Customer Spotlight: Talent Beyond Boundaries Uses Spark Hire to Dismantle Bias Against Refugees

Imagine a refugee. Now imagine employing them. 

As much as HR pros focus on dismantling bias, those two mental images might have sounded more contrary than you’re used to considering.

Talent Beyond Boundaries’ founders realized this bias against refugees still exists, and decided to conquer it. They formed the organization around opening up skilled migration pathways for refugees to help fill global talent gaps.

Talent Beyond Boundaries is the only organization in the world connecting skilled refugees to international job opportunities. This approach to resettlement focuses on labor mobility and provides a complementary solution to traditional resettlement.

This process isn’t easy. Refugees frequently face a lack of identifying documents typically required for immigration, resettlement, or employment in general. Talent Beyond Boundaries works with hiring organizations, governments, and refugees to uncover solutions to allow refugees to take employment and residency in other countries.

Since refugees cannot travel to another country for an interview, Talent Beyond Boundaries needed a tool to allow their candidates to virtually introduce themselves to hiring organizations. By sitting refugees down and allowing them to talk about their professional experience and skills, TBB can then send these virtual introductions to hiring organizations.

“Employers may have preconceived notions about refugees,” says Madeline Holland, TBB’s Managing Director. “And refugees may have non-traditional employment backgrounds, [so] a brief video introduction is the perfect way for candidates to put their best foot forward and provide additional context to their CVs.”

After consulting with a few of the hiring organizations TBB works with, Iress recommended they look at Spark Hire’s video interviewing platform to provide hiring organizations with one-way video interviews of all of TBB’s skilled refugees. This  provides refugees the best chances of success in the recruiting process.

One of the biggest benefits Talent Beyond Boundaries has found using video interviewing is its flexibility to fit their business needs. Starting with one-way video interviews allows refugees to “easily record videos at home on their computers or smartphones.” Since 2017, TBB candidates have recorded over 200 one-way interviews. When a hiring organization is interested in a candidate, they can then organize a live video interview to get company-specific interview questions answered.

Through their use of Spark Hire’s video interviewing platform, Talent Beyond Boundaries demonstrates to employers skilled refugees are as talented and experienced as other candidates, and should be highly considered for international jobs.

Spark Hire is proud to support over 6,000 organizations around the world who work to improve the lives of not only their customers, but employees and new hires with missions like Talent Beyond Boundaries’.

Check out Talent Beyond Boundaries’ impact on their candidates and clients in this video: