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One of the most common questions that you would hear when meeting someone new is definitely “What’s your job?” or “What do you do for a living?”. Here we will be introducing some useful words for answering relevant questions or starting a conversation.
Sentence Structure
Q: 你是做什么（工作）的？nǐ shì zuò shén me（gōng zuò）de?What do you do? / What is your job?This is the most common way of asking someone what their job is. 工作 (job/profession) could be omitted in daily conversation, also to mean “What do you do for a living?” In this way, your answer could be vaguer, only limited to the industry rather than the specific job.A: 我是（一个/一名）老师。wǒ shì（yī gè / yī míng）lǎo shī。I am a teacher.Quantifiers in Chinese are often omitted, such as the 一个 (one/single) and一名(a/an) in this reply. 名 is a more formal classifier for people; it is not restricted to a short list of “respectable” occupations. In a simple job description, 我是老师 is natural without a classifier.A: 我从事金融行业。 (more formal expression)wǒ cóng shì jīn róng háng yè。I work in finance.A: 我是做建筑的。wǒ shì zuò jiàn zhù de。I’m in construction. / I work in construction.
These answers name an industry rather than a specific position. For a profession, 我是律师 (I am a lawyer) is straightforward; 我从事法律工作 means “I work in the legal field”. 从事 normally takes an activity or field, so 我从事律师 alone is unnatural. 做 does not imply that someone is ashamed of their job: 我做老师 is possible, while 我是警察 is a clear way to say “I am a police officer”.
Common Occupations
Knowledge Related
Service Related
Ex:我是…… / 你是…… / 他（她）是……I am a… / You are a… / He (she) is a…
Job Titles
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Ex:我是…… / 你是…… / 他（她）是……I am a… / You are a… / He (she) is a…
Industries
| 教育 | jiào yù | Education |
| 出版 | chū bǎn | Publishing |
| 广告 | guǎng gào | Advertising |
| 保险 | bǎo xiǎn | Insurance |
| 销售 | xiāo shòu | Sales |
| 服装 | fú zhuāng | Clothing/Garment |
| 电器 | diàn qì | Electrical appliance |
| 电子 | diàn zǐ | Electronics |
| 运输 | yùn shū | Transportation |
| 工程 | gōng chéng | Engineering |
| 房地产 | fáng dì chǎn | Real estate |
Ex:我从事……行业。(more formal)I work in…我是做……的。I am in…
Office Vocabulary
| 工作 | gōng zuò |
1. Engaged in physical or mental work, also refers to machines or tools
| 开始工作 | start to work |
| 铲土机正在工作 | the scraper is working |
2. Job/Occupation
| 找工作 (to) | look for a job |
| 我正在找工作。 | I am looking for a job. |
| 我找到工作了。 | I found a job. |
3. Business/Task
| 工作量很大 | heavy workload | |
| 职业 | zhí yè | Occupation/Profession |
| 职位 | zhí wèi | Position/Post |
| 办公室 | bàn gōng shì | Office |
| 办公场所 | bàn gōng chǎng suǒ | Office space/Workplace |
| 工作场所 | gōng zuò chǎng suǒ | Workplace/Working place |
| 工资 | gōng zī | Wage/Salary/Earnings |
| 薪水 | xīn shuǐ | Salary/Wage |
| 月薪 | yuè xīn | Monthly salary |
| 年薪 | nián xīn | Annual salary |
| 奖金 | jiǎng jīn | Bonus |
| 保险 | bǎo xiǎn | Insurance |
| 求职面试 | qiú zhí miàn shì | Job interview |
| 个人履历 | gè rén lǚ lì | CV/Resume |
| 教育背景 | jiào yù bèi jǐng | Education Background |
| 工作经历 | gōng zuò jīng lì | Work Experience |
| 入职培训 | rù zhí péi xùn | Orientation training |
| 离职 | lí zhí | leaving a job |
| 辞职 | cí zhí | Resign/Quit |
| 开除 | kāi chú | Fire/Sack/Discharge |
Job Interview Questions
These sample interview questions introduce common topics. Vocabulary alone is not enough preparation: practice giving clear, specific answers about your experience and the role you are applying for.
| 请先介绍一下你自己。 | Please introduce yourself first. |
| 你来面试什么职位？ Or 你来应聘什么职位？ | What position are you interviewing for? What position are you applying for? |
| 你为什么要应聘这份工作？ | Why do you want to apply for this job? |
| 你觉得自己有什么优势与弱势（弱点）？ | What strengths and weaknesses do you think you have? |
| 你为什么觉得这个职位适合你？ 我们为什么要聘用你？ | Why do you think this position is right for you? Why should we hire you? |
Practice introducing your occupation and industry with the patterns above. Then prepare a short answer to one interview question, using vocabulary that fits your actual experience.
