Work & Jobs Vocabulary
This page collects 82 English work words. Every word comes with a real photo, pronunciation audio, a clear meaning and an example sentence, so you can see and hear each word in context. Each card links to the daily lesson where the word was taught, so you can read the full conversation and practice shadowing.
Words are grouped by topic: Jobs & Occupations (11 words), At the Office (13 words), Job Search & Interviews (12 words), Careers & Success (17 words), Business English (14 words) and Employment & Labour (15 words). They cover all six CEFR levels, from beginner words like doctor, job, nurse to advanced words like meritocracy, tenure, career pivot. Use the audio on each card to check your pronunciation, then test yourself with the quiz below.
Quiz: Test Yourself
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check your score.
Q1. Which word means 'a well-paid position requiring little or no real work'?
Q2. Which word means 'to give someone a job'?
Q3. Which word means 'a deliberate change from one career path to a completely different one'?
Q4. Which word means 'the process of finding and employing new workers'?
Q5. Which word means 'meeting people who can help your career'?
Q6. What is this?
Q7. What is this?
Q8. What is this?
Q9. What is this?
Q10. What is this?
Jobs & Occupations (11 words)
A1
doctor noun · A1
DOK-tur
a person who helps sick people feel better
The doctor helps me.
teacher noun · A1
TEE-cher
a person who helps students learn
The teacher is kind.
A2
B1
conductor noun · B1
kun-DUK-tur
a person who checks tickets on a train or bus
The conductor asked to see our tickets.
manager noun · B1
MAN-uh-jer
a person who leads a team
My manager helped me with the report.
porter noun · B1
POR-ter
a person whose job is to carry people's bags at a hotel, station, or airport
The porter carried our heavy suitcases to the fourth floor.
tailor noun · B1
TAY-lor
a person who makes or changes clothes to fit you
A tailor shortened my trousers in two days.
C2
itinerant adjective · C2
ih-TIN-uh-ruhnt
traveling from place to place for work
The itinerant photographer sold prints in every town along the coast.
sinecure noun · C2
SY-nih-kyoor
a well-paid position requiring little or no real work
He treated the advisory board seat as a comfortable sinecure.
At the Office (13 words)
A1
office noun · A1
O-fis
a room where people work
I work in an office.
A2
colleague noun · A2
KAW-leeg
a person you work with
My colleagues are friendly.
deadline noun · A2
DED-lain
the last day or time to finish something
The deadline is Friday.
meeting noun · A2
MEE-ting
a time when people come together to talk about work
The meeting starts at ten o'clock.
B1
presentation noun · B1
prez-uhn-TAY-shuhn
a talk that shows information to an audience
She gave a presentation about the new project.
project noun · B1
PROJ-ekt
a planned piece of work with a clear goal
Our team finished the project on time.
shift noun · B1
SHIFT
a period of work during the day, like the morning shift
She works the night shift at the hospital.
B2
delegate verb · B2
DEH-luh-gayt
to give part of your work or responsibility to someone else
A good manager knows how to delegate tasks to the right people.
efficient adjective · B2
ih-FISH-unt
working well without wasting time
This is an efficient way to study.
multitask verb · B2
MUL-tee-task
to do two or more things at the same time
Most managers have to multitask between meetings, emails, and calls all day.
C1
micromanage verb · C1
MY-kroh-MAN-ij
to control every small detail of how employees do their work
Great leaders trust their teams instead of trying to micromanage them.
onboarding noun · C1
ON-bor-ding
the process of welcoming and training a new employee
Their onboarding program helps new engineers feel at home in two weeks.
C2
drudgery noun · C2
DRUJ-uh-ree
hard, dull, repetitive work that feels like a grind
Months of data-entry drudgery left her desperate for a more creative role.
Job Search & Interviews (12 words)
A2
interview noun · A2
IN-tuhr-vyoo
a meeting where people ask you questions for a job
I have a job interview tomorrow.
B1
recruit verb · B1
reh-KROOT
to find and invite people to join
They recruit new staff every spring.
resume noun · B1
reh-ZOO-may
a short document that shows your work history and skills
Send your resume with the application.
