From Syrian Refugee to Canadian Success Story

0 Comments

At Experience AI Solutions our job is to help our clients find the talent they need so they can deliver projects on time and on budget. However, unlike other talent agencies that simply try to fill job vacancies as quickly as possible, we truly believe in building strong and lasting relationships with potential candidates before we even consider finding them a job.

Just over three years ago our Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, Joshua John, was using LinkedIn to find new talent when he came across Moe’s (full name kept confidential) profile. Moe’s profile indicated some JavaScript experience, which was what our client was looking for, so Josh decided to reach out to him and invite him to the office for a preliminary discussion.

“When I first started talking to him it was clear that he knew a lot about JavaScript and was a good programmer because he could easily answer all of my questions, but when I looked over his CV there wasn’t a single mention of the word Javascript or that he was a programmer,” recalled Josh.

After spending some more time discussing Moe’s experience and skills, Josh quickly learned that Moe was a Syrian refugee. He told Josh that he had arrived in Canada by himself and was struggling to find a job. Recognizing Moe’s potential, Josh told him that if he was willing to work with him to update his CV: He could have a real chance at landing his first job. Moe immediately agreed and over the course of the next hour the two of them re-wrote his CV so it highlighted Moe’s experience and was in a Canadian format employers are familiar with.

The following week Josh submitted Moe’s resume and almost immediately got an interview with the client. To prepare him for the interview Josh asked him to read over a few booklets and coached him through the process. When the day came for the interview, Moe nailed it and that night Josh received the best news possible – Moe had landed his first job in Canada!+

“This is what Experience AI Solutions is all about,” said Josh. “At our company we are given the freedom to spend time with people like Moe because they also believe in his potential, a lot of other recruitment companies won’t do that.”

For Moe, coming to Canada as a refugee and settling into a new country was already difficult enough, but thanks to Josh’s willingness to work with him it changed his life forever.

“I was trying everything I could to find a job but nothing was going in the right direction,” said Moe. “Then one day Joshua reached out to me through LinkedIn for a job opportunity and right away asked me to come to his office to talk about the potential work opportunity.”

Moe said meeting Josh in-person was a pleasure and a lot different than other recruiters he had worked with in the past.

“The moment he started talking I got the sense that he was not only a tech-savvy person but also a great recruiter who knows what his client is looking for. He also has a personal touch as a recruiter, which most other recruiters don’t have,” said Moe.

“He literally worked with me to update my CV so that it would look more presentable, coached me for the interview and also gave me a fair rate for the role. Even after signing the contract, he kept in touch with me throughout my mandate. Because of his professional relationship and our friendship, I will be working with him again for one of his clients.”

While their initial relationship began on a professional note, both men now consider each other good friends outside of work. In fact, Josh has even invited Moe over for dinner to meet his family.

At Experience AI Solutions we truly believe in taking the time to get to know our candidates on a human level so that we can help people like Moe achieve their hopes and dreams. And help our clients find the best people and fit for their organizations!

If you’d like to work with Josh please don’t hesitate to contact us today to see how we can help.