"I'm an architect," you say.
"Oh, really?" she answers. "Have you designed any buildings I've seen?"
"Possibly," you reply. "We did the new student center at the university..."
"Oh wow," she says. "That's a beautiful building..."
Without trying -- without blowing your own horn -- you've made a great impression.
Now picture this. You meet someone new. "What do you do?" he asks.
"I'm a passionate, innovative, dynamic provider of architectural services with a collaborative approach to creating and delivering outstanding world-class client and user experiences."
All righty then.
Do you describe yourself differently – on your website, promotional materials, or especially on social media – than you do in person? Do you use cheesy clichés and overblown superlatives and breathless adjectives?
Do you write things about yourself you would never have the nerve to actually say?
Here are some words that are great when other people use them to describe you – but you should never use to describe yourself:
1. "Innovative." Most companies claim to be innovative. Most people claim to be innovative. Most are, however, not. (I'm definitely not.) That's okay, because innovation isn't a requirement for success.
If you are innovative, don't say it. Prove it. Describe the products you've developed. Describe the processes you've modified.
Give us something real so your innovation is unspoken but evident... which is always the best kind of innovative to be.
2. "World-class." Usain Bolt: world-class sprinter, Olympic medals to prove it. Lionel Messi: world-class soccer (I know, football) player, four Ballon d'Or trophies to prove it.
But what is a world-class professional or company? Who defines world-class? In your case, probably just you.
3. "Authority." Like Margaret Thatcher said, "Power is like being a lady; if you have to say you are, you aren't." Show your expertise instead.
"Presented at TEDxEast " or "Predicted 50 out of 50 states in 2012 election" (Hi Nate!) indicates a level of authority. Unless you can prove it, "social media marketing authority" might simply mean you spend way too much time worrying about your Klout score.
4. "Results oriented." Really? Some people actually focus on doing what they are paid to do? We had no idea.
5. "Global provider." The majority of businesses can sell goods or services worldwide; the ones that can't are fairly obvious.
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