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Conduct outreach to displaced talent for labour mobility programs

Many displaced people do not know that they may be able to move for an international job, or they may have misconceptions about the process. Outreach is an opportunity to educate displaced talent about their options, share accurate information about how to pursue international labor mobility opportunities, and set realistic expectations about this emerging solution. 

This article offers suggested steps and discusses general considerations for organizations that are conducting outreach to displaced talent. It focuses on encouraging displaced talent to create a profile on the Talent Catalog so they can immediately be considered by employers in a range of countries. It is important for organizations to customize and tailor their outreach efforts according to their specific context and requirements.

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Identify your target outreach population

The target audience for outreach is people who are likely to be eligible for refugee labour mobility programs and are suitable for recruitment by international employers. 

People with experience in in-demand professions are more likely to be competitive for international jobs.

Create a Partner Profile on the Talent Catalog

Before beginning outreach, organizations can create a partner profile on the Talent Catalog. The partner profile allows organizations to distribute a customized version of the Talent Catalog to displaced talent in their networks, and to support them through all phases of the recruitment and relocation processes. This is particularly useful for organizations that wish to work with a specific group of candidates in their particular geographic location or who are existing program beneficiaries.

Key messages for outreach

Who: If you have been displaced and you cannot return to your country of origin for reasons outside your control, you may be eligible to relocate for international work opportunities. This solution is particularly relevant to you if you have professional experience and strong foreign language skills. 

Why: Securing an international job offer can make you eligible to migrate safely and legally to a country where you and your family will have permission to live and work. 

What: We encourage you to share up-to-date information about your skills and experience on the Talent Catalog. Doing so makes you visible to recruiting employers around the world, particularly in Australia, Canada, EU, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

How: Organizations around the world are actively engaging with employers to recruit candidates from the Talent Catalog. Registering your information in the Talent Catalog does not guarantee that you will secure an international job. However, creating a strong Talent Catalog profile, regularly updating your profile with new information, and continuing to improve your professional and foreign language skills are all ways to increase your competitiveness. 

When: Sign up to the Talent Catalog right away and keep your information up to date. You will ONLY be contacted if an employer expresses interest in your profile. This may be in a few weeks, a few months, or a few years. Registration in the Talent Catalog does NOT guarantee a job offer — it is only creating the opportunity for a match to occur.

Outreach strategies

Organizations may pursue a combination of reactive and proactive outreach:

Reactive outreach

Outreach to displaced talent with a specific job position in mind. It can be helpful to share the parameters of a specific job (e.g. required education, work experience, language level, etc.) widely through a variety of outreach tactics. This can ensure your organization identifies as many qualified candidates as possible.

Proactive Outreach

Outreach to displaced talent before recruitment for specific job positions is initiated. Proactive outreach is especially helpful for identifying candidates in in-demand occupations. This strategy ensures that candidates have their profiles ready to be considered by every new employer who signs up to recruit displaced talent. Proactive outreach also helps teams who are working with employers in destination countries, as it enables them to understand what skillsets are available. The larger the “talent pool” available to employers, the more potential matches can be made.

Outreach tactics

The goal of each outreach tactic is to raise awareness about refugee labour mobility as a possible option for displaced talent, and to encourage candidates to create complete profiles on the Talent Catalog. The following tactics may be helpful to your organization. 

  • Provide a way for candidates to register their interest and be added to the talent pool – for example, by sharing the general link to the Talent Catalog – or your organization’s customized link to the Talent Catalog. Sharing a customized link ensures that your organization can track the profiles that are generated by your outreach activities. It will also allow your organization to collaborate on international recruitment efforts with other organizations later in the process.
  • Conduct digital outreach. Digital outreach includes messages, images and videos shared through platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram. It’s important to assess which platform is most effective in your country or region, so that you can reach the largest possible audience. For targeted outreach, be sure to clarify requirements for the position in the post.
  • Conduct in-person outreach. In-person outreach includes meetings and presentations at locations that are accessible to displaced talent. This can include community centers, local organizations, universities, or other unofficial gathering spaces. 
  • Conduct live webinars. Webinars allow presenters to share information about how to register for the Talent Catalog and to respond to questions from the audience in real time.
  • Create outreach partnerships. Partners may be willing to collaborate on outreach in different ways. Some may be willing to cross-post digital outreach posts, or to share information about the Talent Catalog and refugee labour mobility via their mailing lists. Others may be willing to have physical materials left at their offices, or to provide lists of people they think would be interested and a good fit for labour mobility. Broad partner networks can help generate deep and diverse talent pools.
  • Conduct women-specific or other targeted demographic outreach. Creating in-person gatherings that are run by female facilitators and have only female participants can make outreach more accessible to women. This approach can also work well with other groups that may traditionally be excluded from labour opportunities.
  • Provide tablets or mobile devices and internet access. The Talent Catalog is easily accessible on mobile devices, even when internet access is limited. Organizations can make it easier for displaced talent to complete their Talent Catalog profile by making sure devices are available for use at any in-person sessions.
  • Tap into existing networks. Consider asking candidates to reach out to their own networks, connect with alumni associations at educational institutions or training programs, and look for online communities (such as Facebook or Whatsapp groups) that have potential reach in relevant communities.
  • Share success stories. Media coverage and proof of success build the credibility of the Talent Catalog and refugee labour mobility.

Managing expectations while conducting outreach

Organizations should be mindful of managing expectations while they conduct outreach. Visit our article on managing expectations for key points that organizations can integrate into their communications.

Outreach resources

Feel free to adapt and/or re-brand these resources to suit your local context and meet your organization’s specific needs:

Last Updated: 2nd April 2024

Category: Category: Recruitment

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