What is your job?

The other day I discovered the concept of multipotentiality and the need to identify ourselves with a label. Thinking a bit more about the subject I have realized that one of the most common questions we ask when we meet someone is to ask what do you work on.

I think that this question involves many other questions, such as: What do you do to pay your bills? How much do you earn per month? How important are you? Where am I if I compare myself to you? How much could I get from you if I need your help? Is it worth the time I spend talking to you?

All of these questions may seem too cold and self-serving. Even so, I'm sure that if not all of them, we have some of them implicit in the subconscious when we throw (or they throw us) the question what do you do?

Stakeholder aside, asking this question also serves a role instrumental and communicative. Many times we do not know what to talk about and this is a way to bring up a new topic of conversation. It is also a way to get to know a person better without making them feel that we are getting into their private life. At the end of the day our job is public domain information.

Still, not everyone may be comfortable with this question. And more in these times when there are so many people without work. What is your job? I am unemployed. End of conversation. People who work do not just dedicate themselves to work. Much of their day is also spent eating, drinking, and breathing. In the same way that people who are unemployed also eat, drink and breathe. However we use the dedication exclusively as a euphemism for earn a living.

What if we began to be really interested in what that person is like and not in what role they play in society? Instead of asking What is your job? we could start asking questions like What do you love to do? What is your passion?. Anyone (working or not) can answer these types of questions.

I think if we ask someone we just met what they love to do, they will give us 3 possible answers:

1. He will make a surprised face and change the conversation.

two. You will respond by stating your job title. For example: What do you love to do? I am Marketing Director. In that case we could continue asking ... So you love being Director of Marketing? Possibly the strange face arises at this time.

3. It will give us a true answer to your passion. And we will probably have one of the best conversations possible with that person..

The truth is I have not done the test yet, but if someone dares I would love to read the results.