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"What do you do?"

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What do you do? Such a simple question, one you are sure to be on the receiving end over and over again. So why are most of our answers so bad?

That’s what Ira Koretsky, president & CEO, The Chief Storyteller, challenged the young professionals attending the preSpringtime Unplugged session “Business Dating: Six Ways to Become an Expert Networker” with.

There really is not excuse not to have a good answer to that question. What constitutes a good answer? Here’s some tips Koretsky gave:

- When people ask the question, they don’t actually want to know the specifics of your job. They want to know what you can do for them. So think of an answer that goes beyond, for example, marketing.

- Think in headlines, or, at worst, a 30-second radio spot. “Think of yourself as a verbal advertisement.” You have a very limited time to make an impact.

- A good answer will not force people to ask further basic questions. Rather, it will tell them something interesting.

- At all costs, don’t ask the question yourself – at least don’t make it the first question you ask.

Posted by Scott Briscoe on April 15, 2009 4:28 PM |

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