Author: TalentLift

Ways to support people affected by earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

February 7, 2023

A major earthquake hit Türkiye close to the border with Syria during the morning of February 6 and severely impacted cities across both countries. Thousands of people have died and this terrible toll is likely to rise as recovery efforts continue. 

Some of the larger cities impacted are Diyarbakir, Gaziantep and Iskenderun in Türkiye, and Aleppo and Hama in Syria.

Members of our talent community and TalentLift team have loved ones in these areas experiencing loss or damage. We know many of our wider community do too. Our thoughts are with you. 

For anyone in a position to give, these are a few good options to receive your help: 

  • Molham is providing emergency aid in Syria and to displaced Syrians in Türkiye.
  • International Medical Corps is providing medical and mental health services and emergency supplies in Türkiye and Syria. 
  • Islamic Relief Canada is providing cash assistance, food, shelter, and other emergency supplies in Türkiye and Syria.
  • The White Helmets is searching for survivors in Syria. 

Please research the organization and campaign that seems right to you before giving. 

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.

Recruitment Lead

November 16, 2022

Join our team! TalentLift is a mission-driven, collaborative, and high-impact start-up expanding the job and skilled visa opportunities available to talented candidates living in refugee circumstances globally. We are hiring a full-time Recruitment Lead who will have the opportunity to make a clear impact on individual and systemic levels and to create the scaleable and human-centred processes that power our work. 

The team

TalentLift is a non-profit talent agency. We support Canadian employers to recruit and relocate talent from within refugee populations to fill skills shortages, enabling candidates along with their families to lift to their potential as they advance their careers, secure their futures, and leave displacement behind.

There are more than 27 million people living as refugees worldwide with few options to achieve livelihoods and security. Many thousands have the skills and potential to qualify for jobs and skilled visas in Canada, just like talented people anywhere, but they’ve been historically excluded from recruitment and visa systems. This is changing as TalentLift and our partners drive more equitable access to these transformative opportunities.   

TalentLift offers employers and the displaced candidates they hire in-house services encompassing talent search, visa application, and settlement coordination. We believe that access to opportunities should depend on potential and not the privilege of living without fear. 

The role

Our Recruitment Lead will report to the Managing Director and be responsible for:

  • Outreach and engagement with employers across Canada to recruit from within the refugee talent pool supported by TalentLift
  • Management of a seamless and supportive recruitment experience for employers partnering with TalentLift
  • Championing our talent pool and raising awareness about the skills and potential within displaced populations worldwide
  • Supporting business development and organizational growth 

Must have: 

  • Minimum 3 years of previous experience in a sales or client-facing role
  • Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining high attention to detail
  • Excellent relationship-building skills 
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Empathy
  • Reliability
  • Adaptability and willingness to continuously learn

Nice to have:

  • Post-secondary training in marketing, sales, human resources, business administration, or other related discipline is an asset
  • Experience and knowledge of business-to-business (B2B) sales
  • Experience with international recruitment or human resources processes
  • Experience supporting people living in refugee and displaced situations
  • Experience with project management and database software

What we offer

  • Salary of $72,000
  • Dental and extended healthcare benefits
  • 4 weeks vacation
  • Flexible hours and work from home in Canada
  • Equipment provided
  • A supportive team – ask us more!

TalentLift is committed to equitable hiring. All candidates are welcome to apply and we warmly invite those who have lived experience in refugee or displacement circumstances, Indigenous backgrounds, and different abilities. 

The deadline to apply for this role is November 30, 2022. To apply, please send your CV and a message using this application form.

Candidate Success Officer

November 16, 2022

Join our team! TalentLift is a mission-driven, collaborative, and high-impact start-up expanding the job and skilled visa opportunities available to talented candidates living in refugee circumstances globally. We are hiring a full-time Candidate Success Officer who will have the opportunity to make a clear impact on individual and systemic levels and to create the scaleable and human-centred processes that power our work. 

The team

TalentLift is a non-profit talent agency. We support Canadian employers to recruit and relocate talent from within refugee populations to fill skills shortages, enabling candidates along with their families to lift to their potential as they advance their careers, secure their futures, and leave displacement behind.

There are more than 27 million people living as refugees worldwide with few options to achieve livelihoods and security. Many thousands have the skills and potential to qualify for jobs and skilled visas in Canada, just like talented people anywhere, but they’ve been historically excluded from recruitment and visa systems. This is changing as TalentLift and our partners drive more equitable access to these transformative opportunities.   

TalentLift offers employers and the displaced candidates they hire in-house services encompassing talent search, visa application, and settlement coordination. We believe that access to opportunities should depend on potential and not the privilege of living without fear. 

