SpongeBob has a career as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant, home of the Krabby Patty. He takes his job seriously. His first words were "May I take your order?" He was Employee of the Month 26 consecutive times, which would mean he has worked there for at least 2 years and two months.

SpongeBob works alongside Squidward–much to Squidward's dismay. Squidward manages the cash register for his money-obsessed boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs. SpongeBob, in some episodes, seems to have attained a celebrity like status in Bikini Bottom for his "masterful" fry cooking. In the episode "Squid on Strike", he is referred to as a "legend" by a young fry cook who wants to take his job and is asked to sign the young boy's spatula. In another episode, he is offered a job as King Neptune's fry cook, but turns it down because Patrick was forbidden to go with him.

SpongeBob is rarely late for his job. In "Hooky" he was two minutes late because he got hooked, and in "Have You Seen This Snail?" he was fifteen minutes late because he was tired after searching for Gary. SpongeBob also failed to attend on time in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, where he was several minutes late after eating ice cream all night with Patrick at Goofy Goobers, and being passed over for a promotion.

He often prizes his punctuality as in "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler", where he has a party for his 100% on time percentage, and another party 20 seconds later for his birthday (although, Patrick stated that they do what the party invitations tell them to do, so it's possible they weren't celebrating his birthday).

SpongeBob also served a short stint in one episode as the speedster, "The Quickster" (parody of The Flash and Quicksilver) in the International Justice League of Super Acquaintances or the IJLSA for short. Also, SpongeBob acquires an IJLSA lunchbox (As seen and stated in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V")