Are you thinking about organizing a speed dating session? In December last year, Rabobank - in collaboration with Refugee Talent Hub - organized such a speed dating session, with success. In this article you can read about the experiences of Isabelle Zwetsloot, department manager at Rabobank, and Cafer Canbay participant.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

About Rabobank and the speed dates

 Rabobank, the largest cooperative bank in the Netherlands, believes that the business community can play an important role in creating meaningful opportunities for newcomers. Opportunities that help them to better integrate into society. As part of this, in April 2019 the bank set itself the target of offering employment prospects to sixty newcomers in 2019/2020 - a target that has now been amply achieved and subsequently expanded. This perspective can be in the form of a job, a work experience placement, internship or training class. In the vast majority of cases, these are regular, paid jobs.

 Isabelle has been working at Rabobank for more than ten years, including as a Delivery manager. After one of Isabelle's colleagues had previously helped establish a successful partnership between a newcomer and Rabobank, they decided together to tackle this on a larger scale. The reason for expansion is twofold: on the one hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable candidates for open vacancies, on the other hand, Isabelle and her colleague also want to give something back. “I feel that through my position I can ensure that a better world is created. For newcomers it is anything but an easy choice to leave their country behind. When I got the feeling that I could do something to help them build a new life here, I really wanted to do that."

 The speed dating event was an excellent opportunity for Cafer. He had been looking for a job for some time, but it was not easy for him. Cafer spent a year and a half in an asylum seeker center after fleeing Turkey with a degree in political science and international relations. During his stay in the AZC, he experienced firsthand that, due to a lack of choices and opportunities, newcomers with qualities and talents took on jobs below their level. “There are many talented and highly qualified people there who are eager to contribute.” Cafer participated in the speed dating event with Rabobank together with seven other candidates. A few days later he received a call from Refugee Talent Hub and after two conversations with Rabobank his search for suitable work was over.

 Despite the fact that Cafer was the only one who entered Rabobank from this specific speed dating session, Isabelle sees the speed dates as a great success. “I had hoped that we could have recruited more suitable candidates from the speed dating, but regardless, the event was a success for both us and the participants. They have now been able to practice conversations and it has been an enriching experience for both myself and the organization. Refugee Talent Hub told us that one candidate is also a great success.”

 **Cafer's experience at Rabobank**

 In the period that followed, Cafer was quite surprised by the way he was received by Rabobank. “I received a call from my manager on my first day, which is unusual in Turkey.” Yet there is no special treatment. Rabobank runs several projects to make everyone feel at home within the company. And because Rabobank is a large international company, there are several employees who struggle with speaking the Dutch language. For this reason, Rabobank has created a special Dutch Lunch Table: literally a table where you can work on the Dutch language in an accessible way. Cafer regularly joins in with this. “If there is one thing that many refugees face, it is the Dutch language. I appreciate these types of initiatives, everything is done to increase your contribution to the company.”

 Another example is the buddy project, which was founded by Corona to maintain good contact between colleagues due to working from home. For example, everyone within Rabobank is linked to a buddy: someone with whom you can discuss work content, but also in other areas. Cafer is linked to his colleague Ibrahim, with whom he has been able to spar a lot so far, especially about the work culture within Rabobank.

 Cafer sees several differences with the Turkish work culture: “In Turkey everything is fairly strict and structured, you don't have much freedom to organize your own work. Rabobank, on the other hand, offers complete flexibility.” According to him, this leaves more room for personal development and to really contribute, instead of just doing what is imposed on you. Cafer further notes that there is less hierarchy within organizations in the Netherlands, "which encourages you to ask questions or be critical."

 For Cafer, it is an enormous added value to have found a job that suits him. “My biggest concern was finding a job. Because of my age, I was afraid that companies would not be interested in me. Now I have a job, one that comes close to the work I did in Turkey and at a leading company here in the Netherlands!”. Isabelle is very happy with this success and sees Cafer as a huge asset. The speed dating event will certainly be repeated, hopefully offering even more newcomers an opportunity and perspective. Isabelle has the following tip for other companies that want to organize something similar: “Just do it! Nothing ventured nothing gained."