The recruitment cycle

3. Screening

When reviewing a CV of someone with lived experience of migration, it’s important to keep an open mind:

1. There could be potential gaps in employment

It can take years for a refugee to arrive safely to this country and receive the right to work. During this period, they cannot be employed which means they might lack local work experience as well as references. See more in the barriers to employment section of this toolkit.

Instead of dismissing a candidate, you could consider the following:

• As part of the screening process, offer a week or a two-weeks on-the-job training to give a candidate opportunity to display their skills 
• Extending the probation period to 6 months could give the candidate time to adapt and prove their abilities. It could also give you a chance to confirm whether you have made the right choice.

2. Candidates might hold education and skills from foreign institutions

UK ENIC is the UK National Information Centre for global qualifications, that can provide information about the comparability of qualifications from other countries and how these could be recognized in the UK.

3. Some candidates might appear overqualified

In many cases, highly skilled refugees will not be able to practice their profession in the UK and end up applying for entry-level jobs. Although they might appear overqualified, they might be looking for a new career pathway. Before rejecting overqualified candidates, it is worth speaking with them as they could end up being a highly valuable employee. Sometimes people just want an opportunity, and you can help them get back on the career ladder. 

4. Consider 'blind recruitment'

This is a process of removing personal information from candidates' applications during the screening process.  Further reading on 'blind recruitment' can be found under the resources section.

Giving realistic job preview

There are different ways in which you can help candidates assess whether the job (and your company) would be a suitable match.

You can consider:

• Partnering with refugee support organisations and offering site visits for interested candidates
• Hosting information sessions during which you would explain the role in detail and answer any questions from candidates 
• Recording a video of your employee talking about the role and the company
• Running a Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) in partnership with Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)

See the what can you business do section of this toolkit for more information on SWAP.