomes your new post-military community, where it will feel like an effort to self-promote because you are all aligned in values ​​and mission.

2. Think strategically about where you should be visible

If you are in a job search or in your civilian career, LinkedIn will make sense because it is a professional knowledge sharing platform. Here, you can update your online connections with new activities and milestones in your business and career.

You will look for conversations on LinkedIn where thought-provoking discussions lead you to grow your understanding, as well as allow you to add value to the work of others. Again, sharing your knowledge and celebratory updates won’t feel like a “sell” as much as telling your network what’s going on in your career.

3. Ask about the opportunity

Don’t wait to be tapped for a promotion or to lead a major project. Raise your hand. When asked, clearly explain how your prior experiences, training, insights, and skills—along with what you learned after the military—positioned you for this opportunity.

Tell the story of why this makes sense and help the listener see the reason and rationale for why the opportunity is perfect for you.

Unlike those who promote themselves arrogantly, self-promotion doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. When you can remain confident and clear in who you are, what you can offer and who it benefits, telling your story becomes more comfortable.

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