The role

Our Candidate Success Officer will report to the Managing Director and be responsible for:

  • Managing a supportive, seamless international recruitment and relocation experience for TalentLift candidates, who are living in refugee circumstances globally and who represent diverse professions, English language abilities, and cultural backgrounds
  • Coordinating candidate experiences such as upskilling opportunities through our Talent Platform database
  • Building relationships with partner NGOs and settlement service providers
  • Developing workflow, monitoring, and evaluation processes

Must have: 

  • Post-secondary training in public policy, law, immigration, international affairs, human resources, or other social sciences is an asset
  • 2 years of work experience or volunteerism
  • Excellent communication skills in a cross-cultural environment
  • Excellent organizational and project management skills
  • Empathy
  • Reliability
  • Adaptability and willingness to continuously learn

Nice to have:

  • Work experience or volunteerism in cross-cultural contexts
  • Experience supporting people living in refugee and displaced situations
  • Experience with project management and database software

What we offer

  • Salary of $72,000
  • Dental and extended healthcare benefits
  • 4 weeks vacation
  • Flexible hours and work from home in Canada
  • Equipment provided
  • A supportive team – ask us more!

TalentLift is committed to equitable hiring. All candidates are welcome to apply and we warmly invite those who have lived experience in refugee or displacement circumstances, Indigenous backgrounds, and different abilities.

The deadline to apply for this role is November 30, 2022. To apply, please send your CV and a message using this application form.

Communications Lead

November 16, 2022

Join our team! TalentLift is a mission-driven, collaborative, and high-impact start-up expanding the job and skilled visa opportunities available to talented candidates living in refugee circumstances globally. We are hiring a full-time Communications Lead who will have the opportunity to make a clear impact on individual and systemic levels and to create the scaleable and human-centred processes that power our work. 

The team

TalentLift is a non-profit talent agency. We support Canadian employers to recruit and relocate talent from within refugee populations to fill skills shortages, enabling candidates along with their families to lift to their potential as they advance their careers, secure their futures, and leave displacement behind.

There are more than 27 million people living as refugees worldwide with few options to achieve livelihoods and security. Many thousands have the skills and potential to qualify for jobs and skilled visas in Canada, just like talented people anywhere, but they’ve been historically excluded from recruitment and visa systems. This is changing as TalentLift and our partners drive more equitable access to these transformative opportunities.   

TalentLift offers employers and the displaced candidates they hire in-house services encompassing talent search, visa application, and settlement coordination. We believe that access to opportunities should depend on potential and not the privilege of living without fear. 

The role

Our Communications Lead will report to the Managing Director and be responsible for:

  • Developing, coordinating and implementing effective communication strategies for various platforms to drive awareness and engagement
  • Producing high-quality and impactful content for various communication channels (i.e., blog, online magazine, marketing collateral, website, and social media)
  • Developing and promoting branding initiatives consistent with TalentLift’s mission, goals and objectives
  • Supporting candidate communications and storytelling
  • Optimizing content for search engines and lead generation 
  • Collaborating with leadership to understand and deliver marketing and communication needs
  • Overseeing and managing day-to-day operations of all digital marketing platforms
  • Leveraging various tools and analytics to monitor and assess the effectiveness of all marketing and communications strategies
  • Preparing and delivering monthly reports, and supporting other reporting needs
  • Supporting the organization through other development and communications activities as needed

Must have: 

  • Minimum 2 years of work experience in communications or marketing with a strong digital marketing focus 
  • Post-secondary diploma or degree in communications, marketing or related fields (equivalent work experience will also be considered in lieu of academic qualifications)
  • Excellent writing and editing skills 
  • Excellent organizational and project management skills
  • Empathy
  • Reliability
  • Adaptability and willingness to continuously learn

Nice to have:

  • Work experience or volunteerism in cross-cultural contexts
  • Experience supporting people living in refugee and displaced situations

What we offer

  • Salary of $72,000
  • Dental and extended healthcare benefits
  • 4 weeks vacation
  • Flexible hours and work from home in Canada
  • Equipment provided
  • A supportive team – ask us more!

TalentLift is committed to equitable hiring. All candidates are welcome to apply and we warmly invite those who have lived experience in refugee or displacement circumstances, Indigenous backgrounds, and different abilities.

To apply, please send your CV and a message using this application form.

Ontario gains a CNC Machinist from refugee circumstances in Libya

July 7, 2022

“It gave me an opportunity that I’d never dreamed of,” Mulham said, about the job that brought him to Canada a few months ago. 

Mulham is a talented carpenter from Syria who’s working as a CNC Machinist with a high-end furniture manufacturer in Ontario. He’s two months into his job and already performing as a core part of the creative team, relieving some pressure for a business and sector with an extreme shortage in skilled tradespeople. 

