I'm not trying to start a trend or anything with these questions as blog titles but, I thought about this when I was looking over some articles on social networking. To start this off let's pretend that I'm introducing two of my friends, Steven and Enrique, to each other for the first time. Here is a snippet of the typical dialogue...
Steven: Hi, Enrique. It's good to meet you.
Enrique: You, too. Manuel has told me great things about you.
Steven: Haha, he is such a gadabout. So... what do you do?
Enrique: I work for the Federal Government.
I'm thinking it could be me, or maybe just a DC thing but, the "What do you do?" question always comes up within minutes of meeting someone new. Beware that there are many forms of this questions; it does not have to be those words specifically.
More people are focusing on building their social networks, especially with the rocky economy and unpredictable job market. It’s the whole “who you know” thing. I understand that the question can be used to stimulate conversation. Besides, you know that it’s going to happen. But, when it comes so early in the dialogue I wonder about the motives of the asker. So, what happens next?
Steven will probably begin to solicit more details about Enrique’s occupation and try to discover any commonalities and mutual friends. Steven is sub-consciously assessing the value of knowing Enrique and remembering key elements that might be useful in the future when taping into either of their social networks.
We still don’t know Steven’s occupation. Either way, whatever Steven says will be a crucial factor in how he is positioned in Enrique’s social network and will have a significant influence on the outcome of this initial meeting.
Let’s hope Steven can bring something to the table.
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3 years ago
Good call Manuel. This actually ties into something larger that I like to call "Social Prostitution," which occurs when people attempt to meet others only to further their own careers and networks. These social fornicators will often immediately forget about you if you can't benefit their future in some way. We must all beware.
ReplyDeleteManny, that's the nature of being in Washington DC. This town is way more connected than you know. I was at a party in DC this past weekend and didn't know many people. But the majority that I met asked the "what do you do?" question and wasn't surprised. It's just a direct way of getting to the point.
ReplyDeleteAt least I got to practice my 30 second elevator speech right?
Interesting point Manny. In my viewpoint, I think the question "what do you do?" means 2 things: 1. The person wants to network hard by taking advantage of those who have extraordinary background or job. 2. This is probably a safe question to initiate a conversation when you first meet someone- start with professional but not personal...
ReplyDeleteAfter looking over this post again, I realize that it sounds as if I have negative feelings towards the magic question. Let me admit that I do ask it... and maybe quite often. First, I ask just to keep the conversation going. I like the idea of meeting some one on a professional level before a personal one.
ReplyDeleteI'll make a mental note if the new person I meet is good for my social network. If not, then I'll still remember them, unlike the "social fornicator."