Like in tennis, the point is not to try to hit a winner when the question gets asked but to stay in the game. Volley it back by focusing on something you'd like to know about her.
For example:
Her: "What do you do for a living?"
You: "I write software that thousands of people use every day to get their own jobs done. And my real passion is cooking. I love French cooking from scratch.(pause)What do you enjoy doing?"
OR
Her: "What do you do for a living?"
You: "I write software. Office politics aside, I like the creative aspect of building something up, from a blank screen in my editor to something that people actually use on the Internet.(pause). What do you do to exercise your creativity?"
Or, more to the point: "I program computers to do my bidding. Great fun to do, boring to talk about." Then unapologetically move on to something more there-and-then-worthy, using any cues to --as parent suggests-- give her a chance to talk about herself and (esp.) her interests.
Exactly. That is a very difficult question. And the key is to answer it in a way that pertains to the interviewer's goals (which for a girl meeting a guy might be: does he have a life, will my friends like him, is he interesting).
As Jerry Seinfeld says, a date is a job interview.
For example:
Her: "What do you do for a living?"
You: "I write software that thousands of people use every day to get their own jobs done. And my real passion is cooking. I love French cooking from scratch.(pause)What do you enjoy doing?"
OR
Her: "What do you do for a living?"
You: "I write software. Office politics aside, I like the creative aspect of building something up, from a blank screen in my editor to something that people actually use on the Internet.(pause). What do you do to exercise your creativity?"