Workplace expert Henna Pryor has a piece of advice: Stop beginning conversations with, "What do you do?" Asking someone about their work can help you find common ground or learn about the other person ...

What’s your passion in life? What lights you up? What makes your heart sing? Why can’t you just find a well-paying job doing that? You haven’t identified your passion yet? Why not? Are you indecisive?

For people who have taken career breaks, four little words—“What do you do?”—can provoke dread. It seems to conceal a bundle of judgments: What’s your social status? What’s your income? What’s your ...