INDEX:
1. a job
2. a job in a company or organization
3. relating to a job
4. to have a job
5. to not have a job
6. a job that is available
7. to give someone a job
8. to move to a more important job
9. doing something for a job, rather than for enjoyment
10. a job that you have in addition to your main job
RELATED WORDS
leave your job : ↑ LEAVE
not accept someone for a job : ↑ REJECT (6)
when someone does someone else’s job : ↑ REPLACE (1-4)
you are responsible for something as part of your job : ↑ RESPONSIBLE
see also
↑ WORK
↑ COMPANY
↑ BUSINESS
↑ EARN
↑ POSITION/RANK
↑ IN CHARGE OF
◆◆◆
1. a job
▷ job /dʒɒbǁdʒɑːb/ [countable noun]
the work that you do regularly in order to earn money, especially when you work for an employer :
▪ My first job was in a record store.
▪ Daniel starts his new job on Monday.
▪ She has a well-paid job in the tax department.
get a job
▪ Ted got a job as a bartender.
find a job
get a job after trying to get a lot of different jobs
▪ Her son still hasn’t been able to find a job.
look for a job
try to get one
▪ She’s looking for a job in the music business.
hold a job
have a job
▪ If a woman is qualified, she should hold any job in government she wants.
part-time job
when you work less than the usual number of hours each week
▪ I had a part-time job while I was in college.
job losses/job cuts
when a lot of people lose their jobs
▪ The company announced 74,000 job cuts and 21 factory closures.
▷ work /wɜːʳk/ [uncountable noun]
work that someone does regularly to earn money, either by working for an employer or working for themselves :
▪ My father started work when he was 14.
▪ Most people stop work when they are 65.
▪ I usually start work each day around 9 am and finish about 6 pm.
▪ The work’s really interesting but the pay’s lousy.
look for work
to try to get work
▪ Lena graduated from college six months ago and she’s still looking for work.
find work
to get work
▪ He eventually found work as a labourer on a construction site.
return to work/go back to work
to start work again after several weeks, months, or years
▪ Women often return to work after they have had children.
▪ His injuries have made it impossible for him to go back to work.
at work
at the place where you work
▪ Her mother tried to call her at home and then at work.
to work
to the place where you work
▪ Alexander commutes 30 miles to work each day.
after/before work
before you start or after you finish your work each day
▪ They sometimes play tennis after work.
▷ profession /prəˈfeʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
work such as law, medicine, or teaching, for which you need special training and education :
▪ Many teachers are thinking about leaving the profession for more highly paid careers.
the teaching/medical/legal etc profession
▪ There are now a lot more women in the legal profession.
go into/enter a profession
▪ There was a big demand for accountants in the 1980s, and many graduates entered the profession at this time.
▷ occupation /ˌɒkjɑˈpeɪʃ ə nǁˌɑːk-/ [countable noun]
the type of work that someone usually does - used especially on official forms :
▪ Please write your name, address, and occupation in the spaces below.
▪ Part-time workers often work in low-paid occupations.
▷ business /ˈbɪznɪs, ˈbɪznəs/ [countable/uncountable noun]
the general type of work that you do, such as buying and selling a particular type of thing :
▪ In our business the first rule is that the customer is always right.
▪ ‘What type of business are you in?’ ‘I run a catering company.’
the newspaper/used-car/movie etc business
▪ The used-car business has a pretty bad reputation.
▷ what somebody does /ˌwɒt somebody ˈdʌz/ spoken
use this to ask what someone’s job is :
▪ What does your husband do?
▪ She used to work for an accounting firm, but I’m not sure what she does now.
▷ trade /treɪd/ [countable noun]
a skilled job in which you use your hands to do things, such as building houses, making furniture, or repairing cars :
▪ Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry or printing.
▪ Young men and women can learn a trade in the military.
be a bricklayer/carpenter etc by trade
▪ His father had been a bricklayer by trade.
▷ career /kəˈrɪəʳ/ [countable noun]
the type of work that you do for most of your working life, which involves several similar jobs over a long period of time :
▪ Like his father, Tommy chose a career in the Army.
▪ Later on in his career he became first secretary at the British Embassy in Washington.
▪ The scandal destroyed his career as a politician.
career in
▪ I wanted to find out more about careers in publishing.
▷ vocation /vəʊˈkeɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a job such as being a nurse, priest, or teacher that you do because you have a strong feeling that you want to do it, especially because you want to help people :
▪ Nursing is hard work and often low paid, but for many people it is a vocation.
▪ He was quite young when he decided he had a religious vocation.
▷ livelihood /ˈlaɪvlihʊd/ [countable noun]
the work that you do in order to earn enough money to live on or the thing that provides the work for you to do :
▪ Most of the people here depend on tourism for their livelihood.
