What is the most attractive job? Jana Hocking names the red flag professions she avoids in Sydney

Controversial opinion: asking your date what they do for a job matters.

Now before you bite my head off and flood me with biting feedback like ‘She’s so shallow’ and ‘As long as they’re nice, that’s all important’ (snore!), I have a mighty good reason why.

You see, I went on a recent date that turned out to be a complete disaster! Why? Well, his job should have been the first sign things were never going to work out.

It all started on a crisp Sunday afternoon when I had ventured out with the girls for a vino and some laughs. One of my friends accidentally cut her finger on a sharp Oyster shell and a guy from the table next to us ran to the bar and asked for a band aid. This Prince Charming came scooting back with the plaster and saved the day.

It was all very attractive and before I knew it, we were chatting up a storm. We swapped numbers and agreed to a date.

Over text he told me he had a vegan café and invited me to come over for a vegan feast. I thought that was quirky and could be fun. Spoiler alert: It was not fun.

As we got chatting over some surprisingly delicious lentil Bolognese it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t just your regular vegan, he was a staunch vegan. As in, he would turn up to farms and steal chickens, let cows out of their paddocks and abuse farmers. Yep.

I couldn’t help myself; I ended up telling him that my parents have a cattle stud (true story) and if he had of turned up at our farm I would have gone rogue. Safe to say the date ended with me storming out and proceeding to block him on all social accounts.

Errggggh disaster.

Now, you could probably just dust that one off and say well that’s just one example where his job was a sure fire sign the relationship was never going to work. But it reminded me of a date I went on a year ago.

We met on a dating app and were having a lovely chat about life, love, all that stuff when we got on to the topic of favourite podcasts. I said I liked ‘Call her Daddy’ and the guy revealed that he would be horrified to date someone like the host Alexandra, who spoke openly about sex in all its glory. 

‘Think about it… how much time do you spend chatting to your partner about your day? A fair chunk of it right! You at least want to hear something that interests you,’ she said 

He looked horrified and said he would never date someone who spoke so casually and ‘bedroom topics’, stating a ‘girls gotta keep it classy’. Oh dear.

It’s like I had stepped back in time. Being someone who thinks love lives can only prosper from an open and honest dialogue around sex, this was a red flag. He clearly was a bad match for me considering my job as a dating columnist. I took far too much joy from showing him some of my articles.

Once again, being upfront about what we both do for a job could have saved us a lot of time and energy.

I had another friend go on a date with an ‘entrepreneur’ #redflag. 

She thought it meant he had multiple businesses and was perhaps a savvy tech genius. Nope, it was just code word for lazy and jobless. That’s why I think we need to put more weight in asking future love prospects what they do for a living.

It might seem shallow and slightly judgemental, but I’m telling you it honestly matters. Think about it… how much time do you spend chatting to your partner about your day? A fair chunk of it right! You at least want to hear something that interests you.

Someone who has a creative job, like a musician, would probably struggle to find interesting conversation with someone who is more methodical like a computer programmer. I’m not saying one is exciting and one is boring, but they don’t really match in terms of interest.

So, with that in mind here are the jobs that are a big no-no for me.

‘I like my men slightly eccentric,’ Jana says, who is attracted to creative types like actors 

Accountant

Firstly, because they would be horrified at how I tally my expenses and keep a budget (I don’t!) and secondly because I love chatting to my partner about their day. I want to hear about the drama, the theatrics, the interesting meetings they’ve had. Numbers just aren’t my jam.

Pharmacist 

Medical talk puts me to sleep, and I say that with love having two family members who work in the profession. All those strange long words, and technical terms. I’m not going to keep up with you, and to be fair, I don’t want to.

Office Managers 

Whilst I would kill to have their organisational skills, I fear my chaotic life would drive them slightly bonkers. My home is eclectic there’s absolutely no order to it, I like to make plans on the fly, and the only lists I make are for groceries. I fear we would not have much in common.

And here are the jobs that would tick my box (metaphorically and technically wink wink).

‘Anyone who can use their hands to whip up a masterpiece that is a joy for all the senses is someone who fascinates me,’ Jana said of chefs

Actors 

I like my men slightly eccentric. Want to jump in a car and drive to Byron Bay tonight? Heck yeah! Want to come watch me play a serial killer in a play? Oh most definitely.

Doctors or nurses 

Now this is a profession I could listen to stories about all day! Tell me about who came into the emergency department today. Yes, I want to hear about the grossest injury you’ve ever seen. Let’s order another bottle of wine because you’ve got my full attention.

Chefs 

Obviously not vegan ones (still triggered), but anyone who can use their hands to whip up a masterpiece that is a joy for all the senses is someone who fascinates me. Especially considering I don’t have the patience or skills to make anything the doesn’t involve simply taking it out of the box and sticking it in a microwave. I love to watch a man in the kitchen. Nothing sexier.

So clearly my type is someone more eclectic and creative. That would drive a man who is sturdy, methodical and ordered slightly loopy.

I’m not for him and he’s not for me. 

So, asking someone what they do for a living is a nice little hack to find out what interests them. An easy way to avoid wasting each other’s time and purse strings.

 Simple.