Sell Yourself Short
Idioms are expressions used in English that don’t always have a literal meaning. You might hear a native speaker say, “I feel like a million bucks” or “They gave me the runaround” and what exactly they are talking about. Well, sometimes it can be very difficult or even impossible to guess the meaning of an idiom just by translating it word for word. If you’re a beginner, it’s ok if these expressions “go over your head”. But if you want to sound like a native speaker and take part in more advanced conversations, you absolutely need to start learning idioms!
This idiom is very common and every native speaker knows what it means. Let’s look at an example:
Imagine you are preparing for a job interview. The company is looking for someone with management experience. In your previous job, you worked as an IT consultant for a large technology firm. Most IT consultants work as part of a team that a supervisor manages. However, in your job you were frequently asked to take on management responsibilities—coordinating with team members, monitoring progress on various projects and reporting back to the head of the department. What should you do?
Don’t sell yourself short! Be confident and make it clear that you do have the experience they are looking for. Explain that your job title doesn’t tell the whole story. Give examples of the responsibilities you were given and how you will use that experience in the future.
People sometimes worry that they will sound arrogant or even dishonest if they exaggerate, or oversell, their abilities. This could be true, but only if you really are lying about your skills and experience. So, if someone tells you not to sell yourself short, it must mean that you have the right skills for the job and you shouldn’t be afraid to tell others about it.
Grammar Tips
The phrase “don’t sell yourself short” contains something called a reflexive pronoun—yourself. We use these pronouns when the action of the sentence refers back to the subject. In this case, “you” are talking about “you”. Depending on the situation, “yourself” could be replaced by a different pronoun that matches the subject of the sentence.
He always sells himself short.
Our team developed a great concept. We shouldn’t sell ourselves short.
Rachel was confident in her job interview and made sure not to sell herself short.
Also, remember that this phrase can be used to talk about the past, present or future. All you need to do is change the verb “sell”:
He could have gotten a better job, but he sold himself short.
When we present our idea to the director, we won’t sell ourselves short.
She shouldn’t have sold herself short.
