How do you respond to this question??? its the worst💀

41 comments

  4. I hate that question because it feels like an interview. The interaction ends up feeling forced in a way and not as natural.

    Honestly? I go back to what the other person was talking about earlier and connect it to myself in some way. I avoid answering this question directly.

  5. Tell them what is going on right now in your life and if you have the feeling that they want more tell them about how you went there 🙂

  6. I hate this question. I think my response these days would be “what do you wanna know?” Or if im in a mood I would just say that I hate when people ask that.

  7. Yeah I can’t stand it, feels like an interrogation and gives me too much stress to handle

  9. Tell elthem about your hobbies, your work/study, your interests, whatever you want. Or alternatively you could ask them what they want to know

  10. I have a talk track I rehearsed until I nailed it.
    I’ve moved around a lot so it’s some variation of “I was born and raised in New Orleans, lived in California, moved back to New Orleans, Katrina happened, lived on east coast, Midwest, Nola again” almost every time the conversation deviates to how much that person loves New Orleans or wishes they could go one day.

  12. I always reply with “what do you want to know?” Might sound boring, but it’s a lazy question from the other person too

  13. I say “you start”. Whatever subjects they share about themselves I mirror back about me then move on.

  14. What someone want to know here is, “how can you be memorable to me?” So you can try to differentiate yourself in a number of pre-arranged ways. What makes you unique? Maybe you love stick insects. Maybe your name rhymes with Bat. Maybe you have a high score at the local arcade on Mortal Combat. Maybe you can do macrame. Maybe you’re learning mandarin or you can make a really good pasta salad. It’s a good question for people who have developed something about themselves and who are confident to share it.

  15. “No. No. I don’t think I will. But I can send you a SoundCloud link to my debut autobiographical rap album and you can begin to understand how I came up…

    …Nah, I’m just fucking with you. I like tacos dawg! How about you? You like breakfast tacos? Do you start your day with spice or nah? Hey, you know. To me? Hot sauce on my eggs makes my coffee taste hotter when I drink it, you know what I’m saying? Yeah. Anyway, I was just bullshittin about SoundCloud. How about you? You got a SoundCloud?”

  17. Im from [here]. I did [this]. Now I do [this]. I enjoy [this] and [this]. Im pursuing [this].

    This is pretty much all I do. Though honestly most people don’t really want to hear much from you and will stop actively listening after like the first line you spew. So something quick and simple would be as effective. “Im from here and do this.”

  18. This is a low effort question that deserves none of my respect. I will generally lie my ass off for my own amusement. I keep a troupe of angry squirrels at my house and sic them on Jehovah’s Witnesses when they come to my door. I enjoy watching Italian opera renditions of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes. My favorite episode of the Golden Girls is the one where they have an orgy with the cast of Mork and Mindy….you get the idea. People quickly learn that this was the wrong question to ask me.

  20. My go to is always what I like to do. “I’ve always played sports so I started joining some pick up volleyball games at the park. And now that it’s getting warmer I’m hiking on the weekends! But my favorite thing to do whether I have 10 minutes or 10 hours is reading. How about you, what do you like to do?”

    Sometimes I’ll respond “Oh, I get bored when I talk about myself… tell me about you! What do you like people to know about you?” That normally turns it around well. You can also tell them about your favorite conspiracy theory, it makes the convo way more fun and unexpected. “Well I actually believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and that there wasn’t some underground conspiracy to kill JFK. I’ll tell you why.”

    Good luck!

  21. Well um I’m just an average guy that does average stuff. I go fishing, like gardening and small home repairs. Watch a few old movies. Watch birds at the feeder. Why do you ask? Oh It’s a job interview? Same answer.

    In reality I’m passionate about quantum physics, astrophysics, exopsychology and a lot more but I’m not telling you this. I’d leave myself open for more prying into my life.

  22. I like this question.

    The older you get, the fewer opportunities you get to meet new people and talk about stuff that interests you.

    I take it as an opportunity to be a little bit charmingly self centered and just talk about stuff I find cool.

    Maybe they’re into it and we can be friends, maybe they’re boring and we go our separate ways.

    Of course, if it’s an actual job interview i stick to wholesome stuff like positive hobbies and family and pets.

  23. Well here’s the whole story-They taught us in Sunday school to be honest always. so I go on and on with personal details. Give em my phone and credit card numbers etc.

  26. Holy crap so many people in this thread forgetting they’re on r/socialskills.

    Yes it’s a bad low-effort question. Having social skills means you can compensate for their lack and steer the conversation towards something enjoyable.

  27. I briefly sum up my life’s story and add a few hobbies.

    “I’m from Ohio and graduated from Harrison High in 2022 and am currently studying Chemistry at Ohio State, pre-pa. I have a brother and 2 dogs. I like Game of Thrones and cooking. What about you?”

    It also gives you set topics they can bring up later if you don’t want to go too deep in your personal life.

