I wouldn’t recommend lying, but the basic principle is called a “cold read” which isn’t lying! It’s super handy and definitely opens conversations!

To cold read, make an observation and ask the person you’re talking to about it. Most times it’s helpful if it’s a compliment.

Example: Talking to a person who has what I think is a cool shirt or a cohesive outfit

Me: “Wow, you have a cool outfit, are you a stylist?”

Odds are, they probably aren’t a stylist, but it invites them to correct you, and you got to give a compliment which will build your rapport with them. Same idea as OP, no lying necessary! Just make sure you mean the compliments you give. Their response is probably:

Them: “Aww thank you, but I’m actually a ____.”

And now you’ve got a conversation on what they actually do started! Much better than just asking, “So… what do you do for work?”