Almost a third of science and engineering graduates report that their job is not closely related to their field of study. Studies using National Science Foundation (NSF) survey data suggest that working in an unrelated job is associated with reduced wages and job satisfaction, but there is no research on how NSF survey respondents decide whether their job is related to their degree. This mixed-methods study investigates what respondents think of when they answer job relatedness questions on NSF surveys. We find that research and development, management, and professional services tasks, federal research funding, and membership in professional associations are associated with reporting high job relatedness.