PS: Cool theme btw :)
As to social status: if someone is willing to befriend another when they have one sort of job but wouldn't be willing to befriend the same person if they had a different sort of job, I think that someone is cheating themselves.
Other first questions could be "What is the core of your identity?" (though that might be too intense/intrusive) or "Of all the things we could talk about, what would you be most interested in?"
How important could your job be if it can be automated now, right? You as a human remain important, regardless of the work.