Job Search

Overview

To legally work while living in the United States, you must apply for and receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). See the Documents section for instructions on how to apply.
Beware of hiring scams! Some bad actors scam desperate people looking for a job to obtain money or free labor. See our guide below to make sure you are not being scammed.

Finding a Job in the U.S.

  • Stabilization Jobs: Understanding Employment Programs webinar video describes employment programs and services offered by resettlement agencies and the government, with tips for landing a first job in the U.S. and guidance on locating relevant services based on the participant’s location (slides: English, Ukrainian, Russian).
  • Network. If you don’t have any friends/relatives in the U.S., start making acquaintances in the local community of Ukrainians. Find a church with a Ukrainian community, groups of people from the former Soviet Union, attend events and actively ask those who have lived in the U.S. for a long time if they need help. Also, check out the webinar ”Career Pathways, Networking and Job Searching” (see below).
  • Look for retail posters: go in person and look for “help needed” signs in shops, etc., in your neighborhood.
  • Ask in stores, businesses, restaurants, etc., in your neighborhood.
  • Search for job offers on Telegram channels, Facebook groups, NextDoor (a social network for neighbors) or Craigslist (classifieds) in your local city/county. Type in “jobs <your city/county>” and the same in Ukrainian or Russian, and you’ll probably find several groups looking for helpers and offering part-time jobs. Craigslist has a section with job listings, including live-in.

First Job Ideas: Employers and Job Types

  • Amazon’s “The Welcome Door” program (no interview required). Check for new vacancies on Fridays around 4 PM Pacific/7 PM Eastern Time.
  • Local shops and businesses: waiters, cashiers, janitors. Physically strong people: check out construction sites in your neighborhood, the nearest car repair shops.

Temporary Jobs

Career Training

Career Skills

  • Upwardly Global is helping Ukrainian refugees land professional jobs in their fields in the U.S. Their free program includes resume-writing, interview preparation, skills training, certifications, individualized coaching, career networking, and presenting you to employers. The program is 100% free, and graduates earn an average salary of $67k annually. Program Requirements:
    • Ukrainians on TPS and U4U programs can join and benefit from the program even while waiting for their work authorization document.
    • Must have a pending work authorization (application submitted for EAD)
    • Must have at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent
    • Must have decent English skills. You will be asked to take an English assessment and will be directed to ESL classes before taking the program if you cannot pass the assessment.
  • Talent Table DMV: This is a new initiative by Welcome.US to help refugees find employment in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. The program is free to both job seekers and employers, and several major companies are participating. To get started, you can create a profile using the SkyHive Jobs Connector tool.
  • CrossPurpose (Colorado)
    • Offers a certification program for CDL license, paralegal, medical coding, computer certifications, and other skills.
    • Provides a small stipend for living expenses while the person is in school.
    • Requires a basic knowledge of English to qualify.
  • TENT (women)
    • Offers a mentorship program for refugee women.
    • Mentors from leading companies will meet with mentees at least six times over six months, virtually or in person.
    • Mentors will be assigned to mentees based on shared professional interests and locations.
    • Refugees need to speak at least intermediate English to participate in the program.
    • When completing the form, select the “Other” option. You can use “Razom for Ukraine” as the referring organization.
  • The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
    • Provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors.
    • Must be 65+ years old
    • Participants also have access to employment assistance through American Job Centers.
  • American Job Centers
    • Help people search for jobs, find training, and answer other employment-related questions.
  • ITSkills4U is an IT training and certification program concentrating on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud skills for IT professionals. The program helps graduates land jobs with several U.S. and European employers and can be taken by people without IT experience. It is free for Ukrainian refugees.
  • Women Go Tech (Europe-based, online classes accept all Ukrainians)
    • For everyone: online intro to IT course called Discovery. This online course covers the main roles and industries of IT, helping to understand technology better and explaining where to start and how to learn about a specific topic. This course is very versatile for beginners, business owners, or women already in IT. It is subtitled in Ukrainian and is free to join anytime.
    • For women wanting to start a career in IT, there is the Acceleration program, a six-month mentorship program dedicated to helping establish women in the job market. After going through the selection process, the program is free for Ukrainians.
  • Streetwisepartners is a nonprofit focused on helping underserved job seekers by matching them with professional mentors. Founded in 1997, the organization empowers people by offering career skills training, networking opportunities, and long-term support. Through their one-year program, participants build the confidence and connections needed to advance their careers. StreetWise has impacted thousands of individuals, largely thanks to a dedicated network of volunteers across New York and Washington, D.C.

Resume Writing and Other Career Resources

Many public libraries have resume writing workshops or software available for free and language learning resources. Check with your local public library about the free services available.

Jobs for Ukrainians

These job boards and websites were created specifically for Ukrainians:

Academic job postings

Office Jobs

These job search websites are generic for all kinds of jobs – many companies post job advertisements on these sites. You can search for jobs by skill set, keywords, and experience level.

Beware of Hiring Scams

Please use discretion to avoid potential scams and bad actors. 

How to verify that a posting is legit:

  1. Do not proceed via links with warnings about connection privacy or certificate validity.
  2. Ensure that the listed website is the actual website of the hiring organization. Google the corresponding organization and ensure the page with the job listing is hosted on this organization’s website. For example, a Stanford lab should be hosted on the stanford.edu domain.
  3. Check the contact email in the job listing against the contact information on the public website.
  4. You should never have to pay to start a job. If you are hired for work and they require you to pay some money upfront for office equipment, onboarding fee, or similar, this is likely a scam.
  5. You must be paid for the work you do. Any job that offers to pay you only after a “trial period” is operating illegally. 

Federal, state, and local minimum wage laws apply in the United States. This means employers cannot legally offer to pay you an hourly wage lower than the minimum wage law prescribes. Google the “minimum wage ordinance” of your city, which is typically located on the city’s website. If you cannot find one, check the “minimum wage law” of your state.