Employment is a relationship between two parties, usually based on a contract where work is paid for, where one party, which may be a corporation, for profit, not-for-profit organization, co-operative or other entity is the employer and the other is the employee.

Employees work in return for payment, which may be in the form of an hourly wage, by piecework or an annual salary, depending on the type of work an employee does or which sector she or he is working in.

Employees in some fields or sectors may receive gratuities, bonus payment or stock options.

In some types of employment, employees may receive benefits in addition to payment.

Benefits can include health insurance, housing, disability insurance or use of a gym.

Employment is typically governed by employment laws or regulations or legal contracts.

A person's job is their role in society.

A job is an activity, often regular and performed in exchange for payment.

Many people have multiple jobs (e.g., parent, homemaker, and employee).

A person can begin a job by becoming an employee, volunteering, starting a business, or becoming a parent.

The duration of a job may range from an hour (e.g., odd jobs) to a lifetime (e.g., judges).

A résumé (or; less frequently or), also spelled resume, is a document used by a person to present their backgrounds and skills.

Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons, but most often they are used to secure new employment.

A typical résumé contains a "summary" of relevant job experience and education, as its French origin (and its translation into Spanish as "resumen") implies.

The résumé is usually one of the first items, along with a cover letter and sometimes an application for employment, which a potential employer sees regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview.

The curriculum vitae (CV) used for employment purposes in the UK (and in other European countries) is more akin to the résumé—a shorter, summary version of one's education and experience—than to the longer and more detailed CV that is expected in U.S. academic circles.

Generally, the résumé is substantially shorter than a CV in English Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

Executive search (informally called headhunting) is a specialized recruitment service which organizations pay to seek out and recruit highly qualified candidates for senior-level and executive jobs (e.g., President, Vice-president, CEO).

Headhunters may also seek out and recruit other highly specialized and/or skilled positions in organizations for which there is strong competition in the job market for the top talent, such as senior data analysts or computer programmers.

The method usually involves commissioning a third-party organization, typically an executive search firm, but possibly a standalone consultant or consulting firm, to research the availability of suitable qualified candidates working for competitors or related businesses or organizations.

Having identified a shortlist of qualified candidates who match the client's requirements, the executive search firm may act as an intermediary to contact the individual(s) and see if they might be interested in moving to a new employer.

The executive search firm may also carry out initial screening of the candidate, negotiations on remuneration and benefits, and preparing the employment contract.