Mulham was living as a refugee in Libya when he got the Canadian job offer with the support of TalentLift. He told his story to our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) who helped at key points during the visa process – a critical support because Canada doesn’t have an embassy presence in Libya.

In a video story before he left, Mulham talks about what he’s looking forward to: Working in his field, being able to send his children to school, and the peace of a secure present and future. 

“I will have stability in Canada,” he said. 

Teams across Canada can have this remarkable impact of providing a secure future while gaining a critical skill set. TalentLift partners with UNHCR and NGOs globally to reach talented job-seekers in displacement like Mulham. Your next great hire might be one of them. 

Start hiring: https://www.talentlift.ca/engage/start-hiring/ 

Read more about Mulham’s story: https://www.talentlift.ca/scotiarise-invests-400000-in-talentlift-to-help-job-seekers-in-refugee-circumstances-find-work-and-settle-in-canada/ 

Start meeting job-seekers in refugee circumstances globally

June 20, 2022

Dilruba, a Nurse pictured above, arrived in St. John’s a few weeks ago. She joined the team at a long-term care facility in a region facing an acute shortage of healthcare professionals. Dilruba is working again in her field, which has been her dream since she left Afghanistan for her safety and sought refuge in India. She said her first day at work was “absolutely amazing.” 

Teams across Canada are supporting talented job-seekers like Dilruba to relocate alongside their families and rebuild their careers.

Companies recruiting with TalentLift have hired Software Developers, Bakers, Carpenters, Personal Care Attendants, Cooks, Long-Haul Truck Drivers, Sales Managers, and Engineers, among others. For these candidates, a job and relocation opportunity is transformative.

This deeply impactful way to hire can’t grow quickly enough. 

There are more than 100 million people living in refugee or displaced situations around the world, and they’re often living in countries where they don’t have basic rights. One of our candidates, a highly skilled Nurse from Iraq, is working 12-hour days in a plastics factory in his current host country where he has temporary status and can’t even leave his city without government permission. Another, a Fullstack Developer (who just got hired by a firm in Waterloo!) who’s Rohingya and from Myanmar, doesn’t have a single piece of official ID from either his country of birth or temporary host country. 

We work with professionals who can’t open bank accounts, can’t send their kids to school, and can’t lawfully work in their field – though many do, and take the lower pay and other insecurity that comes with it.

And yet, these same people find ways to stay current and grow, by taking courses in their in-between hours, by learning new languages, by volunteering in their communities, and much more. 

Each personal story we hear from our candidates has threads of incredible perseverance, adaptability and ingenuity. 

These are people you want on your team. Start hiring with us and meet them.  

Our funders and partners, including Scotiabank and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), make our mission possible. We are grateful for their partnership. 

Recruitment Lead

June 15, 2022

Join our team! TalentLift is a mission-driven, collaborative, and high-impact start-up expanding the job and skilled visa opportunities available to talented candidates living in refugee circumstances globally. We are hiring a full-time Recruitment Lead who will have the opportunity to make a clear impact on individual and systemic levels and to create the scaleable and human-centred processes that power our work. 

The team

TalentLift is a non-profit talent agency. We support Canadian employers to recruit and relocate talent from within refugee populations to fill skills shortages, enabling candidates along with their families to lift to their potential as they advance their careers, secure their futures, and leave displacement behind.

There are more than 26 million people living as refugees worldwide with few options to achieve livelihoods and security. Many thousands have the skills and potential to qualify for jobs and skilled visas in Canada, just like talented people anywhere, but they’ve been historically excluded from recruitment and visa systems. This is changing as TalentLift and our partners drive more equitable access to these transformative opportunities.   

TalentLift is the first organization of our kind to offer employers and the displaced candidates they hire in-house services encompassing talent search, visa application, and settlement coordination. We believe that access to opportunities should depend on potential and not the privilege of living without fear. 

The role

Our Recruitment Lead will report to the Managing Director and be responsible for:

  • Outreach and engagement with employers across Canada to recruit from within the refugee talent pool supported by TalentLift
  • Management of a seamless and supportive recruitment experience for employers partnering with TalentLift
  • Championing our talent pool and raising awareness about the skills and potential within displaced populations worldwide
  • Supporting business development and organizational growth 

Must have: 

  • Minimum 3 years of previous experience in a sales or client-facing role
  • Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining high attention to detail
  • Excellent relationship-building skills 
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Empathy
  • Reliability
  • Adaptability and willingness to continuously learn

Nice to have

  • Post-secondary training in marketing, sales, human resources, business administration, or other related discipline is an asset
  • Experience and knowledge of business-to-business (B2B) sales
  • Experience with international recruitment or human resources processes
  • Experience supporting people living in refugee and displaced situations
  • Experience with project management and database software

What we offer

  • Salary of $70,000
  • Dental and extended healthcare benefits
  • 4 weeks vacation
  • Flexible hours and work from home in Canada
  • Equipment provided
  • A supportive team – ask us more!

