Several terms are used around us to refer to the broad terms like work and employment. Job title and Occupation are also one of those. These two terms are used interchangeably but only to imply a different meaning.
Job Title vs Occupation
The main difference between Job Title and Occupation is that job title is the particular position of responsibility given to an individual at a particular period in time whereas occupation is the general work that an individual does for which he/she is paid on regular basis.
The job title is the specific position of responsibility or the role that an individual is assigned in a company at a time whereas Occupation is the work for which the individual is paid regularly.
A job title can be used to denote multiple meanings in the context of work. It can be used to depict an individual’s responsibility at a given time, to determine what work does job consists of and to denote the hierarchy at a workplace.
Comparison Table Between Job Title and Occupation (in Tabular Form)
| Parameters of Comparison | Job Title | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The term job title implies the position or the role any individual is assigned at a particular time. | Occupation refers to the regular work that an individual does and is paid for the same. It is the broad term. |
| Specificity | Job title tells the precise details about the work that a person does at the workplace. | Occupation tells the broad details or the field of the work that a person does regularly. |
| Hierarchy | A job title can also depict the hierarchy of work at the workplace. | Occupation doesn’t help to signify the hierarchical position of a person. |
| Multiplicity of meaning | It can also be used to denote various other meanings such as job level or what the job s all about. | Occupation provides only a general idea about the intricate details of the job. |
| Examples | The job title is the specific term that can refer to various works such as senior editor, assistant professor, manager, etc | Occupation is the term that is used to denote a particular field of work such as medicine, engineer, professor, etc. |
What is Job Title?
Job Title is a particular position or the responsibility for which any individual is accountable for at that specific period. It might or might not be the permanent work that an individual does regularly. Job title denotes the hierarchy of a person at the workplace because it is a context-specific term.
Some of the aspects that the word ‘Job Title’ signifies are as follows:
- It depicts the hierarchy of a person at the workplace that makes it easier to recognize seniority.
- It specifies the responsibilities of a person at a workplace which helps to provide distinct works to various people at a time.
- It provides a clear vision of what the job is all about.
- It helps people to search for work according to their own needs and dexterities.
Some of the examples of job titles that people work under are- chief executive officer, associate professor, senior content analyst, junior doctor, etc.
What is Occupation?
Occupation is the broad term for the work that an individual does and is paid for the same. It usually refers to the permanent job of a person that he/she does regularly. It is the broad term that gives an overview of the work but doesn’t depict the hierarchy of a person at the workplace.
Some of the aspects that the term ‘Occupation’ signifies are listed below:
- It usually refers to the permanent and regular work in which an individual is involved and is paid for the same.
- It gives an overview of the work but doesn’t depict the intricate details of the work
- It is a general idea about the employment of a person.
- It doesn’t depict the hierarchy at the workplace.
Some of the examples of occupations that people are generally involved in are-teaching, business, medicine, marketing, hospitality, etc.
Main Differences Between Job Title and Occupation
- Job Title is the context-specific term that is used to denote the position of responsibility of the person at that particular time whereas Occupation is the work that an individual does on the regular basis to be paid for the same.
- Job Title helps to depict the hierarchy of a person at the workplace whereas Occupation doesn’t denote any kind of hierarchy.
- An alternative meaning for the term job title can be the details about what the job entails whereas the term occupation doesn’t provide us these intricate details.
- Job Title is the context-specific term whereas Occupation is the broad term that gives the general understanding.
- Some of the examples of the job titles are chief medical officer, junior lab assistant, senior content writer, etc whereas that of occupation is teaching, medicine, business, engineer, etc.
Conclusion
Job Title and Occupation are two terms that are often used interchangeably in the context of employment. Job Title is the context-specific term that provides us with details about the position that a person holds in any job at that time. It might or might not be the permanent work with which the person is involved with regularly. It also defines the hierarchy of the person in the workplace.
Occupation is the broad term that gives us an overview of the work that any individual does to earn money on t regular basis. It doesn’t give us the details about the job is all about or what is the hierarchy of the person at the workplace.
Some of the examples of job titles are- assistant director, manager, senior editor, etc whereas that of occupation is- teaching, medicine, writer, etc.
References
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/occupation