How to Know What to Say When They Ask, “What DoYou Do?

Now, 99 percent of the people you meet will, of course, ask "And

what do you do?" Big winners, realizing someone will always ask,

are fully prepared for the interrogation.

Many folks have one written résumé for job seeking. They

type it up and then trudge off to the printer to get a nice neat

stack to send to all prospective employers. The résumé lists their

previous positions, dates of employment, and education. Then, at

the bottom, they might as well have scribbled, "Well, that's me.

Take it or leave it." And usually they get left. Why? Because prospective employers do not find enough specific points in the

résumé that relate directly to what their firm is seeking.

Boys and girls in the big leagues, however, have bits and bytes

of their entire work experience tucked away in their computers.

When applying for a job, they punch up only the appropriate data

and print it out so it looks like it just came from the printer.

My friend Roberto was out of work last year. He applied for

two positions:a sales manager of an ice cream company and head

of strategic planning for a fast-food chain. He did extensive

research and found the ice cream company had deep sales difficulties and the food chain had long-range international aspirations.

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"What DoYou Do?"

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Did he send the same résumé to each? Absolutely not. His résumé

never deviated one iota from the truth of his background. However, for the ice cream company, he highlighted his experience

turning a small company around by doubling its sales in three

years. For the food chain, he underscored his experience working

in Europe and his knowledge of foreign markets.

Both firms offered Roberto the job. Now he could play them

off against each other. He went to each, explaining he'd like to

work for them but another firm was offering a higher salary or

more perks. The two firms started bidding against each other for

Roberto. He finally chose the food chain at almost double the

salary they originally offered him.

To make the most of every encounter, personalize your verbal

résumé with just as much care as you would your written curriculum vitae. Instead of having one answer to the omnipresent

"What do you do?" prepare a dozen or so variations, depending

on who's asking. For optimum networking, every time someone

asks about your job, give a calculated oral résumé in a nutshell.

Before you submit your answer, consider what possible interest the

asker could have in you and your work.

"Here's How My Life Can Benefit Yours"

Top salespeople talk extensively of the "benefit statement." They

know, when talking with a potential client, they should open their

conversation with a benefit statement. When my colleague Brian

makes cold calls, instead of saying "Hello, my name is Brian Tracy.

I'm a sales trainer," he says, "Hello, my name is Brian Tracy from

the Institute for Executive Development. Would you be interested

in a proven method that can increase your sales from 20 to 30 percent over the next twelve months?" That is his benefit statement.

He highlights the specific benefits of what he has to offer to his

prospect.

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My hairdresser Gloria, I discovered, gives a terrific benefit

statement to everyone she meets. That's probably why she has so

many clients. In fact, that's how she got me as a client. When I

met Gloria at a convention, she told me she was a hairdresser who

specialized in flexible hairstyles for the businesswoman. She casually mentioned she has many clients who choose a conservative

hairstyle for work that they can instantly convert to a feminine

style for social situations. "Hey, that's me," I said to myself, fingering my stringy little ponytail. I asked for her card and Gloria

became my hairdresser.

Then, several months later, I happened to see Gloria at

another event. I overheard her chatting with a stylish grey-haired

woman at the buffet table. Gloria was saying ". . . and we specialize

in a wonderful array of blue rinses." Now that was news to me! I

didn't remember seeing one grey head in her salon.

As I was leaving the party, Gloria was out on the lawn talking

animatedly with the host's teenage daughters. "Oh yeah," she was

saying, "like we specialize in these really cool up-to-the-minute

styles." Good for you, Gloria!

Like Gloria the hairdresser, give your response a once-over

before answering the inevitable "What do you do?" When someone asks, never give just a one-word answer. That's for forms. If

business networking is on your mind, ask yourself, "How could

my professional experience benefit this person's life?" For example,

here are some descriptions various people might put on their tax

return:

Real estate agent

Financial planner

Martial arts instructor

Cosmetic surgeon

Hairdresser

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Any practitioner of the above professions should reflect on the

benefit his or her job has to humankind. (Every job has some benefit or you wouldn't get paid to do it.) The advice to the folks

above is

Don't say "real estate agent." Say "I help people moving into

our area find the right home."

Don't say "financial planner." Say "I help people plan their

financial future."

Don't say "martial arts instructor." Say "I help people defend

themselves by teaching martial arts."

Don't say "cosmetic surgeon." Say "I reconstruct people's faces

after disfiguring accidents." (Or, if you're talking with a

woman "of a certain age," as the French so gracefully say, tell

her, "I help people to look as young as they feel through cosmetic surgery.")

Don't say "hairdresser." Say "I help a woman find the right

hairstyle for her particular face." (Go, Gloria!)

Putting the benefit statement in your verbal "Nutshell

Résumé" brings your job to life and makes it memorable. Even if

your new acquaintance can't use your services, the next time he or

she meets someone moving into the area, wanting to plan their

financial future, thinking of self defense, considering cosmetic surgery, or needing a new hairstyle, who comes to mind? Not the

unimaginative people who gave the tax-return description of their

jobs, but the big winners who painted a picture of helping people

with needs.

A Nutshell Résumé for Your Private Life

The Nutshell Résumé works in nonbusiness situations, too. Since

the new acquaintances will always ask you about yourself, prepare

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a few exciting stock answers. When meeting a potential friend or

loved one, make your life sound like you will be a fun person to

know.

As a young girl, I wrote novels in my mind about my life.

"Leil, squinting her eyes against the torrential downpour, bravely

reached out the window into the icy storm to pull the shutters

tight and keep the family safe from the approaching hurricane."

Big deal—Mama asked me to close the windows when it started

to rain. Still, marching toward the open window, I fancied myself

the family's brave savior.

You don't need to be quite so melodramatic in your self-image,

but at least punch up your life to sound interesting and dedicated.