An English Phrase for Asking About Someone's Job: "What Do You Do for a Living?"

"What do you do for a living?" is the basic English expression used to ask about someone's occupation. It's often used in self-introductions and when meeting someone for the first time. To answer, you use the form "I'm a ~", as in "I'm a firefighter". You can keep the conversation going by reacting to their answer with something like "That sounds like such important work!"