Confusing words: job, work, career, employment.

Confusing words: job, work, career, employment

“Work” and “job” are two words that have similar yet different meanings.

A job refers to a specific role/position. Work refers to activities/effort. In another sense “work” can mean the place/company where your job is located.

I’m looking for a new job. = I’m looking for a new position.

I’m busy – I have a lot of work.

apply for a job:

I’ve applied for several jobs without success.

get a job:

Andy got a holiday job at a factory in Bristol.

find a job:

Emma finally found a job in a bakery.

offer someone a job:

My son has been offered a job in Tokyo.

“Work” is a general term that refers to all activities that one does while “job” is more specific.

I’m busy – I have a lot of work.

I start work at 8 o’clock every morning.

I go to work by bus.

I know you’ve got a lot of work to do.

I started work when I was sixteen.

Career - a job or series of related jobs that you do, especially a profession that you spend a lot of your working life in.

career in:

A career in computer science.

career as:

He has just started out on a career as a photographer.

launch a/your etc career:

The 25-year-old actress is now launching her career over here.

Employment means you are being regularly paid by a person or organization for ongoing work. A job is more likely to be short term while employment is usually expected to last longer.