Latinos@Work

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: 

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

 

Leverage Hispanic/Latino Professional Associations in Your Job Search and Career Management

 

Hispanic/Latino professional associations can play a pivotal role in maximizing career opportunities for Latinos. Many organizations sponsor career centers, job postings, career fairs, professional development, mentoring, networking, professional and student chapters, scholarships, research, advocacy, profession related resources, benefits programs, and social functions. The groups often maintain strategic partnerships with employers that hire from their member's specialized career fields.

A few national organizations, like the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), serve Latino professionals and students from all industries and often joint venture programs with other Hispanic professional groups.  

 Below is a sample list of industry-specific professional associations and some steps you can take to maximize the organizations' resources:

• Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA)
• Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA)
• Latinos in Social Media (LATISM)
• National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives, Inc. (NAHFE)
• National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN)
• National Association of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Social Workers (NAPRHSW)
• National Hispanic Sales Network (NHSN)
• National Latino Police Officers Association (NLPOA)
• National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

A comprehensive list of Latino professional associations with background summaries, service listings and contact information will be added to the Latinos@Work blog.

Action Steps

• Review the organization’s website thoroughly for services and member benefits.
• Identify a chapter in your local area.
• Sign up for the group’s electronic newsletters, eList and mailing list (check privacy policies).
• Search current job postings and check out companies that support the association.
• Submit your resume to the organization’s resume database or job matching system. (Check privacy policies)
• Establish a networking relationship with appropriate staff contacts and members. Use the associations networking tools to initiate contacts with members.
• Participate in the organization’s message boards, forums and blogs for information gathering and networking.
• Attend onsite or online organization events, professional development activities and career fairs/conferences.
• Identify mentorships, student chapters, scholarships, and internships.
• Volunteer if you can.

 ¡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 

 

Twelve Characteristics of Latino Career Success

In the course of writing Barron's The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos, we interviewed several successful Latinos from all walks of life and asked for opinions on a variety of topics, including the characteristics needed for success. We compiled their answers, added our own experiences, and created twelve factors for a successful career -- a career that successfully coexists with a fulfilled life, uses your talents and skills to their full potential, and maximizes your opportunities and growth.

 

 You are the Architect of Your Own Destiny                        Tu Eres El Arquitecto De Tu Propio Destino

• Life and career success can only be defined by you for you.
• Taking the time to develop your definition of success is essential to achieving career satisfaction.

 

The following are twelve characteristics you should master if you want to achieve career success:

 

Know Yourself

• Evaluate your interests, values, knowledge, skills, abilities, contributions, accomplishments, uniqueness and worthiness.
• Understand your cultural programming, if any, and how to transform those gifts into career assets.
• Embrace your attributes, family history and culture.
• Craft your combined attributes into a foundation to launch or grow your career.

 

Develop a Goal that Inspires You

• Develop a vision of what you want to accomplish in life and your career.
• Arouse your passion and desire to be successful at whatever you do.
• Allow your goals to be courageous to drive your career forward. Your objectives should not be self-limiting.
• Make sure your goals, no matter how large or small, contribute value to others.

 

Believe in Your Personal Power

• Trust that you are the most important person in your career.
• Embrace your personal power to fuel your career power.
• Activate your career power so you can be proactive in your job search, manage the process and to respond well, rather than react, to the events you cannot control.
• Learn to adapt and transform any self-limiting cultural programming into power centers.

 

Learn to Dance in Both Worlds

• Recognize that adapting to an employer's workplace culture is neither selling out nor changing your cultural identity.
• Build a cultural bridge that crosses from one environment to the other that we can walk on and help others to cross.
• Know your culture and share it gently.

 

Create Opportunities and be Prepared to Take Advantage of Them

Build a Strong Career Board of Advisors (Career Compadres) Step-By-Step During National Mentoring Month

National studies confirm that individuals who have mentors are significantly more successful in their careers than those who do not. Mentoring is beneficial for everyone and at all levels of the career continuum. The research shows that having a strong core of advisors and mentors is even more crucial for Latino careerists.

Do you have good mentors?

Do you know and fulfill your responsibilities as a mentee?

Are you a good mentor to someone?

Click on the links below to access a step-by-step guide to build effective mentor relationships.

Please share your recommendations and your success stories with our readers.