B2
applicant noun · B2
AP-lih-kuhnt
a person who applies for a job
More than two hundred applicants applied for the position.
experience noun · B2
ik-SPEER-ee-uns
knowledge you get from doing things
Travel gives you great experience.
hiring noun · B2
HY-uh-ring
the process of finding and employing new workers
The hiring process took almost three months.
internship noun · B2
IN-tuhn-ship
a short period of work experience to learn a job
My sister got a summer internship at a design company.
network verb · B2
NET-wurk
to meet and connect with people who can help you in your career
She networks at industry events to find new clients.
networking noun · B2
NET-wurk-ing
meeting people who can help your career
Networking at conferences helped her find a new job.
opportunity noun · B2
op-uh-TOO-nuh-tee
a chance to do something
This job is a great opportunity.
C1
headhunt verb · C1
HED-hunt
to approach a skilled worker and recruit them for a job
A rival startup tried to headhunt our lead designer last spring.
Careers & Success (17 words)
A2
promotion noun · A2
pruh-MOH-shuhn
a better job with more pay
He got a promotion this year.
B1
bonus noun · B1
BOH-nuss
extra money given as a reward for good work
She got a bonus for her great work.
resign verb · B1
ree-ZINE
to officially leave your job
He resigned because he found a better job.
B2
achieve verb · B2
uh-CHEEV
to successfully reach a goal
She achieved her dream of becoming a doctor.
ambition noun · B2
am-BISH-un
a strong desire to succeed or achieve something important
Her ambition drove her to study medicine at the top university.
career noun · B2
kuh-REER
the series of jobs a person does in their working life
After university, he began a career in marketing.
dedication noun · B2
de-duh-KAY-shun
the quality of working hard and giving your time and energy because you care
His dedication to the project impressed the whole team.
milestone noun · B2
MYLE-stohn
an important event or achievement in your work or life
Launching the app was a huge milestone for our small team.
pivot verb · B2
PIH-vut
to make a big change in direction, especially in your career or business
After ten years in banking, he pivoted to teaching.
retire verb · B2
rih-TAHYR
to stop working permanently, usually after a long career
My father plans to retire at sixty.
succeed verb · B2
suk-SEED
to achieve success
Hard work helps you succeed.
thrive verb · B2
THRYVE
to grow, develop, and become very successful
She really thrives in a busy, creative office.
C1
meritocracy noun · C1
mer-ih-TOK-ruh-see
a system where people advance based on ability and effort, not connections
She thrived in a true meritocracy, where talent mattered more than connections.
tenure noun · C1
TEN-yur
the length of time a person holds a particular job or position
She has held tenure at the university for over fifteen years.
C2
career pivot noun phrase · C2
kuh-REER PIV-ut
a deliberate change from one career path to a completely different one
At forty, she made a career pivot from accounting to user-experience design.
portfolio career noun phrase · C2
port-FOH-lee-oh kuh-REER
earning a living from several part-time roles or projects instead of a single job
He built a portfolio career out of consulting, teaching, and freelance writing.
trajectory noun · C2
truh-JEK-tuh-ree
the path or arc of development that a career follows over time
His trajectory carried him from junior analyst to partner in nine years.
Business English (14 words)
B2
entrepreneur noun · B2
ahn-truh-pruh-NUR
a person who starts their own business
As an entrepreneur, she works long hours but loves her freedom.
freelance adjective · B2
FREE-lanss
working for yourself on separate projects for different clients
She works freelance for several magazines.
negotiate verb · B2
nih-GOH-shee-ayt
to discuss something with someone in order to reach an agreement, for example about pay
He learned to negotiate a better contract.
profit noun · B2
PROF-it
the money you make after paying all your costs
The small shop made a big profit this year.
streamline verb · B2
STREEM-lyne
to make a process simpler and faster
We streamlined the checkout process to save time.
