Tag: hiring
Q: I just recently interviewed an impressive candidate who had the experience and right qualifications for a job my company posted on BilingualJobFair.com . The candidate proposed a salary that was 25% higher than I wanted to offer, but within my budget. Should an employer stick with their offer to save the company money or accept a candidate’s salary proposal? Anne
A: Your question is an easy one for me to answer. When a candidate impresses you and you feel this is the right person for the job; then you need to view it as an investment and not a cost. If the candidate turns out to be an exceptional hire and works at the company for many years, you will be glad you made the initial investment. My advice would be to go ahead and hire this impressive candidate now before you lose him or her to your competitor.
March 10, 2010
Q: My company is looking to hire fluent bilingual employees this year (English & Spanish). My question is this: how do we know that they are truly bilingual? Thanks. Phillip
A: I recommend having a bilingual company recruiter interview the person in both languages; in your case, Spanish and in English. One of the questions for the job applicant should be about their level of proficiency in each language. Then, the question should be followed by a conversational test as well as a written exercise. This is the only way to make 100% certain that the job candidate is fully bilingual. Buena suerte.
January 21, 2010
The ultimate goal of online job postings is to attract qualified candidates and increase the pool of applicants for the open position. The level of detail that you include in the job posting is the key to getting the quantity and quality of response you need.
To recap, here are our Top Five Tips for Writing Effective Job Postings:
1) Judge a book by its cover: Use the most descriptive job title possible.
2) Don’t go incognito: Include the name of the hiring company.
3) More is more: When describing the open position, be specific.
4) “Show me the money”: Include a salary range in the job posting.
5) Details, details, details: Be sure to mention company benefits.
December 22, 2009
Today’s Tip:
5) Be sure to incorporate the company benefits into the job posting. Job seekers want to know what unique benefits their prospective employers offer, and including these details helps generate more interest in the position. If your company offers a 401k plan, paid vacation, health plan (medical, dental, and or pharmaceutical), car allowance or company car, or other benefits, listing them in the job posting will help increase response.
December 21, 2009
Today’s tip:
4) Consider including the salary range for the position in the job posting. We have found that employers that include a salary range in their job postings get increased response and a higher caliber of applicants.
December 18, 2009
Today’s tip:
3) When describing a job, be specific. Paint a complete picture of the job opening. Make sure to include the job requirements, the level and type of experience you are seeking, the education and language proficiency preferences, as well a description of the daily responsibilities of the position. Job seekers like to have an idea of what their day at a job might be like and what the job entails.
December 17, 2009
Today’s tip:
2) Include the name of the hiring company in the job post. Many experienced and high caliber applicants prefer not to apply to job postings in which the employer has chosen ‘company confidential’. Besides allowing job seekers to research the company before applying, revealing the employer’s name may generate more interest in the position.
December 16, 2009
Our goal is for companies to get excellent applicants and to get exceptional results from the job postings placed at BilingualJobFair.com. Based on the performance of previous job postings, and on feedback we have received from job seekers, we have come up with five tips for writing better, more effective job postings.
Today’s tip:
1) Think about the title of the position when creating a job post. Be sure you are using the most descriptive title possible, and avoid abbreviations. Remember, people are searching for job openings using common job titles and skills. Consider what someone might search for to find the job you are posting. Ask yourself: “Does the job title describe the position well enough? If I came across this job title in a search, would it interest me?”
December 15, 2009
To most people, the negotiation of a salary is a difficult subject. On the one hand, the company has a salary range for the position. On the other hand, the prospective employees know how much money they would like to make, or feel like they are entitled to. The possibility of conflict and the likelihood of a disagreement is the reason for the apprehension; however, it is all part of the hiring process. That is why a candidate, to negotiate well and fairly, has to understand what their individual skills and qualifications are, as well as what the company needs.
To begin the negotiation process, the potential employee should research the yearly salary for people in their field, by market or region. They should also consider the responsibilities of the new position, their individual salary history, the cost of living in the region (if relocating), the traveling involved, and the number of people for which they will be responsible. Candidates also need to consider the total benefit package, such as insurance coverage, car allowance or company car, retirement plan, bonus potential, and other benefits. In other words, potential employees should not look strictly at the salary, but rather, they should look at the whole compensation package.
Oftentimes I get asked, ‘if I am bilingual, should my pay be higher?’ My opinion is ‘yes’. Companies conduct business in other countries and your additional language and cultural knowledge will be beneficial while traveling, or while speaking to vendors and customers in other countries, and even with other foreign employees of the company, or with customers in your local market. You can connect with more people and create added benefits to the company, in two languages. Consequently you do have additional skills, and that’s why I believe that your salary should be higher.
In my opinion, companies should pay a higher salary for bilingual employees because they see the value you bring. Keep in mind that some companies are testing new markets and becoming more multi-cultural, so they don’t know yet what someone bilingual might be worth to their company. Sometimes you have to prove the value yourself. In those cases, if they can reach the new market, you can justify higher pay for being a bilingual person.
