- Who did you come with and who did you leave behind? …
- What was the most difficult part about leaving?
- What was your journey to this new country/community like?
- What was the most difficult part of coming here?
- What was it like when you first arrived?
- What most surprised you?
Refugees & Migrants: Interview with Foni Joyce
Interviews for Top Jobs at US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Staff Attorney Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (Washington, DC) in Feb 2020
Interview
In person with the managing attorney and another attorney. This was in their local office. The other attorney was in Washington. It was a quick interview. I would do it again. I really love working with the managing attorney.She is very competent.
- What makes you qualified for this position?
Program Assistant Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (Arlington, VA)
Interview
My first round interview was an hour long in person interview with two people from the team, including one who would be the candidate’s direct manager. They asked standard interview questions reading off a piece of paper (i.e. what are your strengths/weaknesses?). It wasn’t so much of a conversational interview, it more of reading off the list of questions and having your answer. The interviewers almost played the roles of “good cop/ bad cop”, with one interviewer appearing to not be super engaged, would look out the window, lost track of which question we were on and the other one asking the majority of the questions.I didn’t move on past the first round, but was told that the next steps included a skills assessment, background check, and a 30 minute in person interview with other team members, including the director.
- They did ask quite a few questions about interpersonal work conflicts: have you ever had a conflict with your manager, have you ever had a conflict with a coworker, have you ever had a coworker not do their share of the work, have you ever not reached a goal you made? I was expecting a couple of these, but I wasn’t expecting that about half the interview questions were going to be negative in nature.
Policy Analyst Interview
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (Colchester, VT) in Nov 2020
Interview
The process moved very quickly. Someone reached out directly to schedule the interview – there was no screening. I had a single interview with a VP (direct supervisor) and someone at the same level as the position. It was friendly and conversational. The supervisor stated that coming into the office is mandatory without flexibility to work from home which raised a red flag. I never heard back from their office.
- Are you OK with coming into the office everyday with no flexibility to work from home (during a global pandemic)? Are you vaccinated? What are some essential components of good policy writing?
Use these questions if the interview subject the child of im/migrants, some on who else migrated to the country or to a new community. Before conducting the interview, review the following with your interviewee to make sure they feel comfortable with the questions and choose the most appropriate ones. It might be helpful to give them a few minutes to reflect before beginning the interview.
Jessi is a former refugee from Cuba who arrived to the United States via a boat in the mid-90s with her grandmother. She is the Washington, DC representative for Refugee Congress, a national resettlement advocacy group run by refugees. In 2016, she established Cuba Inspires, a company that arranges VIP events and cultural exchanges in Cuba, with efforts to further support the transitioning Cuban society.
Ahmed is a writer, social entrepreneur, poet and former Iraqi refugee working at the intersection of creativity, displacement and youth empowerment. In 2006, Ahmeds home in Baghdad was bombed by militia troops. He and his family fled to Syria and two and a half years later were resettled in the United States. Ahmed founded Narratio, a platform for youth empowerment through creative expression.
Forced to flee Somalia after terrorists killed his father, Mustafa lived as a refugee in Kenya for nearly a decade before being resettled to the U.S. He founded the organization Bridge – a supper club where experiences are hosted by local refugee families with the hope of connecting with their neighbors.
Edafe is the Executive Director of RDJ Refugee Shelter, an advocate for human rights of LGBTQ, immigrants and minorities. He is the author of “BED 26: A Memoir of an African Mans Asylum in United States.” Edafe fled persecution from his home country Nigeria, arriving in the United States in October 2016.
BRYCS regularly highlights collaborations between refugee resettlement and child welfare agencies, demonstrating the ways in which some resettlement and immigrant-serving agencies can provide interpretation and other culturally relevant services to public and private agencies.
When refugee-serving agencies ensure bilingual staff are trained as interpreters, and develop a structure for contracting out these services, collaboration between these agencies and public child welfare can be of great benefit to America’s increasingly diverse communities today.
Interviewing recently-arrived refugee or immigrant children and families in such settings as the school, social services office, health clinic, or early childhood program can take special sensitivity and preparation. Agencies that receive federal funds of any kind are required by law to provide services of an equal quality to people who have Limited English Proficiency (LEP).2 To provide equal quality services, it is vital to allow LEP children and families to use the language that they are most comfortable speaking. When a bilingual interviewer is not available, agencies must rely on a foreign language interpreter.
See BRYCS Highlighted Resources on Interpretation: Serving Refugee and Immigrant Children for additional information about interviewing children using an interpreter and other practical resources.
Whether the topic is child abuse, education, health, or other issues, the following list of suggestions can help service providers prepare to interview refugee and immigrant children and families.
FAQ
How do you interview a refugee?
- Arrange for an interpreter in advance. …
- Be sensitive to family values and structure. …
- Tune in to the child’s physical state. …
- Set expectations for the interview. …
- Address confidentiality with both interviewee and the interpreter.
What questions do they ask immigration interview?
- How, where, and when did you meet your spouse?
- Where did your first date take place?
- How long did were you with your spouse before getting married?
- When and where were you married?
- Did you go on a honeymoon? …
- What is your spouse’s current job?
What kind of questions are asked in an asylum interview?
What are the major problems faced by refugees?
