 Riad Ahmadov started as a laboratory assistant at the Judicial Examination Institute of the Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan SSR from 1976 to 1979.He subsequently joined the Department of Preparation of the Law Drafts and Systematizing of Legislation of the same ministry, and served as a senior counselor at the Human Resources Department of the Ministry of Justice in 1980–1981.During his service at the Ministry of Justice he was discovered and recruited to the state's security system in 1981.