Tag: bilingual careers
Example 2 – Food distributor having a bilingual sales representative in ‘Little Italy’, in the Latino community, or in the Irish or German community
If the company offers specialty products, those products can be sold better to the specific community by an Italian, Hispanic, Irish or a German person. Why? Because the bilingual person understands the product, they might have used the product themselves – all of their lives – and can answer the questions to the client. Also, if you are a believer of a product and or a service, you can sell it. In the end, the company can benefit by hiring a bilingual and multi-cultural employee to service that community. There may be better relationships – and oftentimes – better relationships equal better sales for a company.
September 8, 2010
Having bilingual sales jobs can be very beneficial for companies; large, medium and small organizations alike. When a sales person can explain a product or a service to the end user (the person who will purchase the product or service) and can do it in their own language, the sales person can connect better with the consumer and can sell the features and answer questions more easily. The client will understand the purchase better, can ask more questions, and might give more loyalty to the company, in recognition for their good bilingual service.
In the following blogs, I’ll provide several examples of the benefits I see in hiring bilingual sales representatives.
Example 1 of the advantages of having bilingual sales jobs – or a bilingual company representative – Delivery Truck-Delivery Package person in Chinatown, NY – or Chinatown in San Francisco, CA
Sending a Chinese company Representative – or someone who is totally fluent in Mandarin-Chinese will provide a tremendous benefit to the company, because they can communicate better with the clients or prospective clients. The hundreds of companies in Chinatown can create a better relationship with the specific bilingual company representative. They will see each other daily, and the Chinatown companies can end up giving the bilingual representative more business. Comfort and loyalty can be a direct result of their relationship. The delivery company can see benefits in their bottom line. Ultimately, everyone involved can be happy with the end result.
August 10, 2010
When companies want to sell their products and or services to people in other countries, or want to target a different demographic whose language is different than their own, they hire bilingual staff to get the work done. The bilingual employees are able to communicate and connect with the new perspective customers. The bilingual staff starts with the face of the company; the bilingual receptionist. It can also include managers, sales, accounting personnel, customer service and others. There are many advantages to having a bilingual staff, and I plan to condense the advantages to the ‘Top 5’.
Advantage #1: Better internal and external communication with employees, vendors and customers of the company.
Below is a true example that illustrates the importance of having a bilingual staff.
A company in the US is expanding overseas to Latin America and India. They will need to have all of their HR policies, procedures and company benefits translated into Spanish and Hindi, as well as, their web site, services and products brochures. In addition, they will need to interview and hire personnel overseas to work with local suppliers and vendors in the newly established locations. Can they make all of these new additions and adjustments without bilingual personnel? With so much to do, the company decided that it was necessary to have a bilingual staff. Not only would it help strengthen their knowledge of the language, but also help them to communicate more effectively with the international markets.
Check back later this week for more advantages of having a bilingual staff. You can also click here to learn more about the ‘Five Emerging Industries for Bilingual Careers’.
March 23, 2010
If you have visited a company that conducts business worldwide, you might have heard their bilingual receptionist switching from English to Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese or any other language, depending on where their calls are from. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing what I call the languages switch many times, and it is still impressive when I hear it.
Many organizations have locations all over the world, and those firms must hire bilingual personnel, including bilingual receptionists. Consequently, it is an advantage to be a bilingual receptionist. It can make the job candidate for that position, or the current employee, more attractive to the company. A bilingual receptionist can communicate with more people and can connect with a broader and more diverse customer base. In other words, a bilingual receptionist is more valuable to a company these days.
A story that comes to mind is when I visited a company located in the US, which had offices in Costa Rica and Chile. The General Manager told me that for over twenty years they had a bilingual receptionist who was moving to be closer to her ailing parents, so the company inevitably was losing her. He went on to say that because their international offices called often, he needed a receptionist who could communicate with the Spanish and English speaking callers. Therefore, he would not consider hiring a receptionist unless he or she was bilingual. Not only did they have a hard time replacing her skills and gracious personality, but it also proved that having a bilingual receptionist was a vital position in their organization.
After looking for months, they found the right person, who exceeded their expectations by not only speaking English and Spanish, but Portuguese and French too. They are currently expanding into various markets worldwide, and calls are coming from many countries. According to the manager, their new receptionist has proven to be an excellent asset to the company.
As the target markets for companies continue to evolve, being bilingual is in higher demand and more important than ever. Click here to learn more about the Advantages of Being Bilingual and the Five Stages people go through to become Bilingual.
March 12, 2010
Q: I have been in my current position for the past 13 years and would like to consider changing careers. How easy or difficult is it for bilingual people to find jobs? Clara
A: Certainly bilingual skills are an asset in today’s job market. Be sure to highlight these skills in your resume. Other factors that influence the success of your job search include your field, education, experience and personal attributes, which should also be emphasized when writing your resume. While employers do rely on your background and past experiences, personality can also be a deciding factor, such as how comfortable you appear while presenting yourself. Since you have been in your current job for 13 years, this will show any employer that you have long term potential. Good luck with your new endeavor!