▪ Fishermen are angry about the new EC fishing regulations because they feel that their livelihood is being threatened.
▷ line of work/business /ˌlaɪn əv ˈwɜːʳk, ˈbɪznə̇s/ [noun phrase]
the type of work or job that you do :
▪ I meet some interesting people in my line of work.
▪ Henson had to leave real-estate, which had been his line of business since 1969.
▷ employment /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ [uncountable noun]
when people work or have jobs - used especially in official documents, news reports etc :
▪ I have not yet signed a contract of employment.
▪ A Japanese company plans to set up a factory in the area, so this should provide some employment for local people.
be in employment
have a job
▪ Are you in full-time employment, Mr Edwards?
2. a job in a company or organization
▷ post /pəʊst/ [countable noun]
an important job in a company or organization, especially in an organization that moves its workers to different jobs :
post of
▪ She has been offered the post of director of UNICEF.
take up a post
start doing a particular job
▪ When he took up his present post at the BBC he was only 23.
teaching/government/director’s etc post
▪ Environmentalists supported Murphy as the best candidate for the director’s post.
▷ position /pəˈzɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a job at a particular level in a company or organization :
position of
▪ We have decided to offer you the position of sales assistant starting next Monday.
hold a position
have a particular job
▪ What position did you hold at your previous company?
fill a position
to give someone a particular job
▪ Always look for the best person to fill any position, regardless of age, race, or gender.
▷ capacity /kəˈpæsɪti, kəˈpæsəti/ [singular noun] formal
if someone does something in a particular capacity, they do it because they have a particular job and it is part of that job :
in somebody’s capacity as something
▪ I’m here in my capacity as Union Representative.
▪ In her capacity as war correspondent for ABC News, she has traveled all over the world.
in an advisory legal/financial etc capacity
▪ He works for this firm in a legal capacity, giving advice on international law.
3. relating to a job
▷ job /dʒɒbǁdʒɑːb/ [adjective only before noun]
▪ The salary’s not very good, but there’s a lot of job satisfaction.
▪ It says in the job description that we’re only supposed to work 35 hours a week.
▪ The bad thing about working at holiday resorts is that there’s no job security.
▷ professional /prəˈfeʃ ə nəl/ [adjective only before noun]
relating to a job such as teaching, medicine, or law, for which you need special training and have to pass special examinations :
▪ The RSA course in teaching is a recognized professional qualification.
▪ Lawyers have their own professional association, which operates a strict code of conduct.
▪ You are advised to seek professional legal advice if in any doubt about the contract details.
▷ occupational /ˌɒkjɑˈpeɪʃ ə nəl◂ǁˌɑːk-/ [adjective only before noun]
relating to the particular type of job that you do :
▪ Occupational injuries and even deaths are quite common in the coal mining industry.
▪ The survey studied the incidence of cancer among different occupational groups.
▷ vocational /vəʊˈkeɪʃ ə nəl/ [adjective usually before noun]
vocational training or schools teach you the skills to do a particular job :
▪ Not all the courses are purely vocational.
▪ The Job Corps is a vocational training program for low-income youths.
4. to have a job
▷ have a job /hæv ə ˈdʒɒbǁ-ˈdʒɑːb/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
▪ I’ve had a job since the day I left high school.
▪ George had a well-paid job in a computer firm.
have a steady job
one that seems certain to last
▪ If you have a decent salary and a steady job, you can usually get a loan.
▷ be employed /biː ɪmˈplɔɪd/ [verb phrase]
to have a job - used especially in official contexts or in writing :
▪ To qualify for the program, at least one parent must be employed.
be employed by
▪ Curtis was employed by a car rental agency.
be employed at
▪ A graduate of Stanford, she is employed at Jackson, Cole, Roberts & Green, a respected law firm.
▷ self-employed /ˌself ɪmˈplɔɪd◂/ [adjective]
someone who is self-employed works for a business that they own or gets paid for work by various companies or people, and is not directly employed by a single company or organization :
▪ He is a self-employed music teacher.
▪ I’ve been self-employed for over 10 years.
▷ hold (down) a job /ˌhəʊld (daʊn) ə ˈdʒɒbǁ-ˈdʒɑːb/ [verb phrase]
to have a job, especially one that is for a particular period of time, or when it is difficult to keep working :
▪ She was the first woman to hold the job of mayor.
▪ Even men who had always been able to hold down a job found themselves unemployed.
▷ be in work /biː ɪn ˈwɜːʳk/ [verb phrase] British
to have a job - use this when you are comparing someone who has a job with other people who do not have jobs :
▪ She was the only one in the family to be in work.
▪ It’s often difficult for people who are in work to appreciate the problems of the unemployed.
5. to not have a job
▷ not have a job/be without a job /nɒt hæv ə ˈdʒɒb, biː wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈdʒɒbǁ-ˈdʒɑːb/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
▪ I don’t have a job yet, but I’m going for an interview tomorrow.
