Latinos@Work

Latinos And The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service: How Are You Participating?

"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve . . .” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Monday, January 16, 2012, our nation celebrates the 26^th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with a “Day of Service” and to encourage ongoing action throughout the year.

Dr. King had a strong history of reaching out to and collaborating with the Latino community. He publicly and privately supported the efforts of the National Farm Workers Association (today’s United Farm Workers of America), as well as, many other Hispanic movements.

Hundreds of Latino organizations are reciprocating by supporting this national initiative. “Dr. King has inspired people from around the world to advocate for equal opportunity. Honoring his legacy through service pays tribute to his dream,” said National Council of La Raza (NCLR) President and CEO Janet Murguía.

What are your plans for today and participating in our evolving generation of service?

Below are a few links to help you find some great projects that need volunteers in your area:

MLKDay.gov 

Servir.gov 

NationalService.gov 

National Council of La Raza community affiliates

In January,1992, César Chávez wrote Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- “My friends, today we honor a giant among men: today we honor the reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.…If we fail to learn that each and every person can make a difference, then we will have betrayed Dr. King's life's work. The reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. had more than just a dream, he had the love and the faith to act.

Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and MulticulturalResumes.com

Authors, Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos

Also at http://twitter.com/LatinosAtWork

Contact: Murray@GlobalDiversitySolutions.com or rmb@GlobalDiversitySolutions.com

Career Resolutions Latinos Can Keep In 2012 - Part 1

For Immediate Release (for those who have not figured it out yet): 2012 has been designated as the Year of the Latino Professional. Prominent players that contributed to this selection include:

• Employers must be competitive locally and/or globally and have set significant goals for Latino recruitment, retention, and upward mobility.
• Colleges and Universities are evolving programs to address the needs of Latino students, alumni, and the companies that employ us.
• Mainstream and Latino Professional Organizations for launching more major initiatives to improve our professional growth and career advancement.
• YOU who is dedicated to your professional evolution

In the spirit of the New Year and the Year (decade or millennium) of the Latino Professional, we encourage you make career resolutions that are a combination of those that challenge you to grow, some that are easily achievable, and an anti-resolution or two. Successful resolutions are founded in results-driven S.M.A.R.T. goals which are:

Specific

Measurable

Action Oriented

Realistic

Time-Constrained

The 2010 Resolution that will Rock Your World: MY CAREER IS JOB #1

This is a big, life-changing resolution. It requires that you take an active role in your career awareness on a day-to-day basis. When the "career management mentality" becomes second nature to you, you'll not only achieve your goals but will become a better, more effective and more valuable asset to your employers.

To develop S.M.A.R.T. goals and make your career a priority:

• Internalize the mantra "tu eres el arquitecto de tu propio destino - you are the master of your own destiny." Read Twelve Characteristics of Latino Career Success and Latin@Work's other job search and career management aricles.
• Take a project management approach to your career and adopt the mindset that YOU are the client or assignment. Write out your plan, assess your options, analyze your resources, and focus on activities that will help you achieve your goals.
• Define career success on your own terms.
• "Envision" your career -- one, five, ten, and 20 years out. Visualize in detail the work you do, your physical surroundings, the people in your professional circle, and the feelings you have at this stage of your career.

To be successful in your career, you must be willing to invest in yourself and take a proactive approach to career development and management. Like anything that is worthwhile, it will take action, persistence, and time. The steps to achieving your MY CAREER IS JOB #1 resolution will be discussed in detail in our next article.

Easy Resolutions that Latino Professionals Can Keep

Put the following items on your "to do" list: 

Latino-Specific Job Search Communications: Reach Out and Touch Someone

You have written compelling resumes and cover letters, evolved your network, collaborated with your mentors, and identified job opportunities, Hispanic employee resource groups, and company contacts. Now it's time to leverage your efforts and follow up!  Below are some practical examples of how to reach out and touch someone who can open additional doors in your job search via email, snail mail and telephone.

Sending Email and Hard Copy Cover Letters to Company Contacts

If possible, always send your correspondence by both email and regular mail to ensure that the recipient receives it. In addition, it is important to follow-up your written communication with a phone call.

Example 1:

Follow-up letter (after submitting your resume to the Human Resources Department in response to an advertised position.) 

Marisol Colon

Senior Vice President for Hispanic Affairs

Latino Inclusive Company, Inc.

