THE BILINGUAL JOB FAIR BLOG

“Changing Lives”: What Our Slogan Means to the Bilingual Job Fair Team

June 25, 2009

When we brainstormed for our Bilingual Job Fair slogan, we came up with a couple of dozen good choices, and in the end, we selected “Changing Lives” because that’s what we all wanted to do.  Our goal has always been to connect good bilingual candidates with great companies.  From the stories we’ve heard in the last couple of years, I would say that we have been successful.

Following are a couple of stories, where we ‘changed lives’.  First, I will share a story of a bilingual candidate.  Then, I’ll share a story about a major US company, which was having a hard time finding qualified bilingual employees.

The first story is about the bilingual candidate, seeking employment, at one of our Bilingual Job Fair events.  I was being interviewed by a local radio station, and I noticed this young man watching the interview, while I was talking live on the air. When we completed the interview, the young man approached me and said:  “I just asked in the registration area who was the creator and organizer of this great event, and they told me that it was you.  Is that correct?” I said, “Yes, how can I help you?” The young gentleman proceeded to thank me for putting the event together, for the great idea – and for thinking of the bilingual people of the world.  He spoke English and Spanish and was American.  I told him that based on the responses I had received, that I was glad to have done it.  Then I asked him, not expecting the response I would get, “Well, did you get yourself a job today?”

To my surprise, he said “As a matter of fact, I just did.” And he was smiling big. At first, I thought that he was kidding and I asked him “Are you serious?” And he said “Yes, I start training next Tuesday”…at _____ (he mentioned one of the major banks in the US). When I realized that he wasn’t joking, I couldn’t help myself but to give him a congratulatory hug.

That night, I was exhausted, after being up for 19 straight hours; and I thought to myself “It was all worthwhile.  Many candidates connected with companies and some even found new jobs today.  We did help that gentleman’s life.”

Another story that I heard relates to a major telecommunications company in the USA.  The HR manager told me that in the previous year, they had spent something like ten (or twenty) thousand dollars while trying to locate and hire bilingual employees.  She said that at the Bilingual Job Fair, it took her two hours to have the same number of qualified applicants than it did the whole previous year put together.  Then she said, “You let us know of future Bilingual Job Fairs and we will be there.”

When we hear stories like these, we realize that we are truly ‘changing lives’.  That recruiter’s life had just become easier.  The young gentleman might have found his dream job.  Yes, we are ‘changing lives’ – and our team wouldn’t have it any other way.

Filed under: mylene

Tags: Bilingual Job Fair