Work, jobs, and career

This is the deepest topic in B1 vocabulary — and the one your future self will use most. Work language has its own grammar: dedicated nouns (deliverables, KPIs, stakeholders), specialized verbs (onboard, vest, deliver), and a sharp split between formal HR vocabulary (terminate, separation) and casual workplace speak (get canned, side hustle).

This lesson is organized like a career arc: looking for a job → interviewing → on the job → leaving the job → modern work modes. American workplace vocabulary is heavy here because the US has its own peculiar concepts (PTO, 401k, at-will employment, severance) that don’t translate cleanly.

Job application — looking for work

The documents

The roles

• applicant / candidate — the person applying
• recruiter — finds candidates (in-house or agency)
• hiring manager — the person who’ll be your boss; makes the final call
• HR (human resources) — handles employment process and policy
• headhunter — external recruiter for senior positions
• referral — recommended by an existing employee (huge in US — most jobs are filled this way)

The process

• post / posting / listing / opening — a published job ad
• apply (for) — submit your materials
• submit — formal verb for sending application
• shortlist — narrowed list of candidates
• screen / pre-screen — initial filter (often a 15-min phone call)
• callback — they want to keep talking to you
• rejection — they don’t
• offer — formal job offer
• counteroffer — your higher request, or what your current company makes to keep you
• accept / decline — say yes / no to the offer
• start date — when you begin
• onboarding — your first weeks at the new job

Interview vocabulary

Question types

• behavioral question — Tell me about a time you… (US interviewers love these)
• technical question — knowledge-based
• case study — solve a problem live (consulting, finance)
• walk us through — explain step by step (Walk us through your last project)
• deal-breaker — a thing that would stop you from accepting (Is salary a deal-breaker?)
• nice-to-have — preferred but optional skill
• must-have — required skill

Negotiation

• salary range — minimum-to-maximum number for the role
• base salary — the regular paycheck part (not bonus or stock)
• total comp (compensation) — base + bonus + equity + benefits
• benefits package — health insurance, PTO, 401k, etc.
• sign-on bonus — one-time payment for joining
• equity / stock options — ownership shares (common at startups)
• negotiate — discuss and agree on terms
• asking price — what you’re requesting

On the job — daily work language

Roles and structure

What you do

• task — a single piece of work
• project — a multi-task initiative
• deliverable — a concrete output you’re expected to produce
• deadline — the date by which something must be done
• milestone — a major project marker
• KPI (key performance indicator) — measurable success metric
• OKR (objectives and key results) — popular goal-setting framework, esp. in tech
• roadmap — plan over time (months/quarters)
• scope — the boundaries of what’s included
• scope creep — when extra work sneaks into a project

Performance and pay

• performance review — formal evaluation, usually yearly or twice a year
• feedback — comments on your work
• raise — salary increase
• promotion — move up a level (with title and usually pay)
• demoted — moved down a level (rare and stigmatized in US)
• bonus — extra pay, usually annual or for hitting goals
• pay cut — reduction in pay
• vest — when stock/options become legally yours over time (My stock vests over 4 years)
• cliff — the point you start vesting (usually 1 year)

Leaving a job — the critical distinctions

This is the most confused area for non-Americans. Quitting vs getting fired vs getting laid off are three completely different things in US workplace law and culture.

The fired vs laid off distinction matters socially and legally:

• Laid off: usually gets severance, can collect unemployment, isn’t a stigma. I got laid off in the round of cuts last quarter.
• Fired: doesn’t get severance, may struggle with unemployment, is a red flag. He got fired for missing too many deadlines.

The exit process

• two weeks’ notice — standard polite notice period in the US (most jobs are at-will — you can leave anytime, but two weeks is the courtesy)
• at-will employment — US default: either side can end employment anytime, with or without cause
• resignation letter — formal letter saying you’re leaving
• exit interview — meeting with HR on your last day
• severance / severance package — payout when laid off (often 2-12 weeks of salary)
• non-compete — clause preventing you from joining a competitor
• NDA — nondisclosure agreement
• garden leave — paid time off after resignation (rare in the US, common in UK/finance)
• last day — Today’s my last day.

Modern work modes — remote, hybrid, freelance

The vocabulary exploded after 2020. B1 in 2026 must include this.