Career Compadres Series: The Critical Role of Mentors in Latino Career Success - Part I

Career Compadres Series-Part 2 Career Mentor Checklist

Mentors are Critical for Career Success: A Roadmap For Employers, Career Coaches and Individuals

                    ¡BUENA SUERTE!

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

Principals, Global Diversity Solutions Group

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

Also at http://twitter.com/LatinosAtWork

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

 

Career Resolutions Latinos Can Keep In 2011 - Part 2

In Career Resolutions Latino's Can Keep In 2011 - Part 1, we discussed that 2011 is the Year of the Latino Professional and "Easy Resolutions Latinos Can Keep." In 30 days, will you know where your resolutions are? Below are some additional recommendations that be helpful for keeping yours.

Career Resolutions that have Worked for Other Latino Professionals

Want to take your career to the next level? Consider these:

• Create a career portfolio (physical and / or electronic) to record contributions, special projects, and career accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. Check out the free tools at VisualCV.com or iHispano.com.

• Evolve your personal career brand every day. Your daily "to do" list should include an activity that builds or reinforces your professional reputation. For example, it might be the way you greet your colleagues, the manner in which you execute a major project, or the fact that you followed up with an important contact. Read In Today’s Economy, Building a Strong Personal Brand is Key to Latino Job Search and Career Success - Part I and Checklist for Developing Your Personal Career Brand: Part 2
• Communicate with at least one older and one newer person in your network each week. Rekindle relationships with people from your past. Commit yourself to expanding your personal network of career contacts. At the very least, your name will stay on their radar. Staying in touch can be as simple as wishing someone a happy new year or sending a birthday card. Read Latino-Specific Job Search Communications: Reach Out and Touch Someone
• Begin or expand your "Career Board of Directors". Studies show that mentors, coaches, champions, experts, and colleagues are vital to your professional advancement. Read up on how to make the most of mentor-mentee relationships: The Critical Role of Mentors in Latino Career Success and My Career Mentor Checklist.
• Join your company's Latino or diversity employee resource group or affinity group. These in-house networks can help you adeptly navigate the workplace culture. To learn more, read: Hispanic Employee Networks / Affinity Groups.
• Give back to the community. Helping Latino colleagues or those coming up behind you opens up even more opportunities for other Latinos. Giving back adds to your own value and helps build your personal career brand.

The Anti-Resolutions

It is also time to resolve to not do some things that could inadvertently damage your career:

Career Resolutions Latinos Can Keep In 2011 - Part 1

For Immediate Release (for those who have not figured it out yet): 2011 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: 

ABC's John Quiñones Asked Me, “Why Did I Do It?” Here’s My Answer

 

A few days ago, I was honored to receive the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s (NSHMBA) 2010 Brillante Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence from award winning journalist and host of ABC’s “What Would You Do?”, John Quiñones .

Quiñones asked me the following question - Murray, you have done....and continue to do so much for others....you told me earlier that the following quote from Cesar Chavez has directed your life,

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

Can you tell us how?

My response: Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta were both heroes and role models when I was as teenager. At that time our community mentors put us through a rigorous process to develop a personal mission statement. Mine was to enable people and organizations to follow their own path.  It still is today.

I learned from my parents and career compadres that we

• Must take ownership of our careers  
• Excel in work we are passionate about
• Tell truth to power while building cultural bridges
• Give back to the community

What does this look like?

In our practice or for corporations: It means engaging all stakeholders to forge diversity partnerships and build inclusive workplaces.

In our community: The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) gave birth to the American G.I. Forum, SER Jobs for Progress and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF). NSHMBA’s work in building a pipeline from Education for Success through the goal of achieving full Latino leadership on boards of directors.

And on a personal level: honoring those who came before me and supporting those who follow.

I am humbled that there are former students, interns and mentees from over 30 years here tonight who have become corporate, educational and community leaders and have established their own foundations, built programs, or are individually contributing to our community.

In the spirit of the Brillante Awards I ask all of you to become llamas brillantes, bright flames….Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs

Mil gracias.

                                     ¡BUENA SUERTE!

Murray

Murray A. Mann 

 

Murray A. Mann and Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC Receive the NSHMBA 2010 Brillante Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence

    

Murray A. Mann, Principal of Global Diversity Solutions Group, LLC and co-author of Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos and Latinos@Work Blog was honored to receive the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s (NSHMBA) 2010 Brillante Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. this week. 

