Networking is an integral part of being successful in both your professional and personal life.

Unfortunately, making conversation with someone you don’t know isn’t always easy, especially if you’ve already pulled out the ‘What do you do?’ and the ‘How are you?’ which lead almost nowhere. Regardless of whether you’re speed dating or searching for a new career opportunity, knowing how to engage with people is a vital skill that you can train yourself to become more efficient in.

Here are 3 brilliant questions to ask instead of ‘What do you do?’ that will make you enjoy networking more and hate people less:

In a recent Diary Of A CEO podcast episode, public speaker Vanessa Van Edwards shared 3 brilliant questions to ask, which will lead to more engaging conversation and more connection.

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1. Working on anything recently?

Van Edwards explained that to people who aren’t defined by their work, asking people what they do is actually quite rude.

Instead, she encouraged people to ask others what they’ve been working on lately because it’s a “permission connection.” People get to choose what they share instead of feeling obligated to share what they do for work.

If someone enjoys and is proud of their work, they will share what they do and what’s going on at work. On the other hand, if they don’t necessarily love what they do for a living, they can share what they’re working on outside of work, such as hobbies or passion projects.

According to Pew Research Centeronly about half of Americans are satisfied with their job, so it may be wise to find topics outside of work to talk about, considering there’s a 50/50 chance the person you’re talking to may or may not hate their job.

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2. What’s your biggest goal right now?

This question helps you connect with others because it gives you an understanding of what their priorities are, and it also creates the opportunity for follow-ups in the future.

If you see the person again, you can ask them where they are in relation to that goal. Are they close to accomplishing it? Do they still have a long way to go? Have they already met it? Are they working towards a new goal?

According to transformational speaker and author Jack Canfieldsharing your goals with others is important because it helps keep you accountable, and it helps you gain clarity by speaking aloud about it with others.

3. What book, movie, or TV character is most like you?

This question may not seem like much, but it actually holds a lot of depth and can change your perception of the other person because it helps you understand how they view themselves.

Since many of us are familiar with pop culture, we have an instant understanding of characters, which we match up against our perception of whomever we are speaking to.

You can then have an honest conversation about why they relate to that character, which may reveal some personal details of their lives and connect on a deeper level.

It’s also a great way to not only break the ice but to talk about neutral topics that are liked and disliked in a way that creates camaraderie without knowing a person well. It’s the reason why sports fans can act like best friends while cheering on their favorite team together, regardless of how well they know each other.

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Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.