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to sell oneself

to sell oneself

10 6.8
To show your skills and good points to get opportunities
  • phrasal verb
  • /sɛl wʌnˈsɛlf/
  • Informal
translation icon : venderse
  • Use these tools to sell yourself to the human resources representative or the appropriate decision maker, who can decide to hire or promote you.

Examples

  • Would you show up at a job interview without the ability to sell yourself?

    Blog text (18)
  • Use these tips to sharpen your skill of selling yourself.

    Academic text (2012)
  • See, you sell yourself short when you do that.

  • Attitude and confidence are number one when it comes to selling yourself, especially at a job interview.

    Blog text (30)
  • You have a lot of talent and experience to offer, so don't sell yourself short -- but do sell yourself as valuable.

    Blog text (10)
  • Read my blog on building rapport and learn to sell yourself.

    Blog text (16)
  • That's no way to sell yourself to a prospective employer.

    Blog text (13)
  • You've got to sell yourself in this life in this land; otherwise, for sure, nobody's buying.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You know, for a guy who's tongue-tied when he tries to sell himself...

  • To succeed in business, you must learn how to sell yourself effectively at networking events.

Synonyms

to promote
vsto sell oneself
252 3.5

Tell people about a product to increase sales

focuses on personal favorable presentation aimed at opportunities rather than broad publicity
to pitch
vsto sell oneself
152 3.9

To try to sell something or persuade people to accept an idea

aims to win approval through favorable presentation rather than direct selling
to advertise
vsto sell oneself
47 2.6

Tell many people about something so they know it exists

targets individual approval and opportunities rather than general public awareness
to portray oneself as
vsto sell oneself
43 5.3

To show yourself as a certain kind of person to make others think that way

focuses on shaping an image rather than attracting opportunities or approval
to talk up
vsto sell oneself
13 4.1

To say that something is better or more important than it really is

presents favorably to attract approval without necessarily exaggerating
to oversell
vsto sell oneself
7 4.9

Make something seem better than it really is

seeks favorable impression but without overstatement or exaggeration
7.2

Make yourself look good to other people

aims to attract opportunities or approval rather than only showing positives
to put oneself across
vsto sell oneself
6.7

Express your ideas and personality clearly so others understand you

emphasizes making a favorable impression to attract approval or opportunities

Antonyms

59 5.3

Show something as less important or serious than it is

Hiding something so people cannot see or know about it

How Persuasive

to sell oneself
  • Informal
10 6.8

Surface Forms

sell oneself infinitive
selling oneself present participle
sells oneself third person singular
sold oneself past participle

Morphology

sell + oneself

The meaning arises directly from extending 'sell' (persuade or promote) to a reflexive target: to promote or market oneself. This metaphorical but conventionalized mapping (person as product) is a simple compositional shift that a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer.

Etymology

The phrase sell oneself comes from the image of a person shown like a product at a market, where sell and oneself create the picture of offering yourself to be chosen. So, to sell oneself means to 'promote' your skills or to present yourself to 'get work' or 'win approval'.