C1
bottleneck noun · C1
BOT-ul-nek
a point where progress slows down because of limited capacity
The approval process is the bottleneck in our release schedule.
monetize verb · C1
MON-uh-tyze
to turn something into a source of income
She monetized her cooking blog through ads and sponsorships.
synergy noun · C1
SIN-er-jee
the combined effect of working together, greater than the sum of the parts
The synergy between the two teams produced their best product ever.
C2
bootstrapping noun · C2
BOOT-strap-ing
building a business using only one's own money and revenue, without outside investors
Bootstrapping kept them debt-free but made growth painfully slow.
intrapreneur noun · C2
IN-truh-pruh-NUR
an employee who creates new ideas or products inside a company, acting like an entrepreneur
She became an intrapreneur by launching an innovation lab inside the bank.
low-hanging fruit noun phrase · C2
LOH HANG-ing FROOT
easy tasks or quick gains that require little effort
The team picked the low-hanging fruit first to show quick progress to the board.
lucrative adjective · C2
LOO-kruh-tiv
producing a large profit or income
The consultancy contract proved extremely lucrative within its first year.
solvency noun · C2
SOL-vun-see
a company's ability to pay its debts and stay financially healthy
The auditors questioned the airline's solvency after three losing quarters.
thought leadership noun · C2
THAWT LEE-dur-ship
influencing others in your field through original ideas and visible expertise
Her essays on remote work established her thought leadership in the industry.
Employment & Labour (15 words)
A2
overtime noun · A2
OH-vuhr-taim
work you do after your normal hours
I worked overtime last week.
salary noun · A2
SA-luh-ree
the money you get every month for your job
She gets a good salary.
B1
contract noun · B1
KON-trakt
a written agreement that people sign
He signed a one-year contract.
B2
layoff noun · B2
LAY-off
when a company ends workers' jobs to save money
The factory announced fifty layoffs last week.
perk noun · B2
PURK
an extra benefit you get from your job, besides your pay (informal)
One nice perk of the job is free lunch every Friday.
probation noun · B2
proh-BAY-shun
a trial period at the start of a new job
During the six-month probation, the manager checks your work closely.
workload noun · B2
WURK-lohd
the amount of work a person has to do
The new system helped us share the workload more fairly.
C1
glass ceiling noun phrase · C1
GLASS SEEL-ing
an invisible barrier that stops talented people, especially women, from reaching top positions
an invisible barrier that prevents women or minorities from rising to top positions
an invisible barrier that prevents women or minorities from rising to top positions
Despite her achievements, she kept hitting the glass ceiling at her firm.
nepotism noun · C1
NEP-uh-tiz-um
favoring relatives and friends for jobs instead of the most qualified people
The company introduced strict rules to root out nepotism in hiring.
C2
attrition noun · C2
uh-TRISH-un
the gradual loss of employees who leave and are not replaced
High attrition in the support team forced constant, costly recruitment.
golden handcuffs noun phrase · C2
GOHL-dun HAND-kufs
financial rewards that make it hard to leave a job you no longer enjoy
Her stock options were golden handcuffs that kept her in a role she had outgrown.
moonlighting noun · C2
MOON-ly-ting
secretly holding a second job in addition to your main one
He was moonlighting as a web designer while working full-time at the insurance firm.
presenteeism noun · C2
PREZ-un-TEE-iz-um
the habit of being present at work while sick or unproductive, which harms performance
Presenteeism costs companies more than absenteeism, because exhausted people make expensive mistakes.
quiet quitting noun phrase · C2
KWY-ut KWIT-ing
doing only the minimum your job requires, with no extra effort or enthusiasm
After the denied promotion, he started quiet quitting and left exactly at five every day.
redundancy noun · C2
ri-DUN-dun-see
(British English) job loss caused by a position being eliminated
The merger led to three hundred redundancies across middle management.
More vocabulary: Body & Health Vocabulary Education Vocabulary Family & Relationships Vocabulary Feelings & Personality Vocabulary Food & Drink Vocabulary Shopping & Money Vocabulary Sports & Hobbies Vocabulary Technology Vocabulary Travel & Transport Vocabulary Lessons by level: A1 lessons A2 lessons B1 lessons B2 lessons C1 lessons C2 lessons