Do you panic when asked the inevitable social event question, “So what do you do?!!!” Try keeping it simple. Your aim is to get the listener interested, not give a canned answer. I love the idea of highlighting a talent or skill and providing a success story.
My favorite networking authors, Lynne Waymon and Anne Baber (Making Contacts Count, AMACOM) www.ContactsCount.com offer these examples of good answers to that question. Would you be interested in continuing the conversation if you heard these? Any examples of others you can give us for starters?1. Interior decorator: “You know how kids outgrow their clothes? Well, I consult with families who’ve outgrown their houses. I just helped a couple decorate a room for their new baby.”
2. Survey Methodologist: “I design surveys and questionnaires. I wrote one for soldiers returning from Iraq and figured out a way for them to answer online. We were amazed when that boosted the response rate by about 18%.
3. Human Resources Manager: “I’m in charge of the on-boarding process for all our new hires. I just spoke about some of our newest ideas at a conference for people from Fortune 500 companies.”