1 LIC Plaza, Mail Code 5111

Los Angeles, CA 90001

Re: Purchasing Supervisor

Dear Ms. Colon:

Latino Inclusive Company's Procurement Services Division advertised for a Purchasing Supervisor position on iHispano.com. As a resource management and purchasing professional with a track record of achievement in expense reduction, vendor partnership agreements, and revenue enhancement, I have the credentials you need. Additionally, I am an active member of the Hispanic Purchasing professionals Committee of the National Contract Management Association. My background includes...

Closing Paragraph: Attached are copies of the resume and cover letter I submitted to the Department of Human Resources. I would welcome an opportunity to discuss how my experience can contribute to the achievement of your corporation's objectives for growth and success.

Example 2: Follow-up letter (after making a Hispanic Employee Network contact)

Dear Mr. Rivera:

Jaime Díaz recommended that I contact you directly. We met at the Latino Inclusive Company, Inc. recruitment booth during the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA) Career Conference.

Mr. Díaz mentioned that your Employee Resource Group, L.A.T.I.N.O., is assisting with Hispanic employment at your company. I would appreciate a chance to speak with you about career opportunities...

Closing Paragraph: My achievements are further detailed in the enclosed résumé. I look forward to hearing from a L.A.T.I.N.O. representative soon...

Example 3: Unsolicited Letter (to Latino contact listed on a company website)

Dear Ms. Mendez:

Your name came to my attention while researching Latino Inclusive Company, Inc. on ihispano.com. I am seeking your guidance, as the Director of Diversity Employment Programs, on how to secure an interview for a marketing representative position with your corporation. Some of my applicable strengths and capabilities include...

Closing Paragraph: The enclosed résumé summarizes my background and experience in the above areas. If you are interested in a highly motivated marketing representative with a proven track record for success, please contact me...

Phone Calls to Company Contacts

The telephone can be also a powerful ally in your job search.

Connect with Corporate Diversity And Hispanic Employee Networks to Improve Job Search and Career Success

Connecting with company-based Diversity and Hispanic Employee Networks (also called Affinity or Employee Resource Groups/ERGs) is an important strategy to add to your career management toolkit. These are in-house organizations comprised of multicultural and/or Latino employees and often receive formal corporate support for their activities. 

ERGs play a key role in improving a company's diversity competence. Most networks are active participants in the recruitment, development, and retention of Latino employees. Many also serve as business-focused resource groups driving initiatives that  increase the corporation’s competitive advantage.

These networks are growing rapidly throughout corporate America ranging from the AT&T’s HACEMOS, General Mill’s Hispanic Network, PepsiCo’s Adelante to Xerox’s Hispanic Association for Professional Advancement. 

For Latino Job Seekers

Diversity and Hispanic Employee Networks can facilitate an entrée into the company of your choice.

You can contact members of the affinity group to gain inside knowledge of:

• Potential employment opportunities
• Appropriate hiring managers
• Navigating the selection processs
• How to have your resume referred past the gatekeepers into the hands of decision makers; sometimes with a recommendation to invite you to an interview
• Preparing for the interview
• Corporate culture
• Working environment for Latinos at the company you have targeted  

For Latino Employees 

Diversity and Hispanic Employee Networks enrich their members by providing a forum for people from similar backgrounds, culture, and interests to come together to network, develop personally and professionally, identify issues of concern, and provide mutual support and advocacy. They share information, reduce feelings of isolation, address issues of common concern, and create bonds to other employees and the company. The groups also can enhance the member visibility that results in key assignments and promotional opportunities.

Accessing Employee Networks

Affinity groups can be found on through Latino professional associations and company websites. Try the instructions below for those employers you are interested in.

• Go to the company website
• Usually you will find a diversity link on the home page, about the company, commitment and / or in the careers links
• Search the diversity section for a diversity or Hispanic affinity group
• The employee network may have a description, contact information and even it’s own web page. If not contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (or similar function) directly
• Another strategy is use the site map or search options to search for the group

Remember that networking is a two way street. Latinos fought hard to establish Diversity and Hispanic Employee Networks to improve our career opportunities. Take time to support these groups and participate in their activities.

We will be providing employee network contacts and some communication strategies in future posts. You can find out more the groups at the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Hispanic Employee Affinity and Network Groups Resource Guide and DiversityInc.

 ¡BUENA SUERTE!

Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and MulticulturalResumes.com

Authors, Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos

 

‘Tis the Season to be Job Hunting: During the Holidays, Salsa, Merengue and Network with a Purpose

 

As the old dicho goes, "Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente" (Shrimp that sleeps, the current carries it away) . . . If you don't stay alert to and act on opportunities, you will miss them.

Too many job seekers buy into the misconception companies are not recruiting and interviewing from Thanksgiving to New Years Day. Savvy careerists continue their search and compete for positions that employers need to fill by the end of the year or to be well positioned when the traditional January 2nd job market increases (and when everyone else re-starts their job search).

We recently surveyed recruiters on the value of ramping up your job search in November and December. Below are a few of their comments.

Rudy Martinez, CEO of iHispano.com, shares that from Thanksgiving until just before Christmas, you will start to see an influx of job postings. The reason behind this is that it typically takes between two and six weeks to complete the hiring process from initial interview to final offer. HR managers, who want employees in place starting the first of the year, begin the selection process now.

America Baez, a recruiter for Accenture, adds that hiring authorities who are in their offices during holidays are usually more available. They are often open to discussing career opportunities and supporting job hunters. By taking advantage of the "Holiday Spirit", smart job seekers can gain ground on their competition and be considered for more positions.

Barbara Safani, President of Career Solvers, advises if you reach out to your network now with some "best wishes" and holiday cheer, you will have a natural entrée into a job-related conversation in the New Year. By establishing and maintaining relationships during the holiday season, you increase the likelihood of making inroads with decision makers who may be hiring in 2012.

Steps You Can Take to Enhance Your Job Search Around the Holidays.

• Check current listings on general, Latino, niche, and employer job boards, refresh your resume and set up a job agent (in My Saved Searches / Email Alerts) to automatically receive new postings.
• Network at professional and personal holiday events. Check the calendars of events for Latino professionals and industry specific activities.
• Send holiday cards. They provide a natural "touch point" and an unimposing reminder to recruiters and employers with whom you have previously communicated. A snail mail card or note is not only rare these days, but demonstrates your professionalism and commitment. We recommend you err on the side of political correctness with non-religious "Happy Holidays" or   "Happy New Year" greeting cards. If you don't think they'll remember you (assume they won't), include a brief reminder of your last contact and, perhaps, a business card.
• Thank people who have been helpful in your search.

Checklist for Developing Your Personal Career Brand: Part 2

 
In our article, In Today’s Economy, Building a Strong Personal Brand is Key to Job Search and Career Success: Part I we discussed the importance of personal career branding for Latinos. At the end of this series we will provide you with a free 360° online brand assessment and other tools to assist you in advancing your career. 

Below is a step-by-step checklist on how to develop your brand.

• Know yourself. Understand your values, personality, knowledge, skills, abilities, passions, uniqueness, and worthiness.
• Assess your abilities through testing. There are numerous assessment tools to help you identify your personality type, strengths, values, and career orientation.
  Perform your own appraisal.

Examples: Conduct a SWOT analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats as they relate to your career goals. Re-read your performance evaluations from the past couple of years and ask yourself what they are really saying about you. Are there adjectives that are consistently used among all the reviews?

• Brainstorm: Make a list of all the things you are good at. 

Examples: Some ideas for brands include conflict management, sales training, best-practice systems, marketing for service professionals, and customer service.

• Identify your passion.

Example: Using your brainstorming list of what you're good at, circle those items you are most passionate about. Narrow the list down to one or two items.

• Determine the advantages of your passion and best attributes.

Example: If you are great at conflict management, the advantages to recipients (employers) of your brand might be greater cooperation among team members, which leads to enhanced productivity, new ideas, less employee turnover, etc.

• Note at least three distinct advantages for your brand.
• List your contributions and accomplishments.

Examples: Use Barron's The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos Career Management Toolkit's Primary and Industry Specific Questionnaires for Developing Your Career Marketing Documents.

•  Assess your reputation quotient.

Examples: Listen to what others are saying about you. When people introduce you or talk about you to others, they often make some powerful personal career brand statements and use adjectives that clearly describe you. Pay attention the next time you are being introduced.

 Also, become self-observant and reflect on the following questions honestly.

• How do people respond to my presence?
• Are people glad to see me in meetings or do they sigh with relief when I leave?
• Do people listen to me?
• Do they want to hear what I have to say or are they glad when I stop talking?
• What do I see and hear from others in daily conversation that gives me ideas about who I am to them and how they feel about me?
• Give yourself permission to create and promote your personal career brand.

Examples: Use the power of the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. model from Barron's The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos to empower your career-building efforts. For some of us, it means starting with your family by asking them what they see as your greatest strengths and accomplishments. Their acknowledgment of your qualities, acts as a blessing for you to embrace your gifts. Then work your way outward by asking your friends, peers, supervisors, employees, friends, mentors, and coaches.

Read more at Embrace Your Value to Unleash Your Career Power and Maximize Your Culture and Language in Your Job Interview. In part 3, we will discuss how to successfully live and market your personal career brand.

 

¡BUENA SUERTE!

 

Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and MulticulturalResumes.com

Authors, Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos

 

Honoring our Latino Heroes on Veterans Day

 
Millions of Latinos have and continue serve with distinction in the U.S. military, yet their significant contributions and sacrifices are relatively unknown. Their heroism helped forge this nation and preserved our freedom.

Latinos have received awards for valor and bravery far in excess to their proportion of the population. Forty-three Latinos have won our nation’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Major initiatives are underway to ensure that the proud legacy of Latino military service be accurately preserved and woven into our national consciousness. We will continue this discussion in future posts.

Below are two articles to begin our conversation.

A Tribute to the Forgotten Force by Jim Estrada

U.S. Latino Patriots: From the American Revolution to Afghanistan, An Overview by Refugio I. Rochin and Lionel Fernandez 

This Veterans Day, as we commemorate all U.S. men and women in the military and many who have died in military service to this country let's be sure to remember the Latinos among them and thank them for their service.

Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and MulticulturalResumes.com

Authors, Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos

Also at http://twitter.com/LatinosAtWork

Contact: murray@GlobalDiversitySolutions.com or rmb@GlobalDiversitySolutions.com

In Today’s Economy, Building a Strong Personal Brand is Key to Latino Job Search and Career Success - Part I

In almost every news report on how to succeed in your job search and career in today's economy, the experts advocate that having a strong personal brand can be the difference in securing employment, surviving a layoff or advancing your career.

Your personal reputation is what lets people know what they can expect from you. Your personal career brand allows you to leverage your reputation, authentic strengths, principles and unique promise of value to distinguish you from your competition. We are not asking that you change who you are. We are suggesting that if you define and live your personal career brand you will reap greater rewards in your job search and career management.

Why Personal Career Branding is Critical for Latinos
- "If you don't build your personal career brand, others will label you."

The fact is you are giving your power to other people to categorize and define you from their perspective. Do you want to be identified as Chuy's sister, Mr. Johnson's assistant, the brown one or the Latino accountant.

You may be described solely as your job title or job description. Is this how you wish to be known? No matter what kind of work you do or where you are in your career, would you prefer to be perceived as the Cadillac, Lexus, or Volvo of employees, or as a 4-cylander basic performance vehicle?

The chart below lists the benefits of building your personal career brand. 

Personal Benefit

1. Helps you understand yourself better.

2. Allows you to embrace your values, knowledge, skills, abilities, contributions, achievements, uniqueness, and worthiness.

3. Strengthens your personal power allowing you to remain honest to yourself, be more flexible, exercise control of your career, and shape how you are perceived by employers.

4. Gives you permission to express your value to employers.

5. Prepares you for the job search.

6. Increases your confidence and ability to conduct a successful job interview.

7. Guides you in making well-founded career decisions.

8. Improves your value and employability.

9. Attracts and opens employment and career building opportunities.

10. Leads to better, more interesting jobs and assignments.

11. Enables you to persist and weather the tough times.

12. All of the above continually empowers you. 

Employment Benefits

1. Paints a compelling concise picture of who you are and the unique promise of the value you offer.

2. Establishes the critical great first impression that makes you stand out as a top candidate that must be considered.

3. Allows employers to learn about you through others, which generates more credibility.

4. Clearly positions you as the best candidate to get the job done.

Embrace Your Value to Unleash Your Career Power - Con Confianza

For many Latinos, a key personal barrier impacting success in career management and job interviewing is cultural modesty: hesitancy to communicate one's accomplishments and abilities to the employer. Self-promotion is the number one issue raised by the two hundred+ Latino managers, recruiters, and CEOs we interviewed and surveyed for Barron's The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos. It has also been the experience of many of the thousands of our readers and Latino clients we have served.

Latinos are often raised to think that speaking about themselves and their accomplishments is boastful, rude, disrespectful, and "mal educado." As the dicho goes, "La persona no ha de ser de dichossino de hechos – A person is not made out of talk, but of deeds."

We are taught not to brag about our efforts and to let our work speak for itself. However, holding back can be a disadvantage in our competitive society. Instead, we should choose to speak honestly about ourselves and build our personal power.

Tu eres el arquitecto de tu propio destino - You are the master of your own destiny.

Yasmin Davidds, motivational speaker and author of Empowering Latinas: Breaking Boundaries, Freeing Lives, often expresses the following quotation in her presentations.

"Personal power comes from within and when you embrace it, you feel as though there is nothing in the world that you cannot handle. It helps you recognize that everything in your life is a choice, and it reinforces the truth that you have complete control over each and every one of those choices. While we may not have control over the events that occur in our lives, we have control over how we react to these events. You, alone, are in control of your destiny."

We have earned our academic and professional credentials, worked hard to develop our expertise, and sacrificed to make it in our careers. We also bring to the table the rich assets of our heritage. Our multicultural experiences and/or language skills are critical business assets employers are seeking (read Maximize Your Culture and Language in Your Job Interview).

Self-confidence is a concept that for some appears to be unattainable. For too many years Latinos have been hounded by the "peon" imagery that has unfortunately been stereotyped in media. But the heart of our combined Latino cultures is a proud one; consisting of outstanding attributes that fuel modern Latino success. Embrace your value to unleash your personal career power.

As we navigate through the workplace, we must learn to value our abilities and present ourselves with "confianza" – confidence! When we learn to do this, we build personal career power and begin to feel more comfortable communicating our value to employers – and making more headway in our careers.

¡BUENA SUERTE! 

 Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and MulticulturalResumes.com

Authors, Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos

Job Search Questions Latinos Can Ask About Potential Employers

 

Do you want to increase your chances of landing an interview and securing a job offer with a company that is committed to the success of Latino employees? 

When conducting your research on a potential employer there are additional questions that Latinos can ask of company representatives at a diversity career fair, Latino contacts at the company, the corporation's in-house Hispanic Employee Resource Group, Hispanic professional associations or other knowledgeable members of your network. These sources are often open to providing the critical information you need to achieve success in your job search. 

Assessing the Company Culture 

Your basic questions are "What makes your company an employer of choice for Latinos?" and "What do Latinos need to know about your company to determine if it is the right fit for them?" 

It is often best to ask some personal questions to start a dialog such as:

• What do you enjoy most about working for the company?
• Why did you apply for a job with the company?
• Why have you continued your employment with the company?
• What do you see for your future with the company?  

You may need to ask follow-up questions including: 

• What is the work environment for Latinos?
• How many Latinos are in the company, at what levels, and specifically work in the department that you are applying for?
• What characteristics do successful Latinos in this company seem to share?
• What support systems does your company have for new Latino employees (orientation, onboarding, training, mentors)?  
• What support systems does your company have for the retention, development and advancement of Latino employees (professional development, educational benefits, special assignments/rotations, career tracks, mentors, employee networks)?
• What is the retention rate of Latinos vs. others in the position for which I am interviewing?
  Identifying Company Access Contacts / Strategy
• Your basic question is "What are the best strategies for Latinos to get their résumé reviewed by the right people and secure an interview in your company?"

 Some sample follow-up questions are:

• Who can I contact in your company to get my résumé reviewed and secure an interview (such as actual hiring official, Division Manager, Latino/Diversity Recruiters, Chief Diversity Officer, Latino Managers or employee groups)?
• What is the best way to initiate contact and follow-up with these individuals?
• Can I use your name as the person who suggested I communicate with these contacts?
• Preparing for the Interview
• Your basic question is "What do I need to know about your interview process to be selected for employment?"

You may need to ask follow-up questions such as:

• What types of interview formats are used for the position I am applying for (individual, panel, sequential, behavioral, case)?
• What characteristics are the interviewers looking for in a candidate for this position?
• What do the interviewers look for from Latino candidates?
• How do you assess Spanish speaking and writing proficiency?
• Should I bring my career portfolio to the interview and what should it contain?
• Do you have other recommendations for preparing for the interview?

It is up to you to determine whether a particular employer is aligned with your core values, beliefs and career goals. Performing your due diligence on the corporate culture and selection process of potential employers can help you find a great career match.

 

¡BUENA SUERTE!

 

Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and MulticulturalResumes.com

Authors, Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos