How to Find a Job in Romania

To find a job in Romania, start with verified ads in your city, filter by field and radius, check who is posting and what they require at sign-up, then talk directly with the employer. A serious ad includes the company name, address, schedule, salary or range, and contract type. You don't pay anything to apply.

In the markets of Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, and Constanța, people are always in demand, but the offer looks different from one city to another. In Bucharest there are many positions in sales, call centers, and deliveries; in Cluj-Napoca IT and business services dominate; in Timișoara and Iași production combines with retail; and in Constanța the tourism and port season matters. If you read the ad on your phone, between two buses, you need a short list you can check on the spot. The guide below is exactly that: where to look, what to check before calling, and how much you pay, if you pay anything.

Where to find a job: platforms, ads, and direct applications

The fastest result comes from combining two or three sources, not just one. Large recruitment platforms gather jobs from companies that pay for listings, free-market ads catch small companies and everyday trades, and applying directly at the company gate works in production, warehouses, HoReCa, and construction.

Listing-type ads are useful for trades where the employer needs someone this week: cook, salesperson, driver, operator, plumber. Here you quickly see the city, neighborhood, and sometimes even the salary range. On the other hand, corporate jobs go through recruitment platforms, with tests and multi-stage interviews.

A practical criterion: if you want an answer in a few days, look for ads with a phone number and address. If you want a long-term contract with benefits, go to recruitment platforms. Many people do both in parallel.

What filters to use first

City and radius are the first filter. In Bucharest, the difference between Sector 3 and Popești-Leordeni means an extra hour on the road. In Cluj-Napoca, neighborhoods like Mărăști or Grigorescu completely change your commute. Filter by radius, not just by city, if you don't want to lose two hours a day.

The second filter is the field. Choose two, maximum three, where you have real experience. The third is the type of schedule: full-time, part-time, night shifts, weekends. An ad that doesn't state the schedule wastes your time on the phone.

Comparison of sources

Source	When to use it	What you see	Watch out for
Recruitment platforms	Jobs in large companies, IT, finance, sales	Job description, requirements, selection process	Response may take weeks
Free-market ads	Practical trades, small companies, seasonal work	City, neighborhood, phone, sometimes salary	Check the company and the seller's history
Direct application	Production, warehouse, HoReCa, construction	Face-to-face discussion with the decision-maker	Ask for a contract, not just verbal promises

What to check in an ad so you don't waste time

A good ad tells you in the first five lines who is hiring, what you need to do, where, and with what type of contract. If any of these are missing, it's not necessarily fraud, but you need to ask before showing up.

The company name is the first thing you look for. You can easily verify it at the Trade Register, through the online service of the National Trade Register Office, and for certain regulated fields there are public registers. For example, for companies doing road transport of passengers or goods, data can be verified at DRPCIV.

The second thing is the address. "Pipera area" is not an address. "46 Pipera Road, 2nd floor" is. Ask for the street and number, then check if the company actually has a workplace there.

What a proper ad looks like

A complete ad has: company name, city and address of the workplace, job title, main duties, schedule, contract type, salary or range, minimum requirements, and a contact person's name. It doesn't need photos of the team at the pool, but it needs this data.

If the ad asks for a "CV with photo and ID copy" before any discussion, ask why. The ID copy is not sent via WhatsApp to an unknown number.

Red flags in an ad

Asking for money is the clearest signal. Registration fee, deposit for equipment, "mandatory course" paid by you, advance for uniform: all are reasons to stop. A real employer pays for training and equipment.

The second signal is missing identification data. No company, no tax ID, no address, just a phone number and text in capital letters. The third: unrealistic earnings promises for unskilled work, without saying what you have to do.

Before going to an interview, search for the company name together with the word "review" and check if the office exists on the map. If the company has no public trace, don't go alone to the first meeting and tell someone where you are going.

Also check the rules of the platform where you see the ad. At EX & GO, for example, listings go through moderation and phone numbers are verified, and the posting rules are publicly written on the rules page. It's worth reading once so you know what can be reported.

Where to find a job that fits your schedule

Schedule is the criterion that eliminates the most wrong options. If you have small children, night shifts are not an option, no matter how well they pay. If you're a student in Iași or Cluj-Napoca, you look for part-time with flexible hours, not full-time with presence from 8:00.

Write on a piece of paper what you can accept: hours per day, days per week, maximum distance from home, minimum acceptable salary. Then read the ads with the paper in hand. You quickly eliminate half of them and save unnecessary phone calls.

For seasonal work, the coast at Constanța and the surrounding tourist areas have clear seasonal peaks, and employers look for staff a few weeks in advance. Off-season, the same companies may need people in the kitchen, maintenance, or reception.

Schedule, contract, salary: what to ask on the phone

Ask directly: what type of contract is signed, how many hours per day, what the net salary is, who pays for equipment, when the first paycheck is paid, and who the person hiring you is. Write down the answers. If the numbers change at the interview, you have proof of the conversation.

An individual employment contract is concluded in writing, before starting work, and is registered in the general employee records. Ask to see the contract and don't sign anything in a hurry, in the car, on the hood.

What to do with documents

You need an identity document, personal numeric code, bank account for salary, and at many companies, a medical certificate and criminal record certificate. The fitness certificate is obtained from the employer's occupational health doctor, and the cost is usually borne by the company.

If you're at your first job or returning after a break, check if the company asks for documents unrelated to the position. You are not obliged to give additional personal data beyond what is necessary for employment.

We see in the EX & GO catalog that most candidate questions are about net salary and schedule, not duties, and ads that clearly state both get responses much faster.

How to respond to an ad and what to put in your CV

A good response is short and concrete. Write in the first two lines the position you're applying for, the city, relevant experience in years, and availability to start. Attach the CV as a single file, with your name in the filename, not "cv final 2".

A CV for a practical job doesn't need two pages. Put the most recent job first, then previous ones, then education and driving license if relevant. Write clearly what you did, not what you learned to do.

If the ad has a contact form on the platform, use it. If it has a phone, call during the indicated hours. A grammatically correct written message, without abbreviations like "hi, want job", gives you a small but real advantage.

What to ask before the interview

Ask where the interview is held, who you'll speak with, how long it takes, and if documents are needed. If the interview is held in a café or a parking lot, without a company office, ask for a second meeting at the headquarters. A real employer has an office.

Also ask who pays for travel if the interview is in another city. It's not impolite, it's a normal question. If the answer is "you figure it out", decide if the trip is worth it.

At the interview

Bring your ID, printed CV, and a written list of questions. Ask to see the workplace, not just the meeting room. Ask who your direct supervisor is and what a typical day looks like.

If you're asked to sign on the spot, ask for time to read. You have the right to request a copy of the contract. For any issue related to a product or service purchased, the institution that receives consumer complaints is ANPC, and for employment relations you can get information from the Territorial Labor Inspectorate in your county.

What you pay and what you don't pay when looking for a job

Looking for a job is free. You don't pay to see ads, to apply, to be called for an interview, or to receive the contract. Any request for payment from an employer, at any stage, is a reason to withdraw.

There are real costs, but they are small and under your control: transport to the interview, possibly a medical certificate if the company doesn't cover it, the criminal record certificate, which has a legally set fee. These amounts are tens of lei, not hundreds.

Placement agencies that charge a commission from the candidate should be treated with caution. Labor mediation services for Romanian citizens who want to work abroad are regulated, and companies must have authorization. Ask for the authorization number and verify it before signing anything.

What to compare when you get two offers

Compare net salary, not gross. Then add transport, meals, meal vouchers, schedule, and distance. An offer with 300 lei more but with two hours of commuting per day may come out worse at the end of the month. job listings

Also check if the company pays overtime and how vacation is granted. These details appear in the contract, not in the ad. If they don't appear, ask.

Where to compare and where to complain

If you want to see what offers look like in your city, compare ads from multiple sources and look at the history of the poster. On an ad platform with seller profiles and reviews, you can see if the company has posted before and how it responded. jobs in Bucharest

If something goes wrong with a job-related purchase, from equipment to a paid course, keep the conversation and receipt, then follow the complaint steps. The support page explains what you can report and what happens after reporting.

Frequently asked questions about finding a job

Do I have to pay to find a job?

No. Searching, applying, and interviewing are free for the candidate. If an employer or intermediary asks for a registration fee, a deposit, an advance for a uniform, or a "mandatory course" paid by you, that is a clear red flag. The only normal costs are small document fees: criminal record certificate, possibly a medical certificate, and transport to the interview. Always ask to see the contract before signing and never send money in advance to anyone.

What should a proper job ad include?

The company name, the city and address of the workplace, the job title, main duties, schedule, contract type, salary or range, minimum requirements, and a contact person. If the company name or address is missing, ask before showing up. An ad without this information is not necessarily fraudulent, but it doesn't let you verify who is hiring or compare the offer with others in the same city.

How do I check if a company really exists?

Search for the company name together with the city, check if it has a workplace at the address in the ad, and ask to see the office at the interview. For identification data you can use the public company register, and for regulated fields there are separate registers. If the company has no public trace, don't go alone to the first meeting and tell someone where you are going and who you are meeting.

What documents do I need to start working in Romania?

Identity card, personal numeric code, bank account for salary, and at many companies, a medical certificate from the occupational health doctor and a criminal record certificate. The individual employment contract is concluded in writing before starting work and is registered in the general employee records. Ask for a copy of the contract and read it before signing, especially the part about salary, schedule, and probation period.

Where can I find job ads in my city?

In large cities like Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, and Constanța, ads appear both on recruitment platforms and in free-market listings. Filter by city and, if possible, by radius so you don't waste hours commuting. Search two or three sources in parallel because small companies often post in only one place, and seasonal jobs appear a few weeks before the peak.

What should I ask on the phone before the interview?

Ask what type of contract is signed, how many hours per day and in what interval, what the net salary is, who pays for equipment and training, when the first paycheck is paid, and who the person hiring you is. Write down the answers and compare them with what you hear at the interview. If the numbers change, you have a good reason to ask for written clarification before accepting the offer.

What does a good CV look like for a practical job?

Short, one page, with the most recent job first, then previous ones, education, and driving license if relevant. Write what you actually did, with numbers where possible: how many people you served, what machines you operated, what responsibilities you had. Add a phone number you answer and an email address you check. Send the file with your name in the filename.

Conclusion

When you find a job, the order matters less than the verification. Choose two or three sources, filter by city and field, read the ad to the end, and call only where there is a company name and address. Write your questions on paper, ask them on the phone, and repeat them at the interview.

You don't pay for a job. Normal costs are small and related to documents, and any request for an advance is a reason to stop. Ask for the contract in writing, read it, and keep a copy. If something doesn't add up, you have at hand the institutions that receive complaints and the support pages of the platform where you found the ad.

With a short list of criteria and two well-made phone calls, you'll find a suitable position faster than with a hundred applications sent at random.