Previous awardees in this category include:

Linda Alvarado, CEO of Alvarado Construction and co-owner of The Colorado Rockies

Emilio Estefan, Jr., Founder & Chairman - Estefan Enterprises

Julian Posada, Founder and President of Café Media,

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch President and Founder | Educational Achievement Services, Inc.

David H. Segura, Founder, President, and CEO | VisionIT

Leonor McCall-Rodriguez, President, One Voice Insurance Services

About Murray A. Mann

Murray A. Mann is a nationally respected thought leader delivering more than 30 years of diversity-inclusion and human resource management stewardship.

Murray and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias founded Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC (GDSG) to create systemic and sustainable organizational changes that build inclusive workplaces. GDSG focuses on integrated client-centric solutions that expand internal capacity and forge strategic partnerships to successfully recruit, develop and retain a diverse workforce. GDSG clients range from Fortune 500 corporations, mid-size employers, universities and professional associations.

Murray co-authored Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos, has been featured in national media and is a sought after speaker. His groundbreaking work in multicultural career management services has assisted thousands of individuals and organizations to achieve their goals.

Murray conceived and launched NSHMBA’s Career Management Center, professional webinar series and chapter-based career services. Murray is a founding board member of the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), Society of Latinos in Human Resources (SOLHR) and holds leadership positions in professional, multicultural and disability associations.

About the Brillante Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence

Take Advantage of the 2010 NSHMBA National Conference Career Center for Job Search & Career Management Success

Open to all Latino professionals, the 2010 National Society of Hispanic MBAs Career Conference & Career Expo  includes a comprehensive Career Management Center. You will receive coaching from over 100 leading career and human resources experts. The conference will be held on October 21-23 in Chicago. The Center will be open on the first two days. Services include:  

  Collateral Career Services                Coaching

Résumé Critiques Mock Interview Sessions Elevator Pitch Practice Résumé Editing Computer Stations and Printers

Job Search Professionals@Work Executives Entrepreneurial Success

Résumé Critiques Your résumé is the key to opening the door to an interview. Our experts will work with you to edit and enhance your résumé and cover letters. Personal résumé critique Specific recommendations on improving your résumé Industry-specific résumé development questionnaires and tools transferred to your portable flash drive for use on your computer - Hard copies available Résumé and cover letter writing checklists Résumé Editing Computer Stations and Printers   Mock Interview Sessions Learn to turn your interview into a job offer. Our experts will work with you to strengthen your interviewing skills. 20-minute structured one-on-one mock interview with experienced coaches and HR professionals. Receive immediate feedback and recommendations Interview preparation worksheets   Elevator Pitch Practice Making a critical first impression with employers can sometimes feel overwhelming. Our experts will work with you to craft your 30-120 second elevator speech. Practice your introduction to Career Expo exhibitors Rehearse your formal interview opening Hone your networking conversations   What to Bring Hard copies of your résumé Flash drive containing your résumé for editing at the Computer Stations and Printers and to receive Word versions of résumé development worksheets, as well as, other career management tools.    Career Management Center Coaching Partners   The Career Management Center is coordinated by Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC and JobSearchGuideforLatinos.com Posted by Murray A. Mann Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias Authors, Barron's The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos

Job Search Coaching Create a blueprint for a successful job search. Receive one-on-one coaching to address your specific job search needs, including: Managing your job search campaign Marketing your résumé and cover letters effectively Layoff survival guidance Successful networking techniques Leverage online tools and social networking sites Generating interviews and getting past gatekeepers Salary negotiation Navigating the Career Expo Checklist Professionals@Work Coaching Today more than ever, professionals need to be conscientious in managing their careers for job security and advancement. Receive personal coaching to take your career to the next level. Navigating the Workplace Managing the performance review process Critical conversations and communication skills Leveraging career advisors, mentors and sponsors Building a successful personal brand Managing your online identity Your specific issues Executive Coaching Life in the C-suite presents unique pressures and challenges. Our senior coaches bring real life experience to help you address critical issues in your career. Managing your career as an executive Leadership development strategies Navigating the C-Suite Entrepreneurial Coaching Will you be one of the 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses in 2012? Meet with industry experts dedicated to your success. What does it take to be an entrepreneur Launching a new enterprise Managing your business Mainstream and MBE funding and business support