Author: Hala Alkhellow

At TalentLift, our mission is about opening doors to skilled employment opportunities for people living as refugees, and providing a holistic support system that empowers displaced talents throughout their journeys to thrive in their new environments. We believe that leveraging the right tools is key to our mission’s success. That’s where Thinkific comes into play.

Thinkific is an all-in-one online course platform that lets individuals and organizations create and deliver courses on their branded websites. TalentLift has adopted this innovative software to create courses for candidates, and further our mission in several impactful ways:

• Job market readiness: Preparation to put your best foot forward to employers is about equipping candidates with the cultural fluency and professional norms expected within the Canadian workforce. Our job market readiness course on the Thinkific platform focuses on topics like employment expectations, resume writing, interview techniques, workplace communication and culture, and networking. Supported by these modules, our candidates can step into the Canadian job market, interviews, and eventually the workplace with confidence, ready to contribute and thrive.
• Immigration process: For those who have successfully secured a job offer, the journey is just beginning. It’s crucial for our candidates to be empowered to navigate the immigration process alongside us. This is important for a swift visa submission and to ensure a smooth transition to life in Canada. One of our Thinkific courses is dedicated to onboarding candidates to the immigration legal framework that TalentLift follows, providing a roadmap through the visa process (program steps, document requirements, timelines, and available support), as well as the rights and responsibilities that form the backbone of their new careers and lives in Canada.

As we mark two months since embarking on this collaboration with Thinkific, we’re already seeing the empowering impact of this user-friendly platform for our candidates. 

Thinkific supports our mission in more than one inspiring way. Nasser Alkhellow is a Software Engineer on the Thinkific team who is also a TalentLift alumni supported to relocate from a refugee situation in Türkiye for work in his new home in Vancouver. This unique connection underscores how pioneering leaders like Thinkific innovate across all elements of their business, from software to impactful hiring. And, attracting superstars like Nasser helps to power product excellence.

Greg Smith, the CEO of Thinkific, and his talented team have been instrumental in this new chapter of supporting TalentLift offers to candidates. We are grateful for Thinkific’s leadership and partnership in unlocking many more journeys ahead. 

We are excited to continue to expand the scope and reach of our training programs to further advance our mission. Our focus will be on creating learning journeys for candidates that are accessible, cost-free, and centred on practical guidance.

We envision empowering many more people to leverage their skills – and this learning – to relocate alongside their families from displacement to new careers and homes in Canada.

Hala Alkhellow is a Data Engineer with TalentLift who developed an interest in technical programming despite her background in Communication Engineering from Aleppo University. Driven to deepen her skills, Hala embarked on a journey of self-study, immersing herself in various programming languages and frameworks. Through online resources and mentorship from experienced software engineers, she honed her front-end development, back-end development, and data engineering expertise. Hala firmly believes that continuous learning is the key to keeping up with the ever-evolving technology field.

Candidates living in refugee circumstances and seeking a job in Canada can join TalentLift. Employers seeking global talent while engaging their team in something transformative can start hiring.

In an increasingly interconnected world, opportunities are no longer confined by borders. Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) partnered with TalentLift to extend their reach and create a unique opportunity for talented healthcare professionals living in refugee circumstances in Ethiopia. 

Explore more details regarding this recruitment event in another blog post that we have shared.

To support the large-scale virtual recruitment event, our tech team at TalentLift developed a companion application, streamlining the interview process for the event. 

TalentLift’s companion app was designed to empower interviewers during the NLHS recruitment event and to enhance their efficiency as they conducted over 70 interviews over a three-day period. With features tailored to the specific needs of this pioneering undertaking, the app became an indispensable tool for the interview teams and a great demonstration of fit-to-purpose development.

Let’s explore how it simplified the process and improved the overall experience for both candidates and interviewers.

1. Candidate profiles and CVs: Our app allows interviewers to log in and access comprehensive candidate profiles, including their essential details and CVs. This feature not only saves time but also ensures that interviewers have all the necessary information at their fingertips. A quick glance at a candidate’s qualifications and experiences helps interviewers gain a well-rounded understanding of each candidate’s background before the interview even begins.

2. Private and secure feedback: After each interview, interviewers can conveniently note their feedback within the app, ensuring that their observations and thoughts are securely stored. This feature facilitates easy collaboration among the interviewing teams, allowing for efficient decision-making processes.

3. Decision making: One of the best features of the app is the ability for interviewers to individually note their decision regarding the candidate. Whether to continue, decline, or recommend further assessment, interviewers can make their decisions right in the app at the time of the interview and before conferring with other colleagues. This streamlines the decision-making process and can help see that every candidate is treated fairly and equitably.

4. Interview guides and job descriptions: To further assist interviewers, the app provides easy access to an interview guide created by our team, with key context on refugee circumstances and tips for an inclusive approach to hiring. Additionally, interviewers can review the job description of the position they are interviewing for, ensuring they have a clear understanding of the role’s requirements and expectations.

5. Zoom integration and technical support: Given that all interviews were conducted on the Zoom platform, the app also provided a seamless link to the Zoom meetings. And, our team ensured that candidates were well-prepared and equipped for the interviews, ensuring a smooth and seamless experience for over 70 candidates during the three-day event.

The success of the companion app for the NLHS recruitment event goes beyond just this single occasion. We understand that such an application can have broad application for future events as well. By centralizing all interview-related information and facilitating secure communication, future recruitment events can be conducted with utmost efficiency and professionalism.

The TalentLift companion app supports recruiters in ensuring that talented individuals living in refugee circumstances have an equal opportunity to shine and contribute their skills to a safe new home. As skilled visa pathways to Canada continue to open, and the TalentLift companion app continues to evolve and adapt, we hope it will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of global recruitment, making the world a more inclusive and diverse place where talent knows no boundaries.

Hala Alkhellow is a Data Engineer with TalentLift who developed an interest in technical programming despite her background in Communication Engineering from Aleppo University. Driven to deepen her skills, Hala embarked on a journey of self-study, immersing herself in various programming languages and frameworks. Through online resources and mentorship from experienced software engineers, she honed her front-end development, back-end development, and data engineering expertise. Hala firmly believes that continuous learning is the key to keeping up with the ever-evolving technology field.

Candidates living in refugee circumstances and seeking a job in Canada can join TalentLift. Employers seeking global talent while engaging their team in something transformative can start hiring.