How To Tell People What You Do

What do you do?

You hear it everywhere. At networking events. At conferences. At the cafe. At family get-togethers and friends’ weddings. From your parents, your old college friends, potential clients…

Everyone wants to know… what do you do?

When you don’t have a typical job it can be hard to explain to people what exactly you do. It’s not as easy as saying “I’m a nurse” or “I’m an electrician” or “I’m a lawyer.”

And if you work for yourself that’s another layer of confusion. “So you don’t have a job?” Ummm…

As a freelancer and business owner, you’re going to get this question a lot and you’ve got to be able to answer clarity and confidence. Not just so your parents quit bugging you about getting a job, but so you can explain it to potential clients.

So, here’s how to tell people what you do with confidence.

Step 1: K, What do you actually do?

Do you write? Design? Code? Strategize? Copyedit? What do you actually do in terms of tasks and deliverables?

Step 2: Who are the people you help?

Do you work with busy moms? New entrepreneurs? Authors wanting to reach a new audience? Who are your people?

Step 3: What problem do you solve?

How does what you do (step 1) translate into being helpful for people? What are you helping your clients to achieve?

Step 4: How do you want to be described?

Some people prefer the word freelancers, some prefer consultant, some prefer entrepreneur. What you want to be called is up to you and probably depends on what your ideal clients are looking for when they search for people to hire.

Step 5: Combine it all!

Now put it all together in a way that makes sense. For example:

• I’m a freelance web designer who helps new entrepreneurs attract clients with a beautiful website
• I’m a life coach who helps busy moms prioritize their time by empowering them to look after themselves first
• I’m a PR consultant who helps writers and authors to launch their new books online through marketing and PR

When you break it down like this, it’s easy to understand – even for your grandparents who have no idea what you do. You can now easily explain what you do in one sentence to anyone who asks. The confused expressions on people’s faces will be replaced with those of interest and esteem!

If you can deliver this one-liner with confidence and clarity, those potential clients you meet at networking events will be handing over their business cards like crazy!

So practice your one line description and bust it out next time someone asks “what do you do?” And say it again with some enthusiasm!