What do you do for work?
'Lavoro' = la-VO-ro — stress on the second syllable. 'Cosa fai' = KO-za FAI — two short words, don't over-stress.
One of the first questions in Italian introductions after name and origin. It is completely normal and non-intrusive to ask this early in any adult conversation in Italy.
'Per lavoro' = 'for work' — a slight variation on 'nella vita' that is more directly work-focused. 'Cosa fai?' (what do you do?) is a flexible question that covers work, study, and life roles equally.
Di cosa ti occupi?
What do you do? / What do you deal with?
'Occuparsi di' is a more sophisticated way to ask about professional scope.
Che lavoro fai?
What work do you do?
'Che lavoro' — specifies 'work' explicitly. Direct and common.
In che settore lavori?
In what sector do you work?
Sector-based question — more relevant in professional networking contexts.
In Italy, professional titles carry significant social weight. Architects, doctors, lawyers, and engineers are addressed with their title. An architect introducing himself simply as 'architetto' (without 'un') is grammatically and socially correct Italian.