Sessions

There are an estimated two million work authorized immigrant and refugee professionals with backgrounds in high-need industries who are un- and severely underemployed. These are the taxi drivers who were engineers in their home countries, the nannies who were doctors and nurses. In a rapidly changing economy, this community can help support high-demand STEM industries, plus they bring language skills, cross cultural understanding, innovation and diversity. But virtually no company tracks immigrant and refugee hiring and in spite of promises of diversity from the top, hiring managers routinely underestimate or overlook this source of talent. How can we do better? This session will give background, share stories and offer tips and tools for shifting course and opening opportunity.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover the two million+ immigrant and refugee professionals who are un- and underemployed in the United States.
• Hear what skills they bring to the workforce and to our country; what are some memorable profiles that help humanize this vast population.
• Learn how hiring managers can shift concrete screening practices to unlock this source of talent - from understanding foreign education and credentials, to being aware of reasons for resume gaps, to valuing additional talents - from language skills to cross cultural communications.