How the Greater Des Moines Partnership Helped Me Land the Perfect Job

I am from Venezuela, a beautiful tropical country in South America. In 2015, my husband and I made the difficult decision to come to the U.S. because of the political, economic and social situation in our country. We were both professors at the Central University in Venezuela, but we knew the future for our two sons was not secure. Both of our children have dual citizenship because they were born in Lincoln, Neb. when we were getting our doctorate degrees, so raising them in the U.S. was a very good option. 

Moving to DSM USA

In 2016 my husband took a job in Greater Des Moines (DSM) and we came to Iowa with our children. Since that time, I have been looking for a job related to animal science with a focus on swine nutrition because I received a Ph.D. in that field of study. I have been networking and I have met many wonderful people in Iowa. There have been some job opportunities related to my skills and experience, but most of the positions related to my field require 60-70 percent of traveling or relocation, which would be a difficult situation for my family. 

Finding a Job Through The Partnership

 Through a good friend, I was connected with the Greater Des Moines Partnership and learned about their Global DSM Talent initiative. Program Director of Talent Development Sanjita Pradhan and RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps member Holly Clark, both at The Partnership, met with me and we discussed my experience and professional interests. Shortly after our meeting, The Partnership team helped me to connect with Insta-Pro International, who had recently established their new headquarters in DSM. This company is a global leader in extrusion and pressing equipment for processing oilseeds, grains, pet food and fish feed. An excellent animal nutrition company located right here in DSM! I was looking for something just like that. Through the networks provided by The Partnership I had the opportunity to have an informational interview with the Vice President of Nutrition and Extrusion Technologies. Just having this opportunity in itself was huge for me. After a while, when the right position came about, I was considered one of the front runners for the position and was offered the position of Applied Nutrition Technologist. I am thrilled to have such an offer from such an esteemed company as it aligns perfectly with my education, skills and experience.

I cannot express how thankful I am to The Partnership’s Global DSM initiative. This initiative is very crucial for high skilled foreign-born individuals like me who have a lot of skills but lack some of the networks or industry knowledge to have the ability to secure employment at a level that is commensurate with our education and experience. I am also indebted to Insta-Pro for identifying and recognizing my skills and verifying that I can be a valuable asset to their great team.

Through the Global DSM international talent strategy, The Partnership works to establish Greater Des Moines (DSM) as a global community attracting and retaining foreign-born persons to the region. Check out more Global DSM stories.