What Do You Do?

Imagine you're at a networking event or a neighborhood block party or maybe chatting with other parents at your kid's soccer game. You meet some new people and the dreaded question comes up:

"What do you do?"

For most of us, this question creates a level of anxiety higher than we'd like to confess.

We feel pressured to say something impressive, something witty or trendy or powerful that staves off judgment and maybe even induces a bit of jealousy.

We have this reaction, in part, because we seek validation that our career choice was the right one, not only by what we imagine are the standards of others, but ultimately by our own measure.

Sometimes we answer by saying we work for company so-and-so along with a job title. Other times we hem and haw with a vague answer. The deft and quick-thinking among us will give a cursory response, then flip it around and ask, "Tell me about what you do." We'll feign enthusiasm and interest, hoping the conversational hot potato moves onto someone else.

At least 70% of us have likely felt this way. ^[1]

What does this question feel like when we have a job we love? Feeling like our job matters and that we are appreciated can change the situation entirely. Not only do we feel a certain pride in what we do, we will often phrase our response in a different way as well.

Rather than stating our job title, we eagerly talk about the problem we solve or the service we offer. Instead of saying, "I'm a shift supervisor at a medical supplies manufacturer," we would genuinely smile and say, "I help make bandages used to treat burn victims in a way that helps them recover much faster than traditional bandages, and without scarring, too."

One is a statement of fact while the other is a statement of pride. One is unenthusiastic and trite while the other speaks to the value we add.

This kind of pride and enthusiasm comes from an individual that is appreciated by their supervisor and peers, someone who is engaged and happy because they do work that matters. This comes from having the clarity of knowing what you are to achieve and how.

This positive attitude and engagement comes from someone who's performance was fueled by an employer who cares about employee engagement and success. They work for people who give them the feedback they need to succeed, when they need it.

Achieving this job nirvana starts with obtaining a fundamental understanding of how you are hardwired.

This understanding comes from the Core Values Index, the psychometric assessment that takes less than 10 minutes to complete yet provides the highest repeat reliability of any assessment on the market today, above 97% (take the test at age 20 and again at age 60 and your scores will differ by less than 3%).

The next step is to use this new, powerful knowledge about your innate, unchanging nature to pursue the job or career that suits you best. Are you a practical or intuitive person? Do you naturally take charge and get things done? Do you love to gather and share knowledge? Do you revel in finding innovative solutions to challenging problems? Find out by taking the CVI.

How do you get a job at a company that embraces your CVI profile and uses the performance fuel formula to give you the purpose, clarity and feedback you need to succeed? Look for positions posted at eRep.com/jobs/ by companies that use eRep's powerful hiring tools. These tools match candidates to positions using their CVI scores and Top Performer Profiles™ to bring about unprecedented hiring accuracy.

Employees matched to roles via Top Performer Profiles and CVI scores can outperform others by up to 200%. Companies that use eRep's Performance Fuel employee engagement and empowerment system give their staff the purpose, clarity and feedback they need to thrive and become top performers.

These are the kind of people who are eager to talk about what they do, because they are engaged, empowered, and inspired.

These are the people who are happy to answer the question, "What do you do?"

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^{[1] Studies have shown that up to 70% of workers are unhappy in their current role.}