Two years ago, I asked a company recruiter if they pay a higher salary to their bilingual employees, and she proudly replied “Yes, we do”. She appeared proud of her answer. I then asked her how much more a bilingual person made in her company, and her excitement diminished. She said: “10 percent more”. I was surprised with her answer and proceeded to push my luck a bit, and asked her “do you think that your company values the bilingual candidates enough, the ones who communicate with your newly created Latino customers?” She replied, “I’m hoping to be able to justify it more to the company, but for now, they get 10 percent.”
This story may illustrate a lack of understanding from the companies’ point of view. My hope is that employers will come to appreciate that a bilingual employee brings additional education, culture, knowledge, and possibly other important skills; like perseverance – the perseverance and the discipline to learn two languages.
Thus far, it has been my experience that bilingual employees are dedicated, and that success matters to them. Which are just more reasons why they deserve a higher salary.
Have any of you ever been able to successfully negotiate a higher salary because you are bilingual?
July 21, 2009
Over the past twenty years, I have interviewed dozens of candidates to work in various positions within my organizations. Because I like to be fair to every candidate, I have created a standard interview process which I follow every time. I start with a first interview, with standard first interview questions. Then I have standard second interview questions. And finally, the third interview questions, along with a 30 to 45 minute written exercise. If the candidates impress me each step of the way, and if they pass the written bilingual exercise, then, they are hired.
From the 40 interview questions I ask the candidates, I have five questions which are my favorites; because they tell me a lot about the person I’m talking to. And that’s my goal in the hiring process, to get to really know the person.
1.“What are your two greatest strengths – which would make you an asset to the company?”
This question allows the candidate to tell me what they consider his or her two largest attributes to be, and I can see his or her passion (or lack of) about who they are. I can also see if they believe in themselves, and I can tell if those attributes apply to each aspect of their lives or just to their business world.
2. “What do you consider to be your two greatest weaknesses. Please describe in detail.”
This question makes the interviewee think on the spot and I can see how frank they are about describing their weaknesses. I can also see if they have humility about their weaknesses. This question can result in the interview lasting a short period of time, or the candidate going to the next step in the hiring process. For instance, if I am looking for someone independent and organized and the person says that their biggest weakness is that they need to be more organized, then, I can not hire that person. We would both be miserable working with each other. Another example would be if I am hiring a sales person and the person shares with me that their weakness is that they don’t like to cold-call in person, or on the phone, that they don’t particularly like making sales presentations or do not want to travel. These weaknesses would be detrimental for a sales position. The stories about the weaknesses can make or break the interview. Honesty comes through in the words and the eyes of the candidate.
3. “Recall an incident where you made a major mistake. What was it and what did you do about it?”
Nobody is perfect, and I like to see what the person considers to be a mistake, and what they learned from it. My favorite answers are the ones where the candidate has thought of their mistake to the point where they have really learned something, and when they go the extra mile and tell me what they learned from their mistake, along with why they think they wouldn’t make the mistake again. Sometimes the person tells me about a personal mistake, and other times it’s about a business mistake. I listen very carefully and try to connect with the person and with their story. I look at their comfort level explaining the situation, how they handled the mistake itself, and how they handle themselves explaining the mistake. I like when a person admits their mistake and notifies whoever has been affected by it. Humility and humor is what will advance the candidate to the next round. Since I do not want a person working on my team who considers herself or himself a ‘perfect person’, the interview will not get to the next stage if I sense a lot of ego or if the ‘mistakes’ are considered ‘too insignificant’ by the interviewee. Personally, I like to work with people who learn from their mistakes and become better each and every day.
4. “Who is the person you admire the most in life – and why?”
I really like this question because it connects me with the personal side of the candidate I’m interviewing. It tells me the attributes they look for the most in a person. Do you know what the most common answers are? Either “my parents”. Or “my Mom”, or “my Dad”. Or “My first manager”. And it usually follows with a personal story of a parent overcoming obstacles along the way and making it happen in their lives. Or it can be a story about a manager of the candidate believing in the candidate and giving him or her business tools to succeed, or their fist chance in the business world. I can again see the passion and the belief in oneself with this question, and with the answer.
5. “Tell me about yourself.”
This question gets asked in every interview. It’s okay if the person pauses at first when they hear the question, and then proceeds to tell me a little about their personal life and about their accomplishments in the business world. It’s okay when they don’t have enough experience but talk about their college accomplishments, their community service, the clubs or teams of which they have been a part. I like it when the person is brief, to the point, while telling me good stories to portray who they are. What I’m about to tell you is a true story. One time I asked this question to a gentleman and he spoke non-stop for over 45 minutes about himself. No, we did not have a second interview. Although I like confident people, he believed in himself a little too much. With this question, again, I can tell the person’s belief in herself or himself, their passion for life and for their career, how involved they have been in the community, college, community service, sports teams or in clubs. I can tell if the person is a “people-person” or not. The stories don’t lie. The body language doesn’t lie. The interview question “tell me about yourself” tells me all I want to hear; who the candidate is and if he or she should become part of our team.
June 16, 2009
