Team Member Highlight: Yonten Basnet

Yonten Basnet is an American immigrant using his intellect and experience in staffing as Amplio’s newest team member.

Yonten was born in Kalimpong, in West Bengal, India, a hill town with stunning views of the Himalayan Mountains. However most of his growing up years were spent in Bhutan, where his dad became the first FIFA sanctioned soccer player to represent the country.

In the 1990s, Bhutan went through an ethnic exodus when over 1/6th of its population fled, fleeing discrimination. Many spent 10-15 years in refugee camps before being resettled worldwide.

A widely Buddhist nation, and religious practices outside of Buddhism and Hinduism are strongly discouraged in Bhutan. Over the years it has become increasingly difficult for Christian families like Yonten’s to practice their faith freely. His grandfather had been the first to translate the Bible into simplified Tibetan, making it accessible and understandable for common Tibetans.

So when his brother was offered a scholarship to play soccer in America, the whole family decided to follow. They settled in Stone Mountain, a city in East Atlanta. Now 17, and nearly finished with his education, Yonten completed his GED and began working immediately, using his multilingual skills to translate for local companies. A hard worker, he coached soccer, and even performed circuit board repair for Google fiber on the side.

It wasn’t long before his intellect and strong people skills landed him a job at a local recruiting company. But the long hours of placing and replacing employees left Yonten feeling less-than-fulfilled and burned out. As he began looking for other options, his brother, now working for World Relief, told him about a different kind of staffing company connecting refugees to jobs here in America. That company was Amplio Recruiting.

Coincidentally, Amplio was on the hunt for a new recruiter to meet the needs of his growing company. Yonten sat down for an interview with Stephen Assink who was immediately impressed. After many interviews with other candidates, they had finally found a match– Yonten checked all the “boxes”, and then some.

He was hired on as Recruiting Coordinator in March of this year and has already proven himself an incredible asset.

“Yonten has walked the journey of so many of our employees,” says Amplio CEO Chris Chancey. “He has such a joyful attitude and servant’s heart– along with a wealth of staffing and recruiting experience. We’re so grateful he’s on our team and know that he will be pivotal to our growth.”

Yonten, too, is satisfied with his contributions thus far. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve helped a lot of refugees find jobs,” he shares proudly of his work.

His favorite part of the job? “The people,” he answers simply, without hesitation. “They come from so many different nationalities. I’m always learning new things!”

“Even if they don’t have experience, I help them tweak their resume and tell them to be confident, not silent. Intimidation is a factor—many don’t know much English—in their culture going to an office and talking to people is a big deal. At Amplio, we make them feel comfortable.”

Yonten, who already speaks Nepali, Dzonkha, Hindi and English says he wants to add Spanish to his repertoire so that he can help more people.

At Amplio Recruiting, we are passionate about helping businesses connect with the dependable refugee workforce. Yonten is just one of our many proud employees who are committed to putting in the time to find not just any fit—but the right fit—for your company’s needs.

To learn more about the benefits of hiring refugees, and the services we have available, visit our website or contact us today.