It is the first question we ask when we meet someone new. And it is the last question we want to be asked when we are out of work: “What do you do?”. It is a strange quirk of our society that we define ourselves first and foremost by the work we do. Being unemployed can leave us feeling out-of-place and uncomfortable, and can even lead to avoidance of social gatherings and, therefore, networking opportunities. Here we explore ways of dealing with this sometimes awkward question.