Vocabulary
A bright open-plan office with rows of desks, computers, and low cubicle dividers
A bright open-plan office with rows of desks, computers, and low cubicle dividers

At Work: The American Words for Jobs and the Office

vocabularyamerican-englishworkjobsbritish-vs-american

One of the first questions Americans ask a new acquaintance is "So, what do you do?" They mean your job. Work is a constant topic, from the small talk at a party to the language of finding a job and getting through the office day. American work culture has its own vocabulary, and several of its most common words are different in British English, or come with a very American twist. This guide walks through the whole working world, American English first.

As with the rest of this series, the goal is to explain the words, not just list them, so they stay with you.

Words with two names

Start with the workplace words that simply change between the US and the UK:

  • Resume (US) / CV (UK). The one or two-page document listing your work history that you send when applying for a job. Americans say resume (pronounced REH-zoo-may); the British say CV, short for the Latin curriculum vitae.
  • Vacation (US) / holiday (UK). Time off work for rest or travel. In American English a holiday is a single special day, like Thanksgiving, while a vacation is a longer break. In British English, "holiday" covers both.
  • Raise (US) / rise (UK). An increase in your pay. Americans "get a raise," the British "get a rise."
  • Coworker (US) / colleague (UK). The people you work with. Both words are understood everywhere, but coworker is the everyday American choice.

Getting the job

The path to a new job comes with its own steps and words:

  • A job opening (or "job posting") is a position a company is trying to fill. To go after it, you apply.
  • You send in your resume and often a cover letter, a short note explaining why you want the job.
  • If they like you, you get called in for an interview, a meeting where they ask you questions.
  • If it goes well, they hire you and send a job offer stating your salary, the fixed yearly pay for the role.

The people at work

Every workplace has a cast of roles worth knowing:

  • Your boss is the person you report to; a more formal word is your manager or supervisor.
  • Your coworkers are the people at your level, and together you may form a team.
  • The company that pays you is your employer; you are its employee.
  • HR (human resources) is the department that handles hiring, pay, and problems between people.
  • At the very top sits the CEO (chief executive officer), the person who runs the whole company.

Pay and time off

How and when you get paid is its own small language:

  • Your salary is a fixed yearly amount, while an hourly worker earns a wage for each hour. Either way, the money arrives as a paycheck, usually every two weeks.
  • Do good work and you might earn a raise (more pay), a bonus (a one-time extra payment), or a promotion (a move up to a higher position).

In the office

A modern office corridor lined with cubicles and glass-walled offices

Step into a typical American office and you will hear these words all day:

  • Many workers sit in a cubicle, a small work area with low walls, like the ones pictured above. Others share an open office with rows of desks.
  • The day fills up with meetings, where people gather to talk over a project, and with deadlines, the dates by which work must be finished.
  • Getting there is the commute, your daily trip between home and work. Staying late means working overtime.
  • Many jobs now allow remote work (also "working from home," or "WFH"), doing your job from somewhere other than the office.

Leaving a job

Eventually people move on, and English is precise about how:

  • If you leave by choice, you quit or, more formally, resign.
  • If the company forces you out for poor performance or bad behavior, you get fired.
  • If they cut your job to save money, with no fault of your own, you get laid off.
  • And when you stop working for good at the end of a long career, you retire.

Putting it all together

With these words, you can talk through a whole career: polish your resume, ace the interview, get hired, survive the meetings and deadlines, earn a raise, take a well-deserved vacation, and one day retire. Keep the British twins (CV, holiday, rise, colleague) in mind for when you watch a UK show, and remember the American extras like 401(k) and PTO. Dressing for that big interview? Our guide to what to wear covers the American words for clothes.

Want these words to come out automatically? The collection below turns every term in this article into flashcards and quick quizzes, so the right work word is always ready.