One of the first things that a stranger will ask you when you’ve just been introduced is what you do for a living. If you’re a lawyer or an insurance salesperson then you can simply answer with the title of your job and the conversation will flow from there. But how do you deal with this common conversation when you do something unusual like sell ultrasonic flow meter readers for a business such as Sierra Instruments?

A job like this isn’t typically interesting to the average person who is going to ask you about it. If you’re on a blind date the other party might feign interest in learning more about what mass flow meters are and how you sell them. But in most cases, people don’t really want to know these things. That can make these conversations feel awkward for everyone.

The thing to keep in mind about this type of conversation is that the question is really just a way to learn more about who you are. Many people define themselves by their jobs but there are other things that make you interesting. Next time someone asks what you do, try answering something like, "oh I do equipment sales but I’d rather be a gymnast". This will generate interesting conversation and take the awkwardness out of the encounter.

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