Warning: Don't Ask People What They Do for a Living

What do you do?

The question we are frequently asked. And also probably one that we frequently ask when we meet new people ourselves.

The question is a sort of shorthand – a way for us to quickly size up a person, their lifestyle, and the location of their skills and interests.

But the truth is that people are not their jobs – particularly in these challenging economic times when so many people are unemployed, underemployed or working out of their field of choice.

Some communications experts suggest that instead we ask a question like, “What are you most passionate about right now?”

We really like this question because, while the question is still a sort of social shorthand, it allows us to develop an understanding of a person based on their passions and interests, instead of just the job they happen to hold at this point in time.

Often, when we ask this question, we may find that people’s interests do not seem to fit their careers. You may, for example, find an accountant who finds her work to be reasonably enjoyable, but her real passion is playing in a bluegrass band on the weekends.

Or you may meet a lawyer who is exploring a transition to working as a photographer.  We know one banking executive who dreams of the day she can earn a living making and decorating cakes and cupcakes.

Asking about a person’s current passions also pushes us not to place people in one box and leave them there. Sometimes, people’s interests and passions change over time as they do. We need to give them – and ourselves – the freedom to change, grow and explore.

Trying something new and even becoming someone new should always be an option.