# How to find a job: free centers, training and your résumé

Source: https://www.qaravan.org/resources/work/finding-a-job/

Once you may work, you can look for a job in New York at no cost: City career centers help with résumés and interviews, libraries offer coaching, and some organizations teach a trade for free.

Most programs ask for proof that you may work, usually an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Without an EAD, some things are still open to you, such as library coaching and English classes. You never have to pay for help finding a job.

## Start here

- Workforce1 centers (City job centers) are free for anyone 18 or older who may work in the United States. Find the nearest one at [nyc.gov/employment/programs/workforce1](https://nyc.gov/employment/programs/workforce1).
- An employment agency in New York City may not charge you until it has placed you in a job.
- While you wait for your EAD, study English and prepare your résumé: both are free.

## First, prepare your résumé

A résumé is a short document about your experience and education for an employer. The tips come from CareerOneStop, a U.S. Department of Labor website.

1. Show at the top that you meet the requirements Your first priority is to show you meet the job's minimum qualifications. A reader typically scans a résumé for 15–20 seconds, so put the most important things at the top and use words from the job posting.
2. Keep it to 1–2 pages Keep the layout clean and simple, with white space between blocks. The usual order: contact details, a short summary or skills list if needed, then education and work history (education goes higher if the job requires it or you just finished school).
3. List work history starting with your latest job List jobs from your current or latest backwards, including what is relevant from the past 10–15 years. If you have had many jobs or gaps, start with your three or four main skills.
4. Use simple words and only true information Avoid jargon unless the job needs it, write naturally, and include only true facts. If you use an artificial intelligence program, read and correct the result: it can exaggerate your experience.
5. Ask someone to review it Have someone check the grammar, punctuation and how well the résumé fits the job posting. Advisers at Workforce1 and at New York Public Library Career Services will do this for free.

## Free centers that help you find work

You can walk in even if you do not yet know what job you want.

Workforce1 centers by borough (addresses from the NYC Department of Small Business Services list)

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- Workforce1 With a work permit (EAD) Granted asylum Green card NYC residents Free Free City career centers from the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS). They help with résumés and cover letters, prepare you for interviews, offer counseling and connect you to employers and free training. 18 centers across the five boroughs, with services online and by phone; in the Bronx these are the Bronx, Hunts Point and West Farms centers. For anyone 18 or older authorized to work in the United States. Services in 25 languages besides English, with a phone interpreter if yours is not available. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/employment/programs/workforce1) usually Mon–Fri 9 am–5 pm
- Workforce1 Individual Training Grants With a work permit (EAD) Granted asylum Green card NYC residents Free The City pays tuition, exam fees and books for short courses (under a year) in in-demand fields. You need to register with Workforce1, have a high school diploma or GED (a high school equivalency diploma for adults), and, if you are working, earn under $91,000 a year. Selection is competitive and approval is not guaranteed. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/sbs/careers/training-grants.page)
- New York Public Library, Career Services Any status Free Free help with résumés, cover letters and job applications, plus career coaching, online or in person. 30-minute drop-in sessions with no appointment: at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Manhattan or the Bronx Library Center. [nypl.org](https://www.nypl.org/education/adults/career-services) Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library: Tue, Thu 10 am–12 pm and 2–4 pm; Bronx Library Center: Mon, Wed 11 am–1 pm and 2–4 pm

## Free job training

Each program has its own conditions.

