The problem: Without a Canadian network, refugees are usually applying for jobs online (through Indeed, LinkedIn, or other job boards). Unsurprisingly, online job searches are not very successful. Refugees are applying to hundreds of different jobs, and may only be hearing back from a small number. This makes it critical to have an almost perfect resume.

How you can help: Through a 30 minute call, you can learn more about a refugee’s work experience and help them better reflect this experience in a well-formatted resume.

Step 1: Make a post on Haven offering to help a refugee with their resume.

• Sign up or log in to your account at https://app.findhaven.org/
• Go to “My Dashboard”, and click “Add a New Offer”
• Select “Employment” and “Mentor: I can help a refugee improve their resume”

You can then wait for a refugee to contact you. You can also look at the “Discover” page, and see what help refugees are requesting.

Step 2: Once you are matched with a refugee, organize a 30 minute video call with them. Try to have this be a video call. If a video call is not possible, an audio call is fine as well.

Ask for them to send their current resume to you ahead of the call. Refugees should have followed our Haven Resume Guide - if the resume has major mistakes, ask the refugee to read the Haven Resume Guide prior to your call.

Step 3: On the call, ask about the refugee’s work experience and what job they are trying to get in Canada. In general, the job that they should try to get will either be:

• A “starter job”: Basic jobs in Canada that do not require advanced English / French or Canadian work experience. These jobs are easier for refugees to get, and allow refugees to build-up Canadian work experience and start to become more independent.
• Meaningful work: Jobs that require more extensive work experience and skills. We want all refugees to eventually get to this level, but for many, they will need to first improve their English / French and gain more work experience.

Step 4: Once you have given comments on the refugee’s resume, the refugee should then make edits. If you are open to taking another look at the edited resume, that will help the refugee confirm that their resume is now good to go.

Step 5: If you want to help the refugee further, introduce them to your network. You can do this by:

• Introducing the refugee to any of your connections - think about who might be able to give advice, or would be able to further build the refugee’s network.
• Make a post on LinkedIn - ask the refugee for a quick summary of their story, and write a description of the type of work they are looking for. Your LinkedIn network might have many people who can help.

Questions? Ask us at [email protected]