There is nothing worse than a silent face. Therefore, our advisers at the Plus55 Club recommended:

* Do not start with sentences like, "I'm sorry to disturb you", "I don't know if I can" and the like. Be assertively and pleasantly self-confident, if you have decided to approach the person in question, do so without fear or doubt.

* Do not go into too much detail in the initial introduction (whether during a 5 minutes´ talk or a longer interview). An overview of your jobs (in the past 10 years), plus 2-3 top achievements will be enough.. Give space to your partner to ask for more details if he/she is interested.

* Do not discuss the details of your personal situation, the reasons for the changes in your initial presentation. But be prepared to answer such questions if your partner asks.

* It is excellent if you have prepared your "personal SWOT analysis" - you can address your strengths as well as opportunities for further development. In your introduction, there is room to mention your strengths (in 1 sentence). Leave the rest to possible questions from your partner.

* Choose the right amount of "bragging", avoid evaluations such as: "I have achieved great success" or "Excellent results". Speak numbers and facts (e.g. "During my stay at a company, the turnover increased from 30,000 to 100,000") and leave it to your partner to judge the significance of your achievements.

* Prepare your "Elevator Speech" - in the case of short, random meetings, it's good to have your "verbal business card" ready. It should contain essential information that describes your personality and will stimulate interest in a longer conversation with you.

* Be specific about what you want to do, avoid statements like "I can do anything", "I don't care what I do", "I will learn something new" and so on.