Free training programs

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- Per Scholas With a work permit (EAD) Granted asylum Green card Free A nonprofit with free accelerated courses for adults in IT support, cybersecurity, cloud computing, software engineering and Salesforce. No experience or degree required. Classes are live with an instructor, attendance is strict, mostly Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 pm. Requirements: 18 or older, a high school diploma or GED, proof of U.S. work authorization, English, income under the program's guidelines. Whether you can study while on unemployment benefits depends on the campus and course. [perscholas.org](https://perscholas.org/apply/)
- Emma's Torch Asylum applicants With a work permit (EAD) Granted asylum Free Culinary training in Brooklyn and Manhattan that pays you minimum wage while you learn. For refugees, asylum seekers, asylees and trafficking survivors who arrived in the past five years, are authorized to work, can communicate in English and earn under $10,000 a year or face serious barriers to work. Start with a required information session. [emmastorch.org](https://emmastorch.org/apply)
- Selfhelp Community Services, home health aide course Any status Free A free 75-hour home health aide (HHA) course taught in Russian, English or Spanish. Graduates are offered jobs with Selfhelp. Sign up through the form [on the website](https://selfhelp.net/home-care-training/). The minimum wage for home care aides is $19.65 an hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County ($18.65 elsewhere in the State), and from January 1, 2027, $20.00 ($19.00 elsewhere). [selfhelp.net](https://selfhelp.net/home-care-training/) 626 Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn, NY 11224
- Hot Bread Kitchen Free Free training for kitchen jobs and programs for people starting their own food business. [hotbreadkitchen.org](https://hotbreadkitchen.org/) c/o Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave, Suite 0610, New York, NY 10011
- NPower Free Free IT career training in Brooklyn and Harlem. [npower.org](https://npower.org/) 55 Washington Street, Suite 560, Brooklyn, NY 11201

## English and basic skills

- SUNY Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center (BEOC) NYC residents A State University of New York (SUNY) college for adults that serves New York State residents with low or moderate income: English as a Second Language (ESL), GED preparation and other programs. Apply for free [on the website](https://sunybeoc.org/). [sunybeoc.org](https://sunybeoc.org/) 111 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (Boerum Place entrance)
- Cell-Ed Free Free English and basic-skills lessons on your phone: in the app, [on the website](https://dol.ny.gov/new-american-resources-and-self-service-tools) or in WhatsApp. [dol.ny.gov](https://dol.ny.gov/new-american-resources-and-self-service-tools)
- Food Protection online course Low cost To work in a kitchen or café you need a food safety certificate. The online course is free, but the final exam costs $24.60, fees included. [dol.ny.gov](https://dol.ny.gov/new-american-resources-and-self-service-tools)

## Employment agencies and temporary work

An agency finds you a job with an employer. That is normal, but you do not pay until you have the job.

- Licensed employment agencies NYC residents Free An employment agency in New York City must be licensed by the City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). It cannot charge you before it places you, and cannot charge for classes, photos or résumé review. Check a license online at [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page](https://nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page) and complain online at [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page](https://nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page) (the form also comes in Russian), without giving your name or status. DCWP publishes the Job Hunter's Bill of Rights in English and Spanish. Outside the city, the New York State Department of Labor issues licenses. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/shopping-services-employment-english.page)
- If a staffing agency hires you Any status A staffing agency may count your first day of work as the day you are assigned to your first job or the day you join its pool of candidates. This sets the Form I-9 deadline. If you are asked to pay or hand over your documents, stop: these are signs of a scam. [uscis.gov](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/completing-form-i-9/completing-section-2-employer-review-and-attestation)

## Glossary: definitions of special terms and abbreviations

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This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.

[All pages: Work](https://www.qaravan.org/resources/work/)

**Sources, checked November 2026**

- [nyc.gov/employment/programs/workforce1](https://www.nyc.gov/employment/programs/workforce1)
- [nyc.gov/site/sbs/careers/training-grants.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/sbs/careers/training-grants.page)
- [nypl.org/education/adults/career-services](https://www.nypl.org/education/adults/career-services)
- [emmastorch.org/apply](https://emmastorch.org/apply)
- [selfhelp.net/home-care-training](https://selfhelp.net/home-care-training/)
- [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/shopping-services-employment-englis…](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/shopping-services-employment-english.page)
- [uscis.gov/i-9-central/completing-form-i-9/completing-section-2…](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/completing-form-i-9/completing-section-2-employer-review-and-attestation)
- [dol.ny.gov/new-american-resources-and-self-service-tools](https://dol.ny.gov/new-american-resources-and-self-service-tools)
- [perscholas.org/apply](https://perscholas.org/apply/)
- [hotbreadkitchen.org](https://hotbreadkitchen.org/)
- [npower.org](https://npower.org/)
- [sunybeoc.org](https://sunybeoc.org/)
- [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page)
- [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page)