Where you work

• WFH (work from home) — remote work, often used as a verb (I’m WFH today)
• remote — fully remote employee
• hybrid — mix of office + home (hybrid 3-2: 3 days office, 2 home)
• in-office / on-site — physically at the office
• co-working space — shared workspace you rent (WeWork, Industrious)
• digital nomad — remote worker traveling while working

How you communicate

• Slack me / DM me / ping me — message me on Slack/Teams
• standup — short daily team meeting (often virtual)
• all-hands — meeting for the whole company
• one-on-one (1:1) — recurring meeting with your manager
• async — without real-time interaction (you respond when you can)
• sync (or synchronous) — real-time meeting/call
• EOD (end of day) — I’ll send it by EOD
• EOW (end of week)
• OOO (out of office)
• PTO (paid time off) — vacation days

Side work and gig economy

• side hustle — a paid project or business outside your main job (huge cultural concept in the US)
• moonlighting — working a second job, often secretly
• freelancer — self-employed, project-by-project
• contractor / contract role — works for a company but isn’t a full-time employee (different tax/benefits status — 1099 contractor in US tax-speak)
• gig work — short-term task-based work (Uber, DoorDash, Fiverr)
• consultant — paid expert advice
• W-2 vs 1099 — US tax classifications: W-2 = employee, 1099 = contractor

US-specific workplace vocabulary

The 401(k) and employer match is the most quintessentially American workplace concept — there’s no clean translation because the US privatizes retirement to employers. If a US company offers a “5% 401k match”, they’ll add 5% of your salary to your retirement account, usually if you contribute at least that much yourself.

Collocations

• apply for a job / position / role
• submit a resume / an application
• schedule an interview
• make an offer / a counteroffer
• accept / turn down an offer
• meet / miss a deadline
• hit / miss a target / a KPI
• give notice / feedback / a raise
• put in your two weeks’ notice
• work overtime / from home / late
• get promoted / fired / laid off / a raise

Phrases and expressions

• climb the corporate ladder — advance in a career
• wear many hats — handle many roles
• on the same page — aligned in understanding
• drop the ball — fail to do something
• circle back — return to a topic later
• touch base — check in briefly
• low-hanging fruit — easy wins
• ballpark figure — approximate number
• my plate is full — I’m overloaded
• out of the loop — not informed
• in the weeds — stuck in detail

Common Russian-speaker mistakes

1. CV in US contexts. Always resume unless you’re applying for a professor position.
2. Make a job / find a work (calques). Work is uncountable in this sense — find a job, get a job, do work. Never find a work.
3. Salary vs wage vs paycheck. Salary = annual fixed pay. Wage = hourly pay. Paycheck = the actual payment you receive. Don’t say my wage is $80k a year — say my salary.
4. Chief meaning boss (false friend). Chief in English is a title (Chief of Police, Chief Operating Officer) or military rank, NOT a generic word for boss. Use boss (informal), manager (neutral), or supervisor.
5. I work in firm — Russian-flavored article drop. I work AT a firm / FOR a company / IN finance (sector). Use at / for + specific company; in + sector or department.
6. Director meaning manager (sort-of-false friend). In US English, director is a senior title (Director of Engineering, board director), not the everyday word for your boss. The Russian директор школы = principal in the US.
7. Sign a contract for any job acceptance. In the US, most jobs are at-will and you accept by signing an offer letter (not a “contract”). Contract in US implies fixed-term or contractor status, which is different.

Summary

• US documents: resume (not CV), cover letter, references.
• Job process: applicant → recruiter → hiring manager → offer → onboarding.
• Interview chunks: behavioral question, walk us through, deal-breaker, salary range, benefits package.
• On the job: deliverable, deadline, KPI, performance review, raise, promotion.
• Fired vs laid off: fired = for cause (negative), laid off = restructuring (no stigma).
• Remote-era vocabulary: WFH, hybrid, async, standup, all-hands, Slack me, PTO.
• Side work: side hustle, freelancer, contractor, gig work.
• US-specific: PTO, 401(k), W-2 vs 1099, severance, two weeks’ notice, at-will.

Next theme: Education and the US system — K-12, college vs university, GPA, FAFSA, Greek life, and the verbs ace, bomb, cram.