Job (role)

Look up Job, job in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A job is a role served by a person or thing, usually involving productive work. A person usually begins a job by becoming an employee, volunteering, or starting a business. The duration of a job may range from an hour (in the case of odd jobs) to a lifetime (in the case of some judges). If a person favors or is trained for a certain type of job, they may have an occupation. The series of jobs a person holds in their life is their career.

Jobs for people

Most people spend a good portion of their waking time doing a regular job. Exceptions are if you are a student or retired.

Types of Jobs

Further information: List of occupations

Jobs come in great variety: full time jobs, part time jobs, temporary work, odd jobs, summer jobs, self-employment

People may have a chosen occupation for which they have received training or a degree.

Someone may pursue a vocation but support themselves financially with a day job. Those who do not hold down a steady job may do odd jobs or be unemployed.

Getting a Job

Further information: job hunting

Further information: Employment

Getting a first job is an important rite of passage in many cultures. Youth may start by doing household work, odd jobs, or working for a family business. In many countries, school children get summer jobs during their longer vacation period. Students enrolled in higher education can apply for internships.

Resumes are used to summarize information about a person in order to interest potential employers and get a job interview.

Use of the Word

Labourers often talk of "getting a job", or "having a job". This conceptual metaphor of a "job" as a possession has led to its use in slogans such as "money for jobs, not bombs". Similar conceptions are that of "land" as a possession (real estate) or intellectual rights as a possession (intellectual property). The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that the origin of "job" is from the obsolete phrase "jobbe of work" in the sense of "piece of work", and most dictionaries list the Middle English "gobbe" meaning "lump" (gob) as the origin of "jobbe". Attempts to link the word to the biblical character Job seem to be folk etymology.^{[citation needed]}

Jobs for things

Industrialisation involves machines taking on a role in producing goods without direct operation by a person.

See also

• Unemployment
• Trade Unions
• Immigration

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