▪ She’s been without a job now for three months.
▪ Many of the students who leave the course this summer won’t have a job to go to.
▷ be out of work /biː ˌaʊt əv ˈwɜːʳk/ [verb phrase]
to not have a job, especially for a long period of time :
▪ I’ve been out of work for two years.
▪ At the age of 33, he suddenly found himself out of work and without much hope of finding any.
be thrown out of work
to suddenly lose your job
▪ The company’s bankruptcy meant that 5,000 people were thrown out of work.
out-of-work [adjective phrase]
▪ She is an out-of-work actress.
▷ unemployed /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd◂/ [adjective]
an unemployed person does not have a job :
▪ Fifty per cent of the men in this town are unemployed.
unemployed teacher/clerk/factory worker etc
some one who usually works as a teacher etc
▪ The accused man is an unemployed labourer from South London.
the unemployed
people who are unemployed
▪ The government is not doing enough to help the unemployed.
unemployment [uncountable noun]
▪ There has been a sharp rise in unemployment.
▷ jobless /ˈdʒɒbləsǁˈdʒɑːb-/ [adjective]
people who are jobless do not have jobs - used especially in news reports :
▪ The factory closure will leave 3,000 workers jobless.
▪ Jobless youths are a major cause of concern.
the jobless
people who do not have jobs
▪ The bill would allow the jobless to collect 4 to 20 weeks of additional benefits.
▷ be on the dole British /be on welfare/on unemployment American /biː ɒn ðə ˈdəʊl, biː ɒn ˈwelfeəʳ, ɒn ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ [verb phrase]
to be receiving money from the government because you do not have a job :
▪ Many people on welfare don’t have anyone to take care of the kids while they train for a job.
▪ Just about everyone on the estate is one the dole. Jobs are scarce.
▪ He spent five months on unemployment before finding a job that paid much less than his previous job.
go on the dole/go on welfare
start getting money from the government because you do not have a job
▪ Students used to be allowed to go on the dole in the summer holidays, but the government has stopped that.
▪ Rivera lost his job, and the family had to go on welfare.
6. a job that is available
▷ vacancy /ˈveɪkənsi/ [countable noun]
a job that is available, and that someone could start doing immediately :
▪ There might be some vacancies at the hospital.
vacancy for
▪ A vacancy exists for an import/export sales manager at our Paris office.
fill a vacancy
find someone to do the job
▪ Skilled workers are few, and employers are having trouble filling vacancies.
▷ opening /ˈəʊp ə nɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a job that is available - used especially by managers or by people asking about jobs :
▪ Of the fourteen openings, only one went to a minority candidate.
opening for
▪ I was wondering if you had any openings for sales staff?
job openings
▪ The journal has been a good way to publicize job openings.
▷ opportunity /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪti, ˌɒpəˈtjuːnətiǁˌɑːpərˈtuː-/ [countable noun usually plural]
the chance to do a job that you want to do, which could lead to a good permanent job :
opportunity for
▪ There are several opportunities for experienced designers and researchers.
career opportunities
▪ Career opportunities for nurses have improved in the last 10 years.
7. to give someone a job
▷ give somebody a job /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈdʒɒbǁ-ˈdʒɑːb/ [verb phrase]
▪ If I give you the job, how soon can you begin?
▪ After law school, he was given a job in the city’s legal department.
give sb a job as
▪ Goldman gave her a job as his assistant.
▷ employ also hire especially American /ɪmˈplɔɪ, haɪəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to give someone a job and pay them for the work they do for you :
▪ Since he came out of prison no one will employ him.
▪ The company has been accused of not hiring enough women.
employ as
▪ I was employed as a night-watchman by the local hospital.
▪ She was hired as marketing director for a biotechnology firm.
employment [uncountable noun]
▪ This letter outlines the terms and conditions of employment the conditions of your job .
▷ take on /ˌteɪk ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if a company takes on someone, it gives them a job - use this especially about a job that might not be permanent or when a lot of people are given jobs at the same time :
take on somebody
▪ We’re not taking on any more staff at the moment.
take somebody etc on
▪ Franklin needed an assistant, and he got funding from the department to take one on.
take somebody on as something
▪ The director took me on as a messenger while they were filming in my village.
▷ engage /ɪnˈgeɪdʒ/ [transitive verb] British formal
to give someone a job :
▪ The vet was increasingly busy and had to engage two new assistants.
engage somebody as something
▪ Paul was engaged as a junior clerk at a very low wage.
▷ appoint /əˈpɔɪnt/ [transitive verb]
to choose someone for a job, especially an important job :
▪ The French president has appointed a new Minister for Culture.
