Being professional means you have to be a bit or much more formal (depending on the context).
If you’re supposed to take part in a formal, professional situation, prepare a little bit of background basic information so you can introduce yourself professionally.
Remember that first impressions are very important and normally impossible to change once they happen, so take this first step very seriously.
Instead of saying:
Hi! My name’s John.
How you doing?
Hi, I’m John, from New York.
Try these:
Good morning, my name is John Doe. Very nice to meet you.
I’m John Doe from New York. Nice to meet you, Mr. Gordon.
Good morning, sir. My name is Doe, John Doe. I come from the New York office.
Good afternoon, Mr. Gordon. I’m John Doe from New York. I have heard a lot about you.
It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Gordon. My name is John Doe. I just arrived from New York.
Be precise! If they have any questions, they’ll ask, and you can always introduce part of your story later in the conversation when it fits much better.
Let’s have a look at how Amy and Brian, could briefly talk about their career background and make a good first impression:
Amy: I work for an IT company in Lower Manhattan. or I’ve been working as an editor for Select Magazine for 15 years.
Brian: I’ve been working as a freelance translator since 2002. or During the last 10 years, I’ve been in charge of managing translation projects related to marketing.
Avoid saying too much at this point, and try not to give too much information if it doesn’t suit the conversation.
Here’s an example of something you should avoid saying right away:
I’ve been a freelance translator for 20 years. When I finished studying Translation and Mediation, I decided that I wanted to start looking for a job, but finding a good one was so difficult that I gave up three weeks later. I started my own business and began looking for big clients so that I could get a stable income. A couple of years later I moved to Bosnia, and…
Remember to also show interest in the other speaker/s after you’ve introduced yourself and your career status. You can add one of the following questions at the end of your “presentation”:
What about you, Mr. Gordon?
Do you have any experience in IT?
What do you do for a living, Mr. Gordon?
I’ve heard you work in … as a …, don’t you, Mr. Gordon?
Make a list of things that make you professionally unique. It can be anything you’ve achieved in your life that makes you feel proud of yourself.
Don’t lie, exaggerate or beautify what you say. Honesty will get you further than lies, so don’t say you speak Swahili fluently if you actually only know a few words in that language.
Amy: I met Bill Gates in 2005 when I was working as an assistant. He shared some thoughts on building your own brand. That was a turning point in my career.
Brian: I used to live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I got to work with the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law. This allowed me to have an insight on the topic, which has certainly proved to be valuable for my job as a translator.
Avoid talking about things that could be detrimental (negative) for you or are so unimportant that they’re not even worth mentioning:
I’m punctual and very responsible.
I lived in Bosnia, where the food is amazing.
