It's hard to ask broader questions without it feeling awkward though; "what do you do" is so cliched it's "approved" small talk. Whereas something like "what ar

It's hard to ask broader questions without it feeling awkward though; "what do you do" is so cliched it's "approved" small talk. Whereas something like "what are your hobbies" or "what do you dream of doing" or "what motivates you" feels very personal. There are some in betweens, but they all will likely be interpreted to mean job in the same way that "what do you do" is interpreted that way (despite being open ended).