How a software engineer from Iran inspired the launch of Talents2Germany:
How a software engineer from Iran inspired the launch of Talents2Germany:
The story of Talents2Germany begins with Mahbod, a gentleman from Iran, whom I had met while working at my former company Biz4d, which focused on corporate mentoring. He had applied for around 300 jobs in Germany and only received one interview, which frustrated him immensely. No matter how hard it was, Mahbod kept fighting. When we met through serendipity, I helped Mahbod revise his documents and made personal contacts for him.
I had been a member of the National Board of JCI Germany. We have about 16,000 members: entrepreneurs and executives from all over the country. I was President of JCI Frankfurt, with about 300 members. Through personal contacts, we were able to put him in touch with some potential employers, improve his documents, provide interview training and ultimately help him get several job offers.
The need for reliable support during migration:
As we were discussing his options and the offers he had received, he suddenly looked at me and said, “Eleonore, when you told me this was going to happen, I thought you didn’t understand reality. And now I’m sitting here comparing what my dream destination is. I never thought this would happen.” It was Mahbod who then even spurred Marek and I on and said: “It’s you who have to make a business out of it.”
Mahbod is from Iran, and according to him, numerous agencies in Iran claim to help people migrate to Germany for work and put them in touch with potential employers. Unfortunately, many of these agencies are involved in fraudulent activities. And even if this is not the case, they lack a proper understanding of the German market. As a result, their efforts to help people in need are often unsuccessful. It was Mahbod who then greatly encouraged us to turn it into an organization and a company. In the beginning, we had partnerships in Iran, but then Iran pulled the plug and shut down the internet. By that time, we had already established partnerships and connections in India, Africa and so on.
Global expansion and diverse effects:
We have then worked all over the world. Today, our candidates come from all over Asia, including many Indians, Pakistanis and many people from African countries and South America. The Talents2Germany team currently consists of people from all over the world. If you work with us, you are likely to see faces from Nigeria, Malawi, India and many other countries when talking to our team.
Beyond migration - A ripple effect of positive change:
We had conversations in which we asked each other: What motivates us to be here? And we had this conversation with a member of our team, and he put it into words very, very well.
He said: “What motivates me is more than the people we help. I know that every person we support has on average 10-20 people they support with it. We know, of course, that people who immigrate from countries with a different currency very often send money home. They help their siblings to go to school and they help others in their family and extended family to get a better education. So the impact goes far beyond the person we are helping, and that is our motivation and our mission to make the world a better place.”
