If you want to advance your career, take The BBQ Test.
Are you ready?
So you’re at a BBQ or House Party.
You strike up a new conversation and the inevitable question is asked.
“So what do you do?”
How do you answer?
Do you mumble your job title?
Do you give a vague industry response that no one understands?
Do you try to change the subject?
Most people underestimate how important this moment is.
How you describe your job in casual settings says a lot about your career.
Not because you’re pitching to strangers at BBQs.
But because these little moments reveal whether you understand the value of what you do and whether you can communicate it clearly.
What happens when you tell people what you do?
Do they light up with curiosity?
Do they share something relevant?
Do they ask a follow-up?
Or does the conversation fizzle out?
If your response closes down the conversation, that’s a clue…
And here’s the real kicker:
If you can’t explain what you do to a stranger at a BBQ, you’re probably not explaining it well to people who matter either.
People like:
- Hiring managers
- Executives
- Key Clients
- Decision-makers
Every career breakthrough starts with a conversation.
And how you describe yourself will either limit or expand what happens next.
So if you’re heading to a BBQ this weekend, and someone inevitably asks:
“What do you do for a living?”
Make sure your response matters.
Because it does.