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Why "What do you do?" is a terrible question
- humbleferret 3y ago> So, “what do you do?” Just don’t. Train yourself to never ask this question. Probe deeper. “What is your day like?” is already ten times better. Context is key here.
- true_pk 3y agoHey! Author here. Would you mind giving an example?
- humbleferret 3y agoHey there! Loved your piece, really engaging stuff. On context — When using openers at events, I reckon “What do you do?” is spot on for work or hobby related meetups. It's a quick way to suss out how deep to dive into a topic, depending on what the other person's into, be it their job or hobbies. But, “What's your day like?” although a good chat opener, can drag on a bit, right? At a short meetup, I'd rather get to the point, especially if I end up stuck chatting longer than I'd like with someone who's a bit unpleasant.
- Quinzel 3y agoMy go to question in my work context for getting to know someone quite quickly is: “What would you be doing today if you weren’t here with me?” And I actually get some really interesting answers! Some people would be playing golf, or gardening, others would be spending the day with children, or travelling… and I like asking that question because it isn’t centred around work, some people will say “working” which will lead me to ask “oh yeah..what do you do for work?” But I only ask that if they bring work up.
- true_pk 3y agoI like that, will take a note for future conversations!