A job is paid employment or a regular occupation; a specific task or piece of work that needs to be done; or a duty or function that someone or something is responsible for.
What Does Job Mean?
Job appeared in English in the mid-16th century, originally meaning a piece or lump of work — a defined, manageable portion of effort. Its exact origin is uncertain; one likely source is a dialect word gob meaning a lump or mouthful, suggesting a portion of work you could get hold of and finish. By the 17th century the word had extended to cover regular paid employment, and it remains one of the most frequent nouns in contemporary British English.
Today job carries three overlapping senses. The most common is paid employment: She got a new job as a nurse. The second is a defined task or piece of work: Fixing the roof was a difficult job. The third is a duty or responsibility: It is your job to submit the report on time. All three senses appear regularly in everyday conversation, news, and professional writing.
Understanding the difference between job, work, career, and occupation is one of the most important vocabulary distinctions for intermediate learners. Job is countable and specific; work is uncountable and general. Career describes a long-term professional path; occupation is a more formal synonym used in official documents.
Her job involves preparing English language materials for learners — a typical example of job describing the content and responsibilities of a position of employment.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| He has a part-time job at the supermarket after school. | A2 — job as paid employment |
| Cleaning the flat was a big job that took all morning. | B1 — job as a task or piece of work |
| Her job involves preparing English language materials for learners. | B1 — job describing role and responsibilities |
| The consultant did an excellent job of restructuring the department within budget. | B2 — do a good job, professional context |
| Reconciling the competing demands of stakeholders is very much the job of a senior project manager. | C1 — job as a complex professional duty |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| get a job | She got a job as a receptionist after the interview. |
| apply for a job | He applied for a job he saw advertised online. |
| lose your job | Hundreds of workers lost their jobs when the factory closed. |
| do a good job | The team did a good job under very difficult circumstances. |
| full-time job | Looking after three children is practically a full-time job. |
| part-time job | She took a part-time job to fit around her studies. |
| well-paid job | He was offered a well-paid job in the finance sector. |
| job description | The job description listed five key responsibilities for the role. |
| job interview | She prepared carefully for her job interview the following morning. |
| job satisfaction | Studies show that job satisfaction matters as much as salary to many employees. |
Usage Notes
Key Usage Points
- Job is countable. Always use an article or determiner: a job, my job, the job. You cannot say I need job.
- Use do with job when describing performance: do a good job, do the job well. Do not say make a good job of something in standard British English — the correct phrase is make a good job of something only in the sense of completing it successfully, not measuring quality.
- Work is uncountable and refers to the activity in general; job is countable and refers to a specific position. Compare: I have a lot of work to do vs I have a new job.
- In formal writing, prefer occupation or position on official forms and documents.
- The phrase it's a good job that… is British English for it's a good thing that…: It's a good job you remembered your umbrella.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I need job to pay my rent. (missing article)
I need a job to pay my rent.
She does a work in a hospital. (work is uncountable; wrong verb)
She works in a hospital. / She has a job at a hospital.
He made a good job in the presentation. (wrong preposition)
He did a good job in the presentation. / He made a good job of the presentation.
What is your job do? (incorrect question form)
What does your job involve? / What do you do for a living?