The Art of Selling Yourself

July 2, 2012
This book is a perfunctory lesson in self-presentation and showmanship from business development professionals Riccoboni and Callaghan. During all the times we need to promote ourselves directly in our working lives—writing a résumé, attending a job interview, convincing colleagues of a new idea, gaining a promotion or pay raise—it’s in our own hands to convince the person with the power to give us what we want. Riccoboni and Callaghan take readers through the necessities of developing self-belief and confidence, understanding their own best qualities and wants, developing “soft skills” such as empathy, maximizing personal presentation, and managing social media. Using worksheets and case studies (Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and Jeff Bezos), the authors propose a strategy of the virtuous cycle of behaving confidently—in essence, faking it until they make it. It may all be decent advice, but unfortunately, the content is too hastily skimmed over and comes across as superficial. Agent: Lesley O’Mara, Michael O’Mara Books.