IRC Career Development clients, Joyeuse Muhoza and Ahmad Ibrahimi, and Career Development Program Coordinator, Lauren Bowden, recently shared their experiences as part of a panel on hiring strategies for diversity and inclusion hosted by several Atlanta binational chambers of commerce.
Joyeuse, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a Patient Care Assistant at Emory University Hospital Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Center and is also working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Chamberlain University. Ahmad, originally from Afghanistan, currently works as a Sea Freight Pricing Analyst for global logistics company, Kuehne+Nagel.
This international panel, entitled ‘Hiring Solutions For a More Diverse and Inclusive Workforce,’ was moderated by Jorge Fernandez of The Pendleton Group and also featured Natascha Brouwer, Global Talent Acquisition Manager for OMP, David Healy, Client Executive for Sodexo, and Annemarie McFarland, Executive Director of the Netherlands American Chamber of Commerce, a co-host of the webinar.
As reported by Global Atlanta, Joyeuse shared with the virtual audience some of the barriers she faced upon arriving to the U.S., “I had a lot of passion. I had so many expectations, but everything came to a standstill when I realized that I had to start from scratch.” Ahmad shared similar frustrations when he recalled his first few months in America, “I applied for almost 400 jobs online, and they were calling me for the interview. When I arrived at the interview, they’d say, ‘Hey we changed our minds. You don’t have the American experience and there might be a language barrier.’”
READ: Global Atlanta covers international panel event
While Joyeuse and Ahmad would go on to quickly secure their first jobs in America—in poultry processing and maintaining airport ticket scanners, respectively—it was working with the IRC Atlanta that helped them to take greater strides towards their goals. Career Development Program Coordinator, Lauren Bowden, and her team of dedicated volunteers offer career coaching, job placement assistance and credential attainment to help refugees, immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens to transition out of entry level jobs and into fulfilling careers. Foreign-born Georgians make up 10% of the state’s population and 1 in 7 members of Georgia’s labor force.
Foreign-born Georgians make up 10% of the state’s population and 1 in 7 members of Georgia’s labor force.
The IRC helps refugees from all over the world, including medical staff, lawyers, and teachers, who were forced to flee their homeland. Lauren and her team have placed highly skilled individuals at companies like Kuehne + Nagel, Sodexo, and Grady and Piedmont hospitals providing dedicated employees and reducing turnover for their employers, while enabling immigrants to make use of their many skills and talents and participate in Georgia’s workforce. On average, IRC clients see a 22% increase in wages upon completion of the program.
“Many refugees arrive in the United States with professional backgrounds in IT, finance, healthcare, engineering, and technical trades—all industries that face dire labor shortages in Atlanta.”
“Many refugees arrive in the United States with professional backgrounds in IT, finance, healthcare, engineering, and technical trades—all industries that face dire labor shortages in Atlanta,” Lauren shared. “This event showcased the vital and diverse skillsets that refugees and immigrants bring to the American workforce, and it facilitated a mutually beneficial relationship between hiring managers and immigrant talent. Some employers feel wary of working with an organization like ours, but our employers are just as lucky as their prospective hires. Following the event, we've already forged relationships with a half dozen new partners, and they are interviewing a steady stream of accomplished applicants.”
The IRC’s Development Director, Marian Dickson, shared, "For all of this, I give great thanks to our volunteer extraordinaire, Bernard van der Lande, who's graciously opened doors, extended his network, and advocated—with gentle persistence—for our clients in their pursuit of meaningful employment. In this instance, Bernard connected us with several leaders of bilateral chambers who were immediately invested in sharing our career development program as a means through which companies can foster diverse and inclusive workforces, thereby improving company morale and performance. This webinar and its success simply would not have happened without him."
To learn more about the IRC in Atlanta’s Career Development program—whether you need assistance or would like to discuss hiring and recruitment for your company—please contact Lauren Bowden at Lauren.Bowden [at] Rescue.org.
To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Manager, Kalie Lasiter, at Kalie.Lasiter [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8941.
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