Find a job, and spot the scams

Job hunting in the United States rewards a particular format and punishes deviations from it for reasons that have nothing to do with your ability. It is also an area where new arrivals are targeted deliberately, by people who know that someone anxious about status and income will overlook things a settled applicant would question.

Free help

State job centres — advice, training and referrals at no cost

Résumé length

One page for most roles, two if genuinely senior

No photo

And no age, marital status or nationality

Never pay

A legitimate employer never charges you to be hired

What a U.S. résumé looks like

It is not a CV as most of the world writes one. Expect one page, in reverse chronological order, with no photograph and no personal details beyond name and contact information. Including a photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality can cause a résumé to be discarded — employers avoid holding information that could later be alleged to have influenced a decision.

Two other conventions matter. Describe achievements with numbers rather than duties: "reduced processing time by 30%" rather than "responsible for processing". And match the words in the job advertisement, because most applications are filtered by software before a person sees them.

For qualifications earned abroad, an equivalency evaluation makes them legible to employers who otherwise have no way to place them — see getting a foreign degree recognised.

The free services

Every state runs job centres offering résumé review, interview practice, free training and direct referrals to employers, funded federally and open to anyone authorised to work. They are consistently underused by the people they would help most.

Public libraries offer free internet, printing and often computer classes. Community colleges run short vocational certificates that lead to specific licensed trades far faster than a degree does — see community college and university.

What employers may and may not ask

An employer may confirm that you are authorised to work in the United States. They may not demand specific documents, refuse the valid documents you choose to present, or treat you differently because of your citizenship or national origin — that is unlawful document abuse, and it is common. Form I-9 and work authorisation covers what you must actually provide.

Questions about your country of origin, religion, marital status, children or age are not permitted as a basis for hiring decisions.

If something has gone wrong

Unpaid wages, unlawful deductions and being paid below the minimum are enforceable, and complaints can be made regardless of your immigration status — the labour agencies do not ask about it, and your rights at work apply either way.

If you have already paid money to a fake recruiter, report it. You are unlikely to recover the money, but reports are how these operations are shut down before they reach the next person, and free legal aid organisations can advise on what recourse exists.