How to Introduce Yourself at a Networking Event in Two Sentences

Someday someone is going to ask you at a mixer what you do, and you will have seconds to respond to that inquiry. Rather than just listing out a job title or apologizing for not having a job yet, you can create a three-part introduction, listing out your name, what you are currently working on, and then providing some sort of detail that the other person can ask further about. You then hand the conversation back to the other person and ask them a question about themselves. It can all be said aloud within two sentences.

Below are sections explaining how one might build such a line, how one might revise it for use at a career fair or for a conference talk, how one might use such an introduction as a student, and finally how to continue after having introduced oneself to another person.

Build your introduction from three parts

Start with your first name. Then add your last name if the event is formal or you want people to be able to look you up after the event. Next, state your current focus, which could be a work project, a current school class, a problem you are trying to solve, etc. This gives the other person a sense of where you are at currently and where you are going.

End with a hook. This is one concrete detail that invites a follow-up question. An example is below for a first jobber:

Your job title tells them where you sit at work. Then you can add a little problem you’re trying to solve at work right now. Write out your own version before the event so you can practice before you give it to someone.

Fill in your three-part introduction

Hi, I'm [name]. I'm [role, year or field], and right now I'm [specific current focus]. [Question about them]?

name+

First name, plus last name at formal events or when you want them to find you later.

role, year or field+

Your job, your year and major, or the kind of work you're looking for. Keep it to a few words.

specific current focus+

One concrete project, problem or class from this month. Use the last thing you spent an afternoon on.

Question about them+

Tie it to your hook, for example: Have you run into anything like that where you work?

Swap a vague introduction for a specific one

So rather than many first introductions reading “I’m Sam. I work in marketing.” for example, they could be more full of content like this: “I’m Sam. I’m on the email team at a small skincare brand. I spend most of my week testing subject lines for our newsletters.”

Here is the same person with one piece of the work named.

Specific doesn’t have to mean amazing. In most cases a simple, honest fact about yourself is going to be far more interesting than some over-blown job title you use at networking events. So, in the example above, the listener could ask about which subject lines won, whether or not the brand’s customers even open email, or how small the team is at the small skincare brand where Sam works.

Your hook can also be the thing you most recently spent all day on. It’s likely to be somewhat concrete.

The same introduction, two ways

Too vagueI'm Sam, I work in marketing. SpecificI'm Sam. I'm on the email team at a small skincare brand, testing subject lines.

Turn your introduction into a question about them

Now it’s your turn to ask questions about this other person’s work. In order to connect their stuff to your hook, you simply rephrase your hook as a question about their experience. For example:

There is research that shows that people who ask more questions of others are better liked by their conversation partners, even when told beforehand to ask a lot of questions¹. This is possibly because your questions draw the other person out to talk about themselves, which most people like to do. The researchers also found that people do not expect the number of questions that they ask to affect how others perceive them¹. Note, however, that all of this research was conducted in online chats or on speed dates, and none of it at networking events.

Another study also found that people are willing to give up small amounts of money to talk about themselves rather than answer questions about other people. The average amount of money that people lost when they were engaged in answering questions about themselves rather than other people was 17% of their potential earnings². This study, however, had small sample sizes and was looking at people’s opinions on particular topics, so do not read too much into this. Just remember that in most circumstances people like to talk about themselves.

From introduction to their story

1. 
   Sam

   Hi, I'm Sam. I just started as a junior analyst at a logistics company, and I'm trying to figure out why our delivery estimates keep running a day late.

2. 
   Jordan

   Oh, I know that one. I'm Jordan. I work in operations at a grocery delivery startup.

3. 
   Sam

   Then you've probably seen worse. What's the hardest number to get right on your side?

4. 
   Jordan

   Stock counts. The app says we have avocados and the shelf says otherwise.

5. 
   Sam

   How do you catch that? Spot checks, or does someone flag it?

Adjust it for the room

Whichever order you choose to present them in, be sure to present all three parts for every instance of introducing yourself (e.g. for every mixer, happy hour, for every instance of attending a seminar/meetup, etc.).

• Mixer or happy hour. A few words introducing yourself to people standing around a bar is a ‘light’ introduction to your work. Mention your hook for conversation and add in your employer name when they ask.
• Topic meetup. Every person shares the subject matter, so focus on how you use it, a side project or how many of these kinds of events you have attended.
• Conference session. The talk you went to for the conference is your hook, thus: “I’m Sam. I came for the pricing talk because we’re planning our first price change.” As both of you are likely to refer to the pricing talk, this is a good starting point for both of you.
• Career fair line. Typically, there are people behind you at a recruiter’s table. Start with the field you’re in and state the specific job for which you are looking. Then mention something about their company and end with a question about the role for which you are applying.

At a career fair table, that might sound like this:

Introduce yourself as a student or without a job title

Your title or area of focus for the discussion may be your current class, thesis, internship search, or even a skill that you are trying to teach yourself. Simply describe what you are studying and what problems or questions you are trying to solve or answer within that study.

Skip saying you are “just a student” because that sentence asks the other person to reassure you before they have a chance to find out more about you. Jordan might say:

If you are between jobs, state the kind of work that you are looking for and give an example of recent work that you have done to prove that you are going for that kind of work. A course you are taking, a freelance project you have worked on, or a volunteer role that you are involved in are all examples of recent work.

Join a small group that’s already talking

Approach a group of 2-3 people who are in the middle of a conversation, stand at the edge of the conversation and listen until there is a pause. Introduce yourself with your name and a reason why you are approaching them. This can be as simple as stating you heard them mention a particular company or that you heard them talking about a certain talk. For example, “Sorry to jump in but I’m Sam, heard you guys talking about this certain pricing talk.”

When you join a discussion already in progress, the order changes. Jump in at the end of their discussion thread, then give only your name and why you came over.

Listen long enough to see where their conversation naturally pauses, and start speaking then. Note that this only needs a very short summary of who you are and why you are approaching this group of people. The full introduction can then follow as others turn to speak with you.

Practice your line before you walk in

Tonight, write out the three parts to your introduction on your phone. Practice saying the three parts to your introduction out loud for a few rehearsals and then write out a second version for a career fair table or small group to introduce yourself at. Write out one question that you can ask after each version. If you have time, practice introducing yourself and asking your question in Quippy with a scene partner.

If you have time to rehearse, I recommend pairing up with a scene partner in Quippy to run through your introduction and also practice a relevant question to ask after your introduction.

Sources and references

1. Huang, Yeomans, Brooks, Minson & Gino (2017). It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 113(3).Strangers in online get-to-know-you chats plus face-to-face speed dates; measured partner liking after short conversations; not tested at professional networking events, and the effect was on people inside the conversation, not observers.
2. Tamir & Mitchell (2012). Disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109(21).Small lab samples (e.g., n = 37 in the money study) answering mundane opinion questions; shows people value talking about themselves, measured in cents per trial, not in real conversations at events.