3. What are your job responsibilities?

I’m an actuary. Basically, I use statistics to figure out the cost of insuring someone, based on their past behavior.
American people tend to define themselves through their occupation in private settings as well; we’ve talked about that cultural difference in an earlier episode, remember?
In American culture, it’s also common to talk about money, or at least, about material success. Company income or number of clients, for instance.
It’s the sign of a materialistic way of life, and they want to celebrate your success in any way! Which means that in return, you should always try to put a positive spin on your situation. Don’t worry about being too hopeful or optimistic, we appreciate someone who has ambitious goals!
Asking questions
If you can only remember one thing from this episode, it should be the question:
“What do you do?”
It’s the natural way to ask for someone’s occupation.
During small talk, you should always ask questions. That’s how you get to know the other person, obviously! After that, try to find in their answer the specific hook that allows you to ask other questions.
Some of them are universal, though. Such as “How long have you been doing that?”. Or better, “How did you get into that ?” Like, “How did you get into programming?”
There’s often an interesting story there, and lots of material for continuing the conversation!
Managing a full conversation
A full small talk conversation can feel like a ping pong game. You ask a question, the other person answers, and asks another question, then you reply, etc.
Always be the most positive you can be – focus on common ground, the things you have in common, and the things that feel the most exciting. That way, you can slowly go into more personal details and build a real connection. Don’t go too far, of course!
Let’s take a full example:
– Hi, I’m Marie. What do you do ? 
– Hi, I’m Cathy. I’m a data scientist for a big candy company. Basically, I try to find patterns in the company’s data to better sell candy. 
– Oh, that sounds nice! And do you get to taste the candy as well?
– Yeah, that’s a nice perk, definitely. And you, what do you do?
– I’m a software developer. I make apps to develop mindfulness. 
– Oh, that’s pretty cool! I have one on my phone, it really helped me concentrate. 
– Oh really? Yeah, I like our products. It helped me get into meditation when I first started, two years ago. 
– Oh, you do meditation? Me too!
And then you can share more personal stories!
Practice the expressions from this lesson by repeating after me, with the video!
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Your turn now!
Tell me, what do you do?
Try to use the word “Basically” to explain or recap what’s behind your job description.
A good way you can find inspiration is by using social media like LinkedIn, to find the job description of one of your peers. This can get you started!
Write down your one-line introduction in the comments below!
Don’t forget, next week, I’m sending invitations for my course Successful Small Talk, which gives you tons of scripts you can use, cultural insights, and vocabulary to help you feel comfortable in everyday conversations.
Click here and sign up to get on the invitation list! You’ll get a special bonus later this week, and more your invitation next week!
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week!
In a social setting — at a party or over dinner — someone may ask you about your job.
They could use one of the following questions:

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