Last week, thanks to publications like The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, and The Globe and Mail, we added another term to the social-media lexicon: Underbragging. A close relative to the humblebrag—in which one boasts under the guise of humility, as in, "Geez, I hope I don't make an ass of myself during my Governer General's Award speech"—underbragging involves the psychological proving your worth through self-deprecation. What does that mean? You might post "Man, I can't believe I ate six double downs last night" on Twitter, which should, if you're not a junk food masochist, engender a strange type of admiration from your followers. By slyly suggesting that you had a one-time KFC binge, you're suggesting that, well, you're not the type who goes on daily KFC binges. You're better than that. See? Those are the subtle mechanics of the underbrag.
Call bullshit on the underbrag, but fact is, such self-promotion tactics are being widely debated—and, as the Wall Street Journal attests, this, this might have something to do with a weak job market. "In the most competitive job market in memory, the lesson is clear," writes the article's author, Elizabeth Bernstein. "You must demonstrate—on multiple platforms—that you excel above all others."
It's all slightly depressing—we may be moving towards a culture of windbaggery, of braggarts competing for volume. But there are better, respectable ways to prove your worth (or market yourself with integrity). We asked Alan Cross, the guy behind The Ongoing History of New Music, to explain how to cut through the noise of a zillion braggarts shouting—and for how schmoozing  can help your career. - Mark Teo
It's understandable if your gag-reflex kicks in at the thought of networking. Nobody likes a brown-noser. They reek of insincerity, and forget about trust; these manipulative, shallow ass-kissers are known as the type to sell you out and steal your ideas. Who wants to have that reputation?
There's a fine line between schmoozing and brown-nosing, and one of the reasons people cross that line is their inability to truly understand what schmoozing is all about. Make no mistake, the ability to schmooze can garner access to job openings well before they are posted publicly, and help with career advancement in general. But it's not about fake laughs or the wink and the gun so much as it's about being human and communicating with sincerity. The untrained schmoozer can misinterpret this idea in a variety of ways and wind up blowing a potentially great opportunity — for instance, taking to Facebook instead of taking it to the street.
 
With the invention and continually rising popularity of Facebook and its millions of users, just about anyone can be tracked down. For someone scared or nervous about getting out there and hobnobbing with a professional figure they see as intimidating, Facebook could be thought of as an icebreaker. However, radio personality and Corus Radio's senior program director, Alan Cross, would beg to differ.
 
"Facebook can be a very dangerous form of communication. Do you want a prospective employer to see you with your face down in a pile of vomit from that party in Cancun?" asks Cross. "Nothing beats the personal touch — the face-to-face. Anybody can be your Facebook friend, anybody can tweet you something, anybody can send you an email, but it's only when you have that human contact — which is 300,000 years of evolution — that makes any real lasting impact."
 
What if that kind of human contact scares you a little bit? First of all, know that you're not alone. Cross has become one of the most respected radio broadcasting figures in Canada over the last 25 years in an industry where schmoozing is of paramount importance. Describing himself as "a very private person," Cross notes not being a huge fan of the schmooze and believes that his inability to feel comfortable doing that right away probably slowed his career down at the beginning. To get past that, Cross began to observe others he knew to be getting ahead, and picked up on their techniques.
 
"The art of schmoozing is something that you have to develop," continues Cross. "It's like a muscle you have to exercise. You don't necessarily have to love it, you don't necessarily have to live for it, but you have to develop a skill for it."
 
Luckily, schmoozing environments can be created out of thin air and feel far less pressure-packed than a corporate gathering. The secret to doing this is to be prepared and always have talking points in mind. Going into these moments and drawing a blank is deadly.
 
"Be a bit bombastic and always have something to talk about," advises Ross Harrhy, a national accounts sales associate for a sizeable Canadian publisher. "Read the paper every day so you know what's going on in the world or bring some tidbit of information to any larger conversation. Bring levity to the room but in business, always remain serious and never sarcastic. Relax and smile and people will come to you, and if not, find the food or a drink — a drink, not five — and be snappy," he adds. "If you've ever worked in customer service it's as easy as 'Can I help you?' but change it to 'Great day, huh?' The weather is the greatest conversation piece in your arsenal; never gets old."
 
In order to pull this off with any kind of success, you must understand the type of person you're dealing with. If you're engaging in a conversation for schmoozing purposes, you must be the one to adjust your personality to meet that of the person you're speaking with. Don't exaggerate and get too far out of your skin, just find a way to make yourself relatable and trustworthy. If you're over-eager and trying to be something you're not, you will be sniffed out right way. Just remember, it all comes back to something that all of us can do rather easily — be human.
 
"There are things I've been able to do, people I've been able to meet, opportunities that have opened up to me, opportunities that I've given other people that have all come from chance meetings in hallways or in social situations that has been mutually beneficial," concludes Cross. "You have to be true to yourself and you don't want to misrepresent yourself." jp