It’s one of the most common questions there is, and one of the hardest to answer on the spot. The good news: you can prepare a natural answer once and use it everywhere, from first dates to new jobs.
Skip the CV
Your job title and where you live are fine for a sentence, but they’re not the interesting part. People remember what you enjoy, not your job description.
Pick two or three things
Something you love doing, something you’re into right now and something a little unexpected: “I’m a nurse, I’ve just started learning to surf badly, and I’m weirdly good at quizzes.”
Add one small story
“Last week I got wiped out by a wave in front of a group of eight-year-olds.” Stories give people something to ask about.
Leave a hook
End on something that begs a question: the odd hobby, the trip you’re planning, the mishap you mentioned. A good hook means you don’t have to carry the next minute alone.
Match the setting
On a date, lead with what you enjoy. At work, start with what you do, then add one human detail. At a party, how you know the host is the perfect start.
Keep it short
Under a minute. A short, interesting answer invites questions. A long one turns into a speech.
Don’t say you’re boring
“Oh, there’s not much to say” closes the door. Even a quiet life has a detail worth sharing: a favorite walk, a show you can’t stop watching, a recipe you’ve nearly perfected. There’s more in How to Talk About Yourself Without Bragging.
Prepare, don’t script
Know your two or three things and one story, but not the exact words. A memorized answer sounds memorized, and it breaks the moment someone interrupts.
Ask them back
“What about you? What are you into at the moment?” It’s a conversation, not an interview. First Date Conversation Topics has more questions worth asking.
Lines to borrow
- On a first date: “I teach at a primary school, so I’m very good at glue and very bad at quiet. Outside work I’m cooking my way through one cookbook.”
- At work: “I’ve just moved over from the Leeds office. Before that I spent a year in Berlin pretending to understand techno.”
- At a party: “I’m Jess. I know the host from a terrible pottery class, and I’m the one who brought the brownies.”
- When you’re stuck: “Right now it’s mostly work, sleep and a very slow jigsaw. What about you?”
- Passing it back: “That’s me in a nutshell. Your turn: what are you into right now?”
Practice it
Speed Dating practices standing out in five minutes when everyone asks “So, what do you do?” First Date Energy practices the whole date, and The Icebreaker is free to play: the fun fact at a work training day.