▪ The committee was appointed to make recommendations on housing development in the area.
appoint somebody as director/manager etc
▪ When he was governor, Brown appointed Rose Bird as chief justice of the California Supreme Court.
appoint somebody director/manager etc
▪ Schreiber was appointed director of human resources.
appoint somebody to a job/post/ position etc
▪ This is the first time that a woman has been appointed to the post.
appointment [countable noun]
▪ His appointment to the position of Senior Surgeon was unexpected.
▷ recruit /rɪˈkruːt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to find new people to work for a company or organization such as the army :
▪ The police department is trying to recruit more black officers.
▪ It’s getting more and more difficult to recruit experienced staff.
recruit [countable noun]
someone who has been recruited :
▪ At many banks, young recruits first work as tellers.
▷ sign up also sign American /ˌsaɪn ˈʌp, saɪn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if a football team, record company, film company etc signs up or signs someone, they agree to give them a job and make them sign an official contract :
▪ Allegre was signed by the New York Jets.
▪ Six episodes of the show have been taped, and the actors have been signed for six more.
sign up somebody
▪ England soccer star Paul Gascoigne was signed up by a top Italian club.
sign somebody up
▪ The band have just completed a highly successful US tour, and several record companies have offered to sign them up.
8. to move to a more important job
▷ promote /prəˈməʊt/ [transitive verb usually passive]
to give someone who works in an organization a more important job than the one they had before :
▪ The company promotes women and minorities whenever possible.
be promoted
▪ Did you hear that David’s been promoted?
promote somebody to something
▪ Shula was promoted to head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991.
▷ make somebody something /meɪk somebody something/ [verb phrase]
to move someone to another job, usually a better, more important one within the same organization :
▪ No-one thought they would make him manager so soon after joining the company.
▪ He’s been made Head of Security at the Chicago National Bank.
▷ promotion /prəˈməʊʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when someone is given a more important job in an organization :
▪ Civil service tests determine promotion in government jobs.
▪ What are my chances of promotion if I stay here?
get a promotion
▪ She got a promotion last year.
▷ advancement /ədˈvɑːnsməntǁədˈvæn-/ [uncountable noun] formal
when someone moves up to a better, more important job :
▪ Many people are forced to move from one city to another in search of better jobs or career advancement.
▷ move/go/climb up the ladder also work your way up the ladder /ˌmuːv, ˌgəʊ, ˌklaɪm ʌp ðə ˈlædəʳ, ˌwɜːʳk jɔːʳ weɪ ʌp ðə ˈlædəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to gradually become more and more successful, and get better, more important jobs :
▪ Feldman started working for the company at age 18, and slowly worked his way up the ladder.
▪ Education is vital to help these children to move up the career ladder.
▷ upgrade /ˌʌpˈgreɪd/ [transitive verb]
to move someone up in a job, especially by making the job they are already doing more important, and by paying them more for it :
▪ The women demanded that their work be upgraded.
upgrade somebody to something
▪ After the inspector’s visit all temporary workers were upgraded to permanent status.
9. doing something for a job, rather than for enjoyment
▷ for a living /fər ə ˈlɪvɪŋ/ [adverb]
if someone does something for a living, they do it as a job in order to get money to live - use this especially about something that other people do only for fun :
▪ She actually tastes wine for a living!
▪ No one in the show acts or sings for a living.
▷ professional also pro informal /prəˈfeʃ ə nəl, prəʊ/ [adjective]
a professional musician, tennis player, photographer etc is one who plays music etc as their job and earns money from it :
▪ Professional basketball players can earn huge sums of money.
turn professional
become a professional musician, player etc
▪ He was a keen amateur photographer for many years before he turned professional.
professional [countable noun]
▪ Most athletes these days are highly-trained professionals, who spend their whole time practising or competing.
10. a job that you have in addition to your main job
▷ sideline /ˈsaɪdlaɪn/ [countable noun usually singular]
a job that you do in addition to your main job, especially because it is something that you enjoy or are interested in :
▪ I sometimes take wedding photographs on Saturdays -- it’s a nice little sideline and it gives me a bit of extra cash.
as a sideline
▪ Tracy intended to run the seed business as a sideline, but it soon became her full-time job.
▷ on the side /ɒn ðə ˈsaɪd/ [adverb]
if you do a job on the side, you do it secretly or unofficially, in addition to your main job :
▪ It is difficult to estimate the number of people doing part-time jobs on the side.
▪ He sometimes does a bit of gardening on the side when he is short of money.
▷ moonlight /ˈmuːnlaɪt/ [intransitive verb]
to do another job, usually in the evenings or at night, in addition to your main job :
▪ Carlos is an auto mechanic who moonlights fixing the cars of friends.
▪ Sarton has been moonlighting for five years to supplement his income.
moonlight as
▪ Some police officers moonlight as security guards.