In collaboration with Nationale Nederlanden, Refugee Talent Hub has facilitated a mentor program. The mentor program is part of Future Matters, a social program of Nationale Nederlanden. Future Matters is a strategic commitment to contribute to the well-being of people and the planet. Daniel Leu is one of the mentors and works at Nationale Nederlanden. He guides Omar, an IT talent with a refugee background.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

Daniel, Omar's mentor:

 “When I met Omar, I was surprised that he had not yet found work. He is a former teacher from Syria with a lot of knowledge. I immediately noticed that he is extremely eager to learn. He taught himself Computer Science, Cloud, and Java on his own.”

 “After we spoke a number of times, I saw that Omar especially needed help with marketing himself well. In terms of talent it was good. He could also use some support with his organizational skills. That's why we decided to work on these points together. Excitedly, I immediately ordered some of my favorite books on software engineering so that I could give them to Omar as soon as possible.” “We then started thinking about a project we could work on together. Because Omar was very interested in Cloud solutions and DevOps, we focused on this. An inspiring period of self-development followed.”

To apply for a job

 “Omar applied for a position at a start-up/scale-up. At this company they were looking for a junior Cloud Engineer. He asked me for some tips for his application. This was the moment that our contact really gained depth. We even spoke to each other for eight hours that week!”

 We talked extensively about application procedures, how you can convince people to choose you and what the do's and don'ts are during an application process. Omar prepared down to the last detail. Because of my involvement, I also became a bit nervous about the application process and I wanted to support him as best as possible.”

The first job interview

 “We spoke briefly the day before his big conversation. Immediately after his application he called me… he had gone to the next round! We were both over the moon with this news and when Omar told me he felt like they really liked him, I knew he was going to make it! We decided to focus our subsequent conversations even more on the technical aspects that required experience for the job he was applying for. We also started brainstorming about possible assignments he could expect in the next round. Eager to learn and full of inspiration, we continued our joint challenge.”

The 'tech round'

 “The tech round was the second round of the application procedure. This round consisted of an assessment that lasted several hours. Omar had completed a large part of the assignment and said that he found the assignment very enjoyable and educational. And then the tension came again... had he made it through to the third interview round? A few days later we received a response: Omar had advanced to the third and final round!” “I was completely overwhelmed. I found it hard to believe that every step of our plan so far was going exactly as we had hoped. What a cool experience this was.”

Our meeting and celebration

 “Omar invited me to his home to celebrate our victory over a cup of tea and Syrian delicacies. Of course I couldn't refuse this! I met his three wonderful children and his hospitable wife for the first time.”

The beginning of a collaboration

 “In May that year, Omar started his new job and we still work together. I firmly believe that getting a job and keeping a job are two different things, which is why I stay in touch with Omar. This way I can help him with the challenges he experiences in his new role. We still speak to each other regularly and we both get a lot of satisfaction from it.”

 “I am extremely grateful that Nationale Nederlanden and Refugee Talent Hub have given me the opportunity to work for a better society. I am motivated to continue to work for more openness, acceptance and tolerance in our society. So you see, working together to be able to work together is the basis of a flourishing society.”