Do you think 'So, what do you do?' is a good way to get to know someone, or does it tell you almost nothing?

A natural way to answer

I think it has its place, but it can pigeonhole people straight away. You learn what they do for money, not what they care about. I prefer questions that let someone reveal themselves on their own terms.

Key phrases to use

• cop-out — an easy, lazy choice that avoids real effort or honesty“Blaming the weather is a bit of a cop-out.”
• CV in disguise — a conversation that's really just someone listing their achievements“His small talk was a CV in disguise.”
• pigeonhole — put someone in a narrow category and judge them by it“Don't pigeonhole people by their job.”
• reduces someone to — treats a person as nothing more than one limited thing“That question reduces someone to their salary.”