'Where are you from?' 'What do you do?' These questions get you facts, not people. There's a better way.
The question: 'What are you most excited about right now?'
Not 'what do you do for fun.' Not 'what are your hobbies.' Excitement in the present tense. It's immediate, it's personal, and it's almost impossible to answer boringly.
Why it works.
Excitement bypasses the performance. People don't recite their resume when you ask what excites them — they tell you what actually matters. And that's what you want to know.
It works in any direction.
Whether they're excited about a new job, a hobby, a relationship, a city they're moving to — the answer tells you who they are right now, not who they were five years ago.
Try it in your next conversation.
Don't preface it, don't explain it. Just ask: 'What are you most excited about right now?' Then actually listen. The conversation will take care of itself.