February 4, 2010
Q: Can you suggest what types of bilingual careers are out there for young adults who have not gone to college yet? Thank you, David
A: Some of the positions that we get the most requests for are Sales representatives, Customer Service representatives, Administrative assistants, certain positions within the Medical/Dental fields, Insurance Agents, Retail Associates and Automobile Technicians just to name a few. There are some companies that do not require college degrees and are willing to train potential employees on site. If you are interested in pursuing any of these careers, check out our available job listings posted on the site. Be sure to highlight your people skills on your resume. For more tips on writing a resume when you haven’t gone to college, read this post. Good luck David.
February 2, 2010
In addition to not bringing family members with you to a job fair, you should take extra care to avoid this job fair mistake as well:
Mistake #2: Attending without (or with too few) printed resumes
The resume is essential to a job seeker’s success at a job fair. It is the introduction their credentials, their work experience, attributes and qualifications. (For more on resumes, click here.) A job seeker attending a job fair without copies of a resume to hand to prospective employers is equivalent to a baseball player stepping up to home plate and facing a pitcher to hit a ball without a bat. Don’t hurt your chances at a home run by making this mistake!
My advice: don’t leave home without plenty of copies of your resume! It is better to have more copies than you think you’ll need than not enough. Bring a folder or briefcase with you to the job fair to keep your printed copies organized and looking neat. (More on this here.) You don’t want to miss a single opportunity.
December 10, 2009
You arrive at the job fair prepared, looking great, feeling positive — you are ready to start meeting companies. What now?
It’s time to make your plan for how to make the most of the day. As soon as you walk into the job fair, pick up a program. Review the map which shows where each participating employer is located and make some decisions about which companies you want to meet the most. Depending on the number of people at the job fair, you may be fighting through crowds, but your first objective should be to meet with your top 5 or 10 companies.
Approach your top companies one by one. Use the introduction you practiced as a way to begin a conversation about the positions each company currently has available, and the qualifications they are seeking. Offer a copy of your resume (and cover letter if you have one) and give a quick summary of your qualifications, being sure to touch on those that match the credentials they are looking for. Before you leave that booth, make sure you have expressed your interest in the position, thank the recruiter for their time and find out what you need to do to get a more formal job interview with the company.
After you have met with all of your top companies, take a break. Take a moment to drink some water and/or eat a little something. Take another look at the job fair program and booth map, and pick out your second tier of companies. Use the time you have left to visit the booths of your “B List” to make sure you are taking advantage of every opportunity to make a connection with a potential employer. By the time you have completed your secondary list, the job fair may be coming to an end. You should leave the event with a good understanding of what each of your top companies is looking for, ready to follow up with the companies that appealed to you the most.
Next: After the Job Fair: Following Up
November 23, 2009
The final of our top five emerging industries for bilingual employees is retail. (The other emerging industries on our list are telecommunications, banking & finance, health care and education.)
Retail
The retail world is a large employer of bilingual personnel. The large chains such as Target, JC Penney, Sears, Wal-Mart and K-Mart, in addition to smaller retail outlets in malls all over the country, need to fill positions in human resources, management, sales, inventory management and customer service. In all of these job areas the chance for interaction with bilingual customers is high. It is a fantastic advantage to be able to serve and communicate with a multicultural customer base. The hiring of bilingual personnel can mean higher sales volumes for retailers because they can sell and service this growing segment of the market.
The possibilities are endless for bilingual personnel. For more thoughts on marketing bilingual skills to potential employers, read The Advantages of Being Bilingual, and How to Write a Cover Letter that Showcases your Bilingual Skills.
To browse the bilingual job opportunities in retail that are available on BilingualJobFair.com, click here!
October 30, 2009
We have a couple more industries to cover as part of this series on emerging industries for bilingual jobs in the U.S. The fourth industry that offers a growing opportunity for bilingual job candidates is education. (For previous emerging industries, read this post, this post and this post.)
Education
Participation in the local, national, and international community is strengthened by knowledge of the language and cultures of other people. The key is to teach language skills so we can communicate with each other and give everyone an equal chance to become a productive member of society. The increase in the number of students in the U.S. who use English as a second language is creating more positions for bilingual personnel in our primary and secondary school systems, as well as at the college and university levels. Opportunities will continue to expand for bilingual teachers, administrators, translators, financial aide advisors and school social workers.
There are many dedicated bilingual employees at schools and colleges who are helping our bilingual students advance. To learn more about what students go through to acquire a second language, read this post about the stages people go through to become bilingual.
Check back tomorrow for the final industry on our list.
Also, to browse bilingual job opportunities in education on BilingualJobFair.com, click here!
October 29, 2009
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