TalentLift is committed to equitable hiring. All candidates are welcome to apply and we warmly invite those who have lived experience in refugee or displacement circumstances, Indigenous backgrounds, and different abilities. 

To apply, please send your CV and a cover email to: careers@talentlift.ca 

Canada’s swift visa for Ukrainians is open. TalentLift is here to support you.

March 17, 2022

Canada is welcoming Ukrainians displaced by war through a new and swift visa. Under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), applicants who are Ukrainian nationals may apply for a visitor visa and open work permit, and then relocate to Canada. 

How it works

This visa pathway is open to any Ukrainian national. Applicants apply online for a visitor visa and have the option to apply for an open work permit which will allow them to work for any employer in Canada. CUAET applicants have the following fees waived: Visa application fee, biometric collection fee, and work permit application fee, among others. The visa allows you to travel in and out of Canada and will be processed on a priority basis. Canada will aim to process complete applications in 14 days. 

How TalentLift can support you

TalentLift is ready to assist anyone wishing to rebuild their career and livelihood in Canada. 

We invite Ukrainians interested in pursuing work and relocation to Canada to register with us. If you are eligible, and are displaced by the war, our team will work with you and your family at no cost to seek employment in Canada, to apply for this visa, and to relocate. We will prepare a transition plan to permanent residence to ensure you have a secure future in Canada.

We will support you and your family each step of the way to relocate and begin to rebuild.

Employers wishing to hire can express their interest here: https://www.talentlift.ca/ukraine/

Canada aims high in welcoming more talented candidates and their families from refugee circumstances in latest immigration plan

February 14, 2022
A family arrives in Canada supported by the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP). 

Canada released its first immigration plan since the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic today. It highlights the country’s priorities for the coming three years, including welcoming more newcomers into in-demand work from refugee circumstances under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP).

The EMPP was first trialled as a smallscale pilot in 2018 to support people living as refugees to access job and skilled visa opportunities on a more level field with other international applicants, as a critical new mobility option that is additional and complementary to resettlement. The pilot entered a growth phase at the end of 2021 following the federal election and a pledge to see 2,000 people supported by it.

Employers working with TalentLift are eager to recruit from this talent pool – and this plan for growth is a nod to the skills needed across Canada’s economy, and to the aspirations of talented candidates in refugee circumstances globally. 

Here’s a breakdown of the number of permanent residents to be welcomed in 2022: 

  • EMPP pledge during the election: 2,000
  • Target for four pilots, including the EMPP: 10,250
  • Target for all skilled immigration (economic) stream admissions: 241,850
  • Target for all permanent resident admissions: 431,645

TalentLift is glad to see a significant target, and to know that targets are flexible and can be surpassed. There are more than 26 million people living as refugees around the world, many with the skills and talents needed in our communities. If this talent pool accounted for just 1% of newcomers under Canada’s economic stream, that would be 2,418 people moving from displacement to a secure future. 

This vision is within reach. Canada is continuing its leadership to build a more equitable skilled immigration system that works for displaced talent and the teams welcoming them. 


Read more about building an inclusive skilled immigration system and meet a remarkable newcomer, a software engineer, who recently joined the ApplyBoard team and left refugee circumstances behind.

Webinar: Diversify to Include Top Tech Talent from Refugee Sources

January 30, 2022
Register

Innovative Canadian tech companies are recruiting from the immense tech talent in refugee populations worldwide. Learn about this growing opportunity from the executives of leading companies, and the transformative impacts for candidates and the teams welcoming them to Canada.

Canadian tech companies have an enormous opportunity to lead the world in recruiting from an underleveraged talent pool of tech candidates living as refugees globally. This win-win recruitment initiative helps companies find and retain essential tech skills outside of stretched local markets, while enabling new employees and their families to relocate to Canada and leave refugee circumstances behind.

Join this webinar to hear Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser discuss Canada’s vision to scale this critical solution. Learn firsthand from executives of companies pioneering this transformative hiring initiative – Martin Basiri, CEO of ApplyBoard and Tia Fomenoff, Senior Director of People and Culture with Thinkific – and the gains they see for their teams and culture. We’ll also hear from Anas Jamous on his experience recently relocating to Canada from displacement for a job as a Software Engineer with ApplyBoard.

This webinar is for business leaders with interest in exploring the potential of this impactful model in their companies. The session is hosted by the Tech Talent Welcome Council, a grassroots and growing community of tech teams recruiting displaced talent, alongside TalentLift and CEO-P2P. This movement is just beginning – the Canadian Government aims to support at least 2,000 people to relocate from displacement for jobs in Canada.

We look forward to having you join us to learn more!

Time: Feb 15, 2022 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register