  28. Tbh, it’s situational. Some of these answers are appropriate for a casual interaction, some for interviews. For any of the ones saying to throw it back at them, the person you’re speaking with may also be uncomfortable and at least took the time to initiate and ask. Throwing it back at them without saying anything else can make things even more awkward.

  29. Probably jokingly tell ’em I’ve never heard that outside of a job interview before. That’ll buy me some time to think of something, but it’s not going to be enough because nothing I can think of sounds interesting enough and oh god the funny moment is over and I have to say something now and-

    Welp, guess I’d better prepare something, at least I’ll only need to remember it when the time comes.

  31. Depends on context (new acquaintance, random stranger, job interview, etc), but here’s a simple response: “Hi, I was born in New York, but now I live in Atlanta for the past 8 years. I’ve been working as an accountant for about 10 years now. When I’m not working I try to get out and hike or bike. How about you? Can you share a little bit about yourself?”

    If it’s a job interview you can still share everything else, but definitely focus a lot more on your work experience a lot more. For acquaintances you can focus more about what you like to do outside of work more. For strangers, I wouldn’t specifically name cities/towns/companies, etc, but keep things a bit more broad.

  32. “Tell me a little about yourself.”
    Deadpan “I just want to see the world burn.”

    Wait for their reaction.

    But seriously, what is your favorite hobby or drive in life? Discuss that. Or as others have said, if you can relate something they have said with a common interest it can help boost that relationship as your connecting.

  33. Totally depends on the context.

    Friendly social engagement? Brief summary of how long you’ve lived in the area and 1-2 hobbies.

    Work related? How long you’ve been in the current industry, current position, and a few related skills.

    It’s really not that bad, just have two very short canned answers and you’re set, and can follow up with a question pushing it back on them (“How about you?” for social, “Anything in particular you’d like me to expand on?” for work)

  34. Depends in the context. Like is it a job interview? I try to think of something relevant to the position.

    In a social setting, in order for your answer to be appropriate, you need to pay attention to context.

    For instance, if everyone at your gathering is discussing their careers and then they look at you and say “tell us about yourself” you would want to keep it relevant to your work since that’s the topic at hand. So “I’m in finance” is fine. I try to match whatever level of elaboration is consistent within the group. So if everyone spent 2 or 3 minutes going into a bit of detail I’d try to do that as well.

    Opening up and talking about yourself is hard for lots of people. More people than not struggle to do this. But most people feel better about talking about themselves once they can overcome their crippling self awareness and anxiety.

    I’m autistic, it took me a long time to learn this, so if I could learn this, everyone has hope!

    The trick is to just copy what everyone else does, even if you don’t understand why.

  35. I usually make it interesting. I’ll follow with, “There’s so much, im adventurous, i love being outdoors and hiking, going to the city, the beach, hitting different events, just going with what Im feeling like that day, I love music, Tame Impala is my go-to album, and i love flying, ive got a couple hours under my belt and lots more to go before my pilots license. What about you?”

    I always take these convos as if im being interviewed for EXTRA after having just released a movie. Actually thats how I got good at social situations. Im good at mimicking things i like or admire. I always admired the interviews A list actor would have with EXTRA and how they would say witty things. Give it a try. Look up some of the actors that are personable, like Chris Pratt or Jonathan Majors, and watch some of their interviews. Place yourself in the perspective that they are dying to know about you. Make it alluring.

  36. it’s pretty easy: Name, occupation, 2-3 hobbies/interests, and a quick funny story about work or one your hobbies/interests.

    ​

    its undeniably a shit question but better then naught

  37. I have a standard elevator pitch tucked away for job interviews – a little about where I’m from, some of my hobbies, and a few things I’m currently working on in my person life (nothing too serious). Usually, that naturally segues into a discussion of my work experience.

    If it is a rando asking, I usually ask for clarification – “Is there anything in particular you want to know?” I understand that some people don’t know how to make conversation but for casual convo this is the worst question to ask, because you’re essentially putting the other person on the spot versus helping them feel comfortable opening up to you.

  38. Seems there’s a lot of people who seem to think this question isn’t a big deal, so allow me to illustrate why it is:

    **”Just talk about where you’re from”**

    Where I’m from isn’t who I am.

    **”Talk about your job”**

    My work isn’t my identity.

    **”Talk about your hobbies”**

    My hobbies are extremely niche and unrelatable to the general public. It’s a conversation that inevitably goes nowhere and leads to frustration.

    **”Talk about your passion”**

    I still haven’t figured that out.

    **”Talk about what you do”**

    Nobody wants to hear about how I self-soothe my crippling anxiety and ruminate on past trauma every waking moment of my day.

    —

    For those of you who “fit in” this question is a chance to be expressive and get to know people. For the rest of us this question is a landmine that risks exposing us as misfits and outcasts.

  39. One time this question was asked and I simply replied “I have no idea who I am; I’m trying to figure that out myself.” And they were like “whoa that’s deep.”

  40. I normally start at a very graphic birth out of my mothers cooch and bring them up to present day slowly after going through every joy and trauma I’ve ever encountered, then I respond after hours with the exact same question.

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