Them: “Hi, I’m So-And-So.”
Me: “Hi, I’m Kirsten.”
[Shakes hands]
Them: “Nice to meet you.”
Me: “Likewise!”
Them: “What do you do?”
Such a well intended yet loaded question! Most people just spout off a job title, employer’s name, and overuse the words “I” and “me” for a minute or two.
Sure, maybe a job title gives a three word description of what a person does for 40+ hours at work, but that’s not even 25% of a 168 hour week. What do we all do with the rest?
I have read and heard a few different perspectives on this very topic. The following are a few examples:
- Life’s Most Dangerous Question: What Do You Do? – The Minimalists
- 13 Wildly Successful People Answer the Question: “What Do You Do?” – The Mission
My simple challenge to you is this:
- Take some time to think about what it is you do. What are you passions? What do you do with your life? What is beyond your job description?
- Come up with some better ways to ask the question. What exactly do you want to know about a person?
- Consider some better ways to answer the question. What exactly do you want a person to know about you?