Previous
Recruiting Hispanics: Nontraditional methods are key
Added: (Tue Oct 17 2006)
Raleigh, NC (TRC) October 16, 2006
The Hispanic population surge has pushed many companies towards aggressive recruiting of Hispanic employees. With forty-two million Hispanics in the United States, having a Spanish speaking workforce obviously gives companies a competitive advantage. Yet many face stumbling blocks when attempting to recruit staff to serve their Spanish speaking customers. Blaire Borthayre, author of a new book entitled “Recruiting Hispanics: Success in Hiring Spanish Speakers” says that this is because “Recruiters are using traditional methods that are not going to work with the Hispanic market segment; Non-traditional recruiting costs less and is propelled by word of mouth”. Borthayre breaks the Hispanic market into four segments based on place of birth and acculturation. “The U.S born segment does respond to the more traditional methods and are the most internet savvy” says Borthayre, “However, only thirty five percent of that segment even speaks Spanish”
Borthayre says that overall what works best is community involