Answer:  It seems like this information changes every month. For now, the top five posting states are North Carolina, California, Florida, South Carolina and Texas.  We have also had many job postings from New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia … as well as from our friends in Canada.  Our bilingual online recruiting site is growing more every day!  And I love seeing the growth.  I want to thank all of the companies that have posted jobs with us so far and all of the bilingual job candidates.  Hope we continue to see companies and great candidates connect through us each and every day.

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

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.

Picture this.  Your company is expanding into Brazil and you have to hire a General Manager, who will be in charge of your expansion…but you do not speak Portuguese.  You have to conduct focus groups as well, to see about the feasibility of bringing various products into Brazil but you are concerned about communicating with the local residents, and describing your products well enough to the target market. Can you imagine the position you will be in?

When a company has bilingual personnel, the bilingual employees can travel with management, and the company’s representatives can have their own local connection to the market.

As I indicated in ‘Advantage #3’, the bilingual employee can understand the market better and can provide a better cultural identity with the local residents.  Picture the Brazil example I provided above, but now add a couple of dynamic sales people to the trip with you and a product engineer who speaks Portuguese.  The trip would be easier because there will be true contact, accurate positioning of the products, and communication of the bilingual employees with the Brazilian market and with the future customers.

Language is a critical aspect of connecting with a culture.  Bilingual employees provide that connection.

If the company has an experienced bilingual staff, who is familiar with the products and services, and who have proven themselves in their field; the company has a bigger winning potential and can better penetrate and reach new markets.

Bilingual employees can assist the company with the knowledge of the new location, what the culture likes, dislikes, and with the knowledge of their purchasing habits.  For instance, if I was advising a client and they were reaching the Hispanic market, I could tell them that the Latino population is brand oriented and loyal to the products and services they like.  If the particular company wanted to translate their company material into Spanish, I would tell them to use ‘neutral’ Spanish, which can be understood in the various Latin American markets. I know the Hispanic market well, and can illustrate the Hispanic culture to a company.

Each language is inter-related to a specific culture, and the bilingual employee can help the company understand the specific market.  Consequently, the company can get a better cultural identity and a better connection to the market, through their bilingual employees.

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”.

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’.

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.

A: This is a great question because I’ve heard it many times, and the answer is YES.  While both people will be able to communicate with each other, there may be certain words that are spoken differently in their respected countries.  If this occurs, they will be able to discuss the differences to help ensure that they understand one another clearly.  It’s great that your company is expanding their bilingual staff.  You may be interested in reading more about how bilingual employees are an advantage to your business.

A: I faced the same predicament when I first looked for a job in the U.S.  I still have an accent because I spoke only Spanish until I was 21. I suggest interviewing in person as opposed to over the phone so that you have a better chance of making an impression with your credentials, your personality, and your willingness to work hard. If you are concerned about your accent during the interview, mention it directly. You can say something like ‘You might have noticed that I have an accent (the person might smile at your comment) but I want you to know that I am fully bilingual and would love the opportunity to prove to you that I can provide quality customer service in both languages’. Ask the interviewer if they have any particular questions about your qualifications for the job. In other words, don’t leave the interviewer with any doubts because of your accent.

You may also want to read some of my previous posts about interviewing, as well as this post about the stages of becoming bilingual. Good luck.