Why we exist
We were founded to tackle the long-term barriers facing immigrant professionals
46% of immigrants ages 25+ who entered the country between 2020 and 2023 held at least a bachelor's degree.
Of the 7.6 million immigrants, 1 in 4 (1.9 million) were either underemployed or unemployed—a far higher rate than for the U.S. born. For foreign-educated immigrant women, the rate was 1 in 3 between 2009 and 2013.
About 33% of college-educated immigrants who speak English well were underemployed — they're working, but in jobs below their skill level.
Underemployed college-educated immigrants in the U.S. lose an estimated 39.4 billion dollars in wages every year by working in survival jobs instead of high-skilled roles that match their training.
Our Approach
Closing the gap is a shared goal. Many are working on it.
We take a different approach.
We don't wait for the American hiring system to be fair.
We focus on making you stronger.
We give you the skill American workplaces reward: clear, confident communication.
Joanna Zhou
Founder, BoldBridge Careers
Who found our services most helpful?
Work-authorized, college-educated professionals who have the skills but don't know how to make American employers see it.
You might be:
- New to the US or here for years
- Fluent in English or still building confidence
- An immigrant yourself or raised by immigrants
Their stories might sound familiar
Landed a $30K higher offer in 3 weeks
"I used to freeze in interviews trying to explain my experience. After working with Joanna, I knew exactly what to say and how to say it. The confidence changed everything."
Priya Sharma
India
Landed a $30K higher offer in 3 weeks
"I used to freeze in interviews trying to explain my experience. After working with Joanna, I knew exactly what to say and how to say it. The confidence changed everything."
Priya Sharma
India
What we teach
The communication skills that get you seen, heard, and hired for 3 key moments:
Networking
How to reach out, start conversations, and build connections.
Even when it feels pushy or awkward.
Resumes
How to write about your experience so readers instantly get it and want to meet you.
Even when your background is unfamiliar to them.
Interviews
How to talk about yourself so interviewers want to hire you.
Even when the questions feel tricky.
Why Communication Skills Can Help You
Strong communication changes how employers see you.
Harvard Business Review
When non-native speakers demonstrated exceptional communication skills:
-
64%accent concerns decreased
-
57%cultural fit worries reduced
-
48%questions about international experience became less important
LinkedIn Global Hiring Survey (2023)
Candidates with exceptional communication skills are:
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4.2xmore likely to advance to final interview rounds
-
3.8xmore likely to receive job offers
-
2.9xmore likely to be considered for leadership roles
In 5 years of helping job seekers, I've seen it again and again: same skills, different words, different outcome.
"The communication training completely changed my job search. I went from getting rejected after first interviews to receiving multiple offers within weeks. Learning how to articulate my value made all the difference."
Maria Rodriguez
Mexico
"I had the technical skills but couldn't get past the interview stage. After learning to communicate my experience effectively, I landed a senior role at a Fortune 500 company. The investment paid for itself many times over."
Chen Wei
China
Our Story
5 years of helping before it became a full-time mission
It's easy to
talk about immigrant underemployment from a distance.
Real
change started when our founder, Joanna Zhou, lived it
herself.
One skill got
her out: communication that American
workplaces reward. It took her from an overlooked HR
Specialist
to a Fortune 500 global recruiting
leader.
Now she teaches the same skill to job
seekers who feel the way she once did.
Joanna started helping immigrant job seekers promote themselves in networking, resumes, and interviews—after hours, paid or not.
She learned their struggles. Refined solutions. Testing what works.
Joanna turned this quiet effort into her full-time mission: sharing science-backed, real-world tested methods so more can be seen, heard, and hired for what they are truly worth.
We needed more coaches. Posted one job. 4,000 people applied on Indeed alone. Turns out, we're not the only ones who see this group's potential.
Upwardly Global, the world's leading organization for immigrant employment, featured our work.
Ready to be seen, heard, and hired?
Join thousands of professionals who've transformed how they communicate their value.
