WEBVTT - How to answer “What do you do?”

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to craft a good response to that

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<v Speaker 1>all too common question what do you do? In an

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<v Speaker 1>earlier episode of Before Breakfast, I suggested people not ask

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<v Speaker 1>this question as part of small talk. If your conversation

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<v Speaker 1>partner doesn't have a traditional job or isn't happy with

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<v Speaker 1>her job, it can be tricky to answer. It creates awkwardness,

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<v Speaker 1>which is not the point of small talk. That said,

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<v Speaker 1>although there are plenty of more engaging relationship building questions

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<v Speaker 1>people could ask, what do you do remains prevalent, so

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<v Speaker 1>you need to be ready to answer it well in

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<v Speaker 1>a way that communicates who you are and what you're accomplishing,

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe even how your conversation partner can support you

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<v Speaker 1>in your work. The most obvious way to respond to

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<v Speaker 1>what do you do, of course, is just with your

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<v Speaker 1>job function and perhaps also your employer. For some people

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<v Speaker 1>that works just fine. I'm a pediatrician or I'm a

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<v Speaker 1>pilot for fed X. Most people can figure those out.

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<v Speaker 1>Some people have jobs or employers that aren't familiar to others,

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<v Speaker 1>or might not capture what makes the work important to

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<v Speaker 1>that particular person. You might be a consultant, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>or part of the gig economy, or you might be

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<v Speaker 1>looking for a job, so you might not have an

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<v Speaker 1>obvious answer. So in crafting response, I think it's helpful

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<v Speaker 1>to consider why people are asking this question, and usually

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<v Speaker 1>the question what do you do? Is intended to learn

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<v Speaker 1>more or to spark a conversation. If you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>a straightforward answer, you can try one of three approaches.

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<v Speaker 1>The first is to respond with a term that sums

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<v Speaker 1>up what you do. Let's say you're an extructional coach

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<v Speaker 1>for teachers and you write curriculum. Well, you're an educator,

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<v Speaker 1>So you can say that you play the oboe in

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<v Speaker 1>the symphony, teach music lessons, and are a paid singer

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<v Speaker 1>in a church choir. Well, you're a musician. Simple but

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<v Speaker 1>clear descriptions like these provide basic information about your work,

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<v Speaker 1>and they create an opening for your conversation partner to

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<v Speaker 1>ask more about it or to bring up a topic

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<v Speaker 1>of shared interest that your response suggested. Responding with a

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<v Speaker 1>simple summary of your work can also be helpful if

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<v Speaker 1>you have the kind of job that can trigger awkward

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<v Speaker 1>conversations that you'd rather avoid. Like let's say you're a

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<v Speaker 1>dermatologist who keeps getting asked to check out weird moles

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<v Speaker 1>at cocktail parties. Just say you work in healthcare and

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<v Speaker 1>move on to a new topic. Another option when you're

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<v Speaker 1>asked what do you do is to respond with your purpose?

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<v Speaker 1>What are you trying to accomplish in your life through

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<v Speaker 1>your work, whether that's paid or unpaid work, and perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>in other aspects of your life as well. Maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>volunteer extensively as a big brother or big sister and

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<v Speaker 1>serve on several youth focused nonprofit boards. You could describe

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<v Speaker 1>what you do is making sure that all kids have

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<v Speaker 1>what they need to thrive. You'll sometimes hear this sort

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<v Speaker 1>of response described as a personal mission statement. How will

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<v Speaker 1>the world be better because of what you're doing now?

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<v Speaker 1>You need to make sure the answer sounds authentic, but

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<v Speaker 1>done well, this approach can invite all sorts of follow

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<v Speaker 1>on questions that lead the conversation to much deeper places.

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<v Speaker 1>My third suggestion is to use the question as an

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity to invite your conversation partner to support you in

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<v Speaker 1>your work. If you're between jobs, say so and let

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<v Speaker 1>your conversation partner know what you're looking for. This also

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<v Speaker 1>works if you're a freelancer interested in getting more work,

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<v Speaker 1>or if your company wants to find new clients. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>your company is recruiting for an open position and you'd

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate referrals of great talent. You might be planning your

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<v Speaker 1>first corporate retreat and want ideas for venues. Or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you've got a big project in your personal life, like

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<v Speaker 1>your oldest kids applying to college, and you're interested in advice.

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<v Speaker 1>People like being helpful, which means that everybody wins. When

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<v Speaker 1>you answer this way, your conversation partner might introduce you

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<v Speaker 1>to someone else at the event, or suggest an idea

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<v Speaker 1>you hadn't thought of, or at least you've given the

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<v Speaker 1>person an opening to elaborate on a number of related topics.

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<v Speaker 1>The one caveat here is that your tone needs to

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<v Speaker 1>be invitational, not burdensome. You are inviting your partner to

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<v Speaker 1>offer ideas if they'd like to, if not, or otherwise

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<v Speaker 1>it's time to move on to a new topic. So

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<v Speaker 1>how do you respond when you're asked? What do you do?

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<v Speaker 1>Send me a note and let me know You can

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<v Speaker 1>reach me at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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