Tag: diversity
We have received many questions from companies as well as from job seekers, about our bilingual job board – BilingualJobFair.com – so we will cover some questions and answers here, in case that you have the same questions. We had to do some research for some of the good questions we have received – and the results are very interesting to us. Thank you for your questions!
Question: What are the top ten languages, which job candidates are searching for in your bilingual employment site?
Answer:
Spanish & English
French & English
Japanese & English
Chinese & English
Arabic & English
Portuguese & English
Russian & English
German & English
Mandarin & English
Korean & English
March 7, 2011
This weekend I’ll be celebrating 30 years in the USA. On January 8th, 1981 - my plane landed at JFK Airport in New York City. The USA became ‘home’ for me, although I did not know it at the time my plane had landed. My intentions were to learn English, go to a good advertising university, work for about 5 years, and then go back home,to Puerto Rico. However, life had other plans for me. It all began when I met my husband in our last semester in college, at Syracuse University. From that point on, my commitment to the USA became stronger and this country ended up becoming my home forever.
I can not believe that it has been 30 years now. My memories of the ‘big move’ to the ‘big apple’ are still pretty vivid. The road I’ve traveled in the USA has had its ‘ups and downs’, along with some curves, valleys, and numerous hills along the way (steep hills I should add) but I’ve traveled it all a-mile-at-a-time, and never losing the momentum needed to reach my final destination…my goals. I truly wouldn’t trade the road I’ve chosen for anything in the world. It’s been a good road thus far. Yes, it is true. The USA is the ‘land of opportunity’. If you have dreams, if you work hard and don’t deviate from those dreams, you can make them come true. Motivation, persistence, hard work and high standards have been my key to accomplishing my goals. Also, the people I have met along the way have been a blessing in my life, and have made it a better road for me. Since this blog has a bilingual theme to it, I’ve thought that to commemorate my special moving date, that I would share some of my personal stories, which I’ve included in previous blogs. Hope you can learn something from my experiences, and that they give you hope. May they help you in your path to becoming bilingual, help you in assisting someone who wants to become bilingual, or in accomplishing your own goals and dreams. Thank you for being an avid reader of this blog and for being a part of BilingualJobFair.com.
Below are some of my previous blogs, which include some of my personal stories:
HAPPY 2011. HERE’S A TOAST TO ANOTHER 30 YEARS IN THE USA!
January 7, 2011
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
Advantage #5: More fun at work; more learning for everyone.
I believe that when bilingual people from different countries work together, they might connect more to each other than the average company personnel. They could have many things in common, like knowledge of more cultures, different values, music, beliefs, foods, dance, and other diverse cultural identities.
When I lived and worked in New York City, I recall being in the subway and hearing two people speaking, and asking myself “what language is that?” After living there for a while, I would challenge myself, and was able to tell when people were speaking Greek, Japanese, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Korean, Russian, and so on. It all fascinated me.
At the advertising agency I worked for, there were people from Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, and many other Latin American countries. I loved to learn more about their respective dishes, native cultures, dances, music, about their families, and to hear about their individual American dream stories. All of the employees were bilingual, and it appeared that we had an International day each day at work.
When a company has bilingual employees in the US, those employees have usually moved here from other countries. Consequently, they have their own ‘American dream story’ and have worked hard to ‘make it’ in America. A company can have an International Day, and can have employees bring homemade dishes from their respective countries. Companies can have more fun events at work and enjoy the teamwork that builds and develops from having a pleasant work environment for everyone. To learn more about having a diverse work environment, click here.
In summary, globalization is changing the world – and we all need to get a better worldwide picture in our respective companies. Globalization not only goes for the economics, but it also goes for our communication with each other. Bilingual employees will become essential to get a better worldwide picture.
April 21, 2010
Advantage #2: A more culturally diverse group.
It has been my experience that people who are bilingual are more inclined to want to learn more about other cultures, they take more risks with people who they don’t know yet, and they can handle unfamiliar circumstances a bit easier. Have you noticed this as a manager? Bilingual folks are usually fascinated by other cultures and languages therefore they enjoy the challenges that lie ahead. I can include myself in this group since I love to learn about other cultures, global trends and global markets.
In addition, bilingual folks usually connect to their local community to a larger degree and like to get more involved with the organizations within the area. So, if a company hires bilingual employees, they might get the benefit of having local representation at an event. You can read my personal story of “What motivated me to become Bilingual”. You can also read the two blogs I wrote about “Mr. Brown: My First Friend in the US – part 1 and 2”.
April 2, 2010
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
This week’s focus is on emerging industries for bilingual jobs in the U.S. and the types of jobs bilingual candidates can find within those fields. The third industry that we feel is among the top five for bilingual jobs is health care. (For previous emerging industries, read this post and this post.)
Health Care
Nowhere is it more evident than in the field of health care that the United States must respond to the needs of our diverse population. We need to increase the access to quality care for all citizens, including those who only speak a foreign language. Hospitals, doctor’s offices and medical insurance agencies all hire bilingual employees to address these needs. In addition to improving communication between health care providers and their patients who come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, medical care employers are also looking to broaden the diversity in health care leadership and administration.
Hospitals in particular are excellent sources of jobs for the bilingual job-seeker. The types of positions that are needed to be filled include: hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, medical assistants, emergency medical technicians, case managers, health educators, counselors, and billing/accounting representatives.
We have two emerging industries for bilingual jobs left to cover!
In the meantime, to browse bilingual job opportunities in the health care field on BilingualJobFair.com, click here!
October 28, 2009
This week’s focus is on emerging industries for bilingual jobs in the U.S. and the types of jobs bilingual candidates can find within those fields. (See yesterday’s post for the first industry on our list.) The second of the top five emerging industries for bilingual jobs:
Banking and Financial Services
This industry offers career opportunities for the following bilingual professionals: bankers, financial advisors, attorneys, realtors, insurance agents and automobile dealers. These professionals represent and discuss very personal matters with their clients, who want to make sure that they are well understood. With the ability to communicate effectively in more than one language, the bilingual professional can expand their clientele, and can reach out to people of other cultures. (For more thoughts on the advantages of being bilingual, read this post.)
Additional jobs available in professional offices include customer service representatives, administrative assistants, billing/accounting representatives, claims representatives, tellers and loan personnel. The banking industry in particular is eager to provide services to all populations, including the Hispanic community — the largest minority group in the United States. They also want to service the more than 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S., and are therefore a key employer for those seeking Spanish-speaking jobs.
We have three more emerging industries for bilingual jobs coming. Stay tuned….
In the meantime, to browse bilingual job opportunities in banking and finance on BilingualJobFair.com, click here!
October 27, 2009
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