Nirary Dacho and his family arrived in Australia in 2015, after fleeing Al-Hasaka in Syria's north in 2015.
They left on the 27th of February - it's a date Nirary won't forget, because his home city was attacked 24 hours later.
"I loved my life back home, I didn't want to leave and we waited as long as we could, but we had to, to save our lives," he said.
The university lecturer and IT consultant found a job after several months in the country, but he's since realised he was one of few to do so.
"The majority of refugees wait two years to find work, and when they do it is entry level. These are professionals who have years of experience and degrees from their home countries, and they don't want to start at the bottom."
Refugee Talent reviews refugees' resumes before submitting them to employers. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
That problem sparked an idea.
"My idea was to create a platform that would be like Seek, Indeed or any other platform, that would be exclusive to refugees."
Refugee Talent is on its way to becoming just that, as an online marketplace where businesses can peruse a pool of job candidates.
Former Nauru Detention Centre worker Anna Robson, is the co-founder of Refugee Talent - like Dacho, her action was born of frustration.
"I met many highly skilled people who had to flee their homeland and they had no choice they couldn't work, but all they wanted to be doing something in their profession," she said.
The pair launched Refugee Talent in 2016. Six months in there were 120 refugees and 25 businesses on board, with plans for imminent expansion.
Anna Robson is frustrated by the perception "refugees want a free ride" after meeting many who are highly skilled and motivated to work. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"The difference between this and the existing government job programs for new arrivals is the technology, but we also offer advice and help with interviews and resumes," Mr Dacho said.
The venture is yet to break even, but Dacho and Robson hope it will soon turn a profit.
Job candidates and employers register online for free, paying only once they have secured a new staff member, at $300 for a short-term hire or 10 percent of the first year of a permanent wage.
The majority of refugees on the platform have a tertiary-level education and extensive career history, with engineering, IT and politics the most widely-represented fields.
The greatest barrier to entry, according to Robson is the candidates' grasp of English.
"We review all resumes and applications before they go live on the site, so we can advise candidates whether they need to develop their English and things like that before we send them to an interview, or let employers see their profile,"Ms Robson said.
Syrian refugee Hedra Abdo can identify; since she arrived in Syria in 2015, she undertook lessons in English before signing on to Refugee Talent the next year, in the hope of securing a job as an accountant.
Hedra Abdo was employed through Refugee Talent within two months. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"I put the profile up and eight weeks later I got a call from Anna [Robson] who said they had a job interview for me, so it was pretty simple," she said.
Abdo now works part time at Beyond Travel in her chosen field, as she studies for her Australian accounting accreditation.
"This is what we want, because most refugees are coming here and because their qualifications aren't recognised in Australia, they have to do entry level jobs or unskilled work that is out of their field," Mr Dacho said.
For Hedra, the impact of having a career in her new home is profound.
"You have purpose when you can come in and meet people and I think it's only now I have a job that I feel part of the community and I can really be living here," Ms Abdo said.
As a migrant, Beyond Travel CEO Michael Lavilles signed on to the site, hoping to give someone the chance he'd been given, decades before.
Beyond Travel CEO Michael Lavilles recommends other businesses give a refugee a go, as his has reaped the rewards. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
"It is a risk as a somewhat small business to maybe have to take time to train someone with experience outside Australia, but when I met Hedra I could see this is someone with potential and a high level of experience, so it was a calculated risk," he said.
"I am very happy we have employed Hedra and I wouldn't hesitate to look to Refugee Talent for other staff, giving someone a go is at the heart of our business and diversity makes us stronger."
Refugee Talents directors have mainly attracted small to medium sized businesses to the platform, but they hope to lure major corporations in the coming year.
Beyond Travel hired refugee Hedra Abdo as a part-time accountant. Source: SBS Small Business Secrets
Australia has agreed to settle 18,750 refugees by 2017, with another 12,000 to arrive from Syria.
For Nirary and Anna, they represent new workers, new skills and tens of thousands of opportunities for Australian businesses.
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