Why 'Selling Yourself' To An Employer Is A Misguided Notion

I've raised questions about these career truths: "Do what you love" and "Network, network, network."

Another common career belief I too unquestioningly used to accept is that job seekers must sell themselves. After all, that's the American way -- sell, sell, sell. At trainings and conferences for career counselors, we were taught ever more powerful tools to help our clients sell themselves: PAR stories, microanalyzed mock video interviews, perfect canned answers to the toughest interview questions. And we were reassured that it was ethically defensible to write clients' resumes and cover letters, even without those documents disclosing that.