Most people don’t know how to introduce themselves to each other on a professional level.
If I were to ask you, “tell me about yourself,” what would you say?
If you’re like the majority of people out there, you’ll probably give some abridged version of your LinkedIn or resume. “I’m a product manager with X years of experience and I’ve launched Y number of products, generating over Z in net new revenue.”
Sounds pretty good, right? And you’d be right, it is good, but it’s not unique. In other words, it doesn’t help you stand out among the countless others in your field with similar answers. So, what should you be answering instead?
To take a page from the world of product management, the answer is to answer “so what?”
Great, you generated $X dollars for your company. So what?
Cool, you reduced operational costs by Y%. So what?
Awesome, you launched Z new features (or even an entire product). So what?
Your metrics do not have inherent value to your audience. Without context, they can’t even begin to understand why this or that should matter to them. When someone asks you to “tell [them] about yourself,” don’t stop at your achievements, go into why they should matter to the other person.
The next time you’re out networking with someone new, whether it’d be for a job opportunity or a random encounter online or offline, when they ask you to tell them about yourself, answer with something that helps them not just understand who you are, but feel why it matters.
So my friends, tell me about yourself.
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