Difference between Job Title and Occupation

Occupation and job title are two terms with a lot of similarities but there are also some key differences between them. Both these terms are used to briefly describe what position an employee holds in an organisation. Due to the similarities between these two terms, they are often confused to mean the same even though there are a number of differences between them. A job title provides a more clear idea of what an employee does to earn a living and the operations he performs. Occupation on the other hand gives an insight into the industry the employee works in.

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    Job Title:

    Job title is of course more specific as it provides information about a designation or position an employee holds in his company. Furthermore, it gives a clear idea of what type of operations an employee is involved in. Job title provides an excellent way to differentiate between various positions available in a company. Candidate searching for jobs also use job title to find vacancies matching their skills and experience. Employers use job titles to find the right candidate among a group of professionals. Overview of the responsibilities of the job or the status of designation in a company, the job title can help the candidate determine if they are applying for the right job.

    Words such as assistant, associate, chief, director, manager, head of department, senior, junior etc are often included in the job title to help the candidate find out if they satisfy job requirements. By adding these words in the job title, hiring manager or HR staff can add a bit more information on the what kind of employee they are seeking and what operations the employee will be performing. Plumber, Electrician, Mechanical Engineer, Software Developer, Finance Manager, accountant are some of the example of job title. Sometimes, administration staff may use job title to pay grades for assistance and determining a career path for an employee. Change in job titles can also help a worker monitor his progress through performance and promotions.

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    Occupation

    Occupation on the other hand is a broad concept. Essentially, it explains the industry or sector an employee falls into. Occupation can also be described as an industry or sector an employee is interested to work in. It will not be wrong to say that it describes what an employee does to make a living for himself. Engineering, FMCG, accounts, manufacturing, customer service, health care, education, finance and retail are some of the examples for occupation.

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