The Secret to Answering, 'What Are You Working On?'

In the built environment sector, it's easier to succeed with networking.

When you meet someone new, particularly at an industry event, one of the common questions you hear is this: "What are you working on?"

How you answer can be the difference between landing a new client and being forgotten. That is the point adjunct professor Jackie Loewe drives home in Creating a Firm Ambassador Culture, a class in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Executive Management for Design and Construction (EMDC) program.

"When you're at industry events, that question will come up," said Loewe, founding partner of Sheridan Park Consulting. "To answer it effectively requires you to craft your response in a way that is engaging and memorable."

So, what is the secret to making yourself memorable and potentially landing new work?

Loewe suggests this five-step exercise.

Step 1. 

Start by writing down how you would answer the question, "What are you working on?" Your answer might look something like this: I'm overseeing the I-90 rehab project.

Often, our answers are pretty plain and boring. They don't show detail. They don't show impact. They don't show a story. 

To be memorable, you have to give your listener something to remember.

Step 2. 

Think about what matters to your audience. What do you know about them? What part of the country or world are they from? What's important to them?

If they don't live in Chicago, they might not know the history or significance of I-90, also known as the Kennedy Expressway.

If they don't know the significance, they won't understand the project's impact. It's on you to show them the impact.

Step 3. 

Revisit what you wrote and see how you can bring the answer to life. Instead of this, I'm overseeing the 1-90 rehab project, consider this:

I'm helping revitalize one of the busiest highways in the Midwest. Chicago's Kennedy Expressway feeds directly into O'Hare International Airport, but it has been nearly 30 years since any major work was done on it. My team and I are in the midst of a three-year project to rehab its bridges, replace signage, and modernize the highway. 

Which one is more memorable?

Step 4. 

Check in with your audience to measure their reaction.

It's great to add details, but you want to make sure you don't deliver a lecture in answering the question. An easy way to do that is to insert your own questions within your answer. That way, you don't monopolize the conversation, and you can also gain information that can help shape your answer.

If your listener knows Chicago, for example, you don't need to spend time explaining the significance of the Kennedy Expressway.

Step 5. 

Keep practicing. Like anything, the only way to improve your answer to the "What are you working on" question is to practice.

Try answering the question differently:

• Answer in 15 seconds 
• Answer in one sentence 
• Answer like a kid asked you 
• Answer like they know the highway 
• Answer like they don't know the highway 

The options are limitless. Just be sure your answer has detail, shows impact, and has a story. Do that, and the next time someone asks, "What are you working on?", you can be confident they will remember your answer.