“So what do you do?”, we all have heard this question at least once in our lifetime. And we can relate to how awkward sometimes it gets to answer such an easy question.
Talking about your job without sounding boring to the listener is a great deal to crack.
How To Answer The Question What Do You Do – 7 Tips
When you get asked this question, you get an opportunity to showcase your strengths. Especially when it’s a job interview, you can answer the question to sell your candidacy to the employer.
Describing what you do for a living is a great way to show your value, skills, and abilities to relate to others.
There’s no exact formula to crack this question, but here we are providing you a couple of strategies to go with.
1. Mention How You Help People
It’s important to show the value of your job when someone asks, “what do you do?”
If you’re successful in showing the value of your work, the stereotypes about your job will go away.
For instance, you’re a content writer. You can say that you help people by writing their blogs or introduce their business in easy words. That’s how you are going to add value to the job you’re doing.
It’s a good way to control the image of your job in people’s minds. Whatever job you do, it depends on you how you depict it in front of others.
2. Tell A Story About Your Job
The narrative style makes the conversation more valuable and compelling. It will help you in making connections.
When you tell someone a story, they begin to mirror what you’re saying and can better connect to it.
The best thing about this strategy is you get to provide a context of what you’re talking about. Of course, you’ll have to use your job title as a segue, but narrating a story will make it fun to hear about.
3. Make It Relatable To Answer The Question What Do You Do
Use it as another great moment to show your storytelling skills. Describe what you do in a way that makes it relatable to the listener. That’s how people will get interested in what you’re talking about.
If you tell them the job title, it won’t generate much more interest than when you tell them a bit about the industry.
Talk a bit about how you’re playing your part in the industry’s growth. Also, tell them the latest news about your company.
4. Skip The Minor Details
Even if you’re doing the world’s most exciting and fun job, you don’t need to mention the minor details. During a job interview, just tell them a bit about what they already know.
Yet, if you’re talking to a layman, talking too detailed will bore them, and they won’t give attention.
If a person is interested to know about the in’s and out’s of your tasks, he’ll ask. Until then, keep it short and mention the most important details.
5. How To Answer The Question What Do You Do – Be Vulnerable
Mention the major details of your journey that led you to where you are today. Tell them what motivates you? What you’ve planned for the next step of your career?
Remember that your conversation is building up a relationship with the listener.
You have to do it effectively, so let your listener see behind the curtain. It will help them to understand where you have come from.
6. Tell Them Why You’re Passionate About The Job
Find something that motivates you and increases your passion day by day, and then focus on it.
Talking about what excites you in your job will excite your listener too.
People love to hear about what makes you enthusiastic. So focus on the favorite parts of your job and what you really look forward to when you enter the office.
7. How To Answer The Question What Do You Do – Promote Yourself
This strategy is more for hiring managers than the people you meet at a social gathering.
A common interview question is “Tell me a bit about yourself,” and you can reply with “what do you do” as a variant.
When an interviewer asks about what do you do, he already knows about your job title. So here the strategy will be a bit different here.
You can promote yourself by focusing on your strengths and achievements. Also, going into the details of your career goals will be helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I explain what I work?
You should find something relatable as it's helpful to relate it to something that the person understands better. Avoid going into too many details because it can make the listener lose interest.
What are some of your strengths?
When an interviewer asks you what your strengths are, you can give them a long list to read. Honesty, enthusiasm, creativity, patience, determination, and dedication are some human strengths.
How do you answer, Can I ask you a question?
If someone asks you this question, you can use a polite way to tackle it. If you're willing to listen to them, say Yes, you may. But you aren't obligated to answer their question if you don't want to. Because you said, you'd listen, not reveal private information.
What to say when you don't have an answer?
Stay confident even if you don't have the answer to a question. You can deal with it by simply admitting it. Also, don't let embarrassment, disappointment, or any negative reaction get over your nerves.
What is your current role and responsibility?
While explaining your responsibilities, tell how you used your skills to fulfill your duties. For instance, you can mention how you used your communication skills to meet your clients' needs.
Conclusion
The question “what do you do” seems very easy and straightforward, but answering it can be a bit tricky.
Make sure that your listener is able to see the worth of your work and understand what makes you passionate.
If you answer the question in a relatable and compelling style, you can easily win your listener.
So the next time you get confronted with this question, use these tips and answer like a boss!
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Last Updated on 2 days by Shahzaib Arshad
- 7 Jobs For People With Cerebral Palsy – Tips To Manage Yourself - October 6, 2022
- 15 Easy-On-Hand Jobs For People With Chronic Fatigue In 2022 - October 2, 2022
- 9 Effortless Jobs For People With Agoraphobia - October 1, 2022
