LinkedIn has been a partner of Refugee Talent Hub since last spring. High time for a closer introduction. I speak to Marcel Molenaar and Nadie Snijders about the partnership, the values ​​of LinkedIn and the match with the dream of Refugee Talent Hub.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

Marcel Molenaar is Country Manager Benelux and Director Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn. He is also concerned with LinkedIn's mission, vision and cultural values. He clearly finds it important to safeguard and strengthen this collective identity. “We are a professional and commercial organization. But not only that: our mission with the platform is also to do good things: 'doing business and doing good'. This strengthens each other, and we notice that it also gives our colleagues satisfaction in their work. I think that's so nice to see.”

 “Absolutely,” adds Nadie Snijders, Account Director and Social Impact Lead. “Our vision is 'to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce'. You also commit to this when you come to work at LinkedIn. And that vision translates perfectly into our commercial and social impact objectives.”

Do you also want to play a role with your organization in removing barriers for people with a refugee background? Read more about becoming a partner here.

Everyone has a dream

 Together we peel away LinkedIn's vision. We come to a conversation about how unfairly it is distributed in the world. “And we at LinkedIn can do something about that. By, among other things, ensuring that more people have a relevant network and therefore have the opportunity to further develop their talent. Everyone has a dream – we want to encourage and support people to get closer to that dream,” says Nadie.

 Marcel is nodding. “Talent is universally and democratically distributed. It can be found in everyone. But the opportunity to further develop that talent depends greatly on where you were born and all kinds of other random factors. We want to make a difference in that.”

Partnership with Refugee Talent Hub

 The link with Refugee Talent Hub was quickly made: LinkedIn's vision fits in well with the dream of Refugee Talent Hub[1]. Nadie: “We both want to remove barriers to work. LinkedIn can help build a new network, in a new country. And of course we do this worldwide through our platform, for everyone. But we make this more concrete in our collaboration – through a mentor program and coaching sessions for Refugee Talent Hub candidates.”

LinkedIn Ads Grant

 Because LinkedIn believes it is important to unlock this 'economic opportunity' for everyone, the company gives away various 'Ads Grants' every year: a credit that you as a non-profit can use to advertise for free on the LinkedIn platform. Refugee Talent Hub has also been awarded an Ads Grant. Nadie explains: “We think it is very important that non-profit organizations whose vision and mission align with ours are given every opportunity to be successful in their work. It was immediately clear to us that we wanted to expand our partnership with Refugee Talent Hub in this way.”

You can always help someone further

 Earlier this year there was the Refugee LinkUp campaign to draw attention to the fact that around 80,000 status holders who are looking for work do not have access to a relevant professional network. Marcel: “The Refugee LinkUp campaign was a very good example of what you can achieve with our platform. We were quite proud of that; you could clearly see how something can quickly go viral if you strike the right chord and really use our platform to give people access to each other's network[2]. It is the power of putting someone in the spotlight. Beautiful!"

 “Yes,” Nadie adds, “If you are looking for connection with each other, it is so wonderful to notice that the value of work is similar for all of us. Everyone wants to develop, feel at home and learn from each other. Just like talent, it is something universal. This also means that you can always help someone else in their search for opportunities, for that 'economic opportunity',” Nadie continues. And we are working hard for that together.

Do you also want to play a role with your organization in removing barriers for people with a refugee background? Do you need professionals in your organization with a different perspective? Visit our website for more information about becoming a partner . Or contact us directly for a no-obligation introductory meeting .

 [1] Our dream is a Netherlands in which employers see and utilize the talents of refugees, and where refugees therefore have the right opportunities on the labor market.

 [2] The campaign received more than 2 million views and the idea of ​​sharing your network with someone who benefits from it was spontaneously adopted by various people and organizations. Want to know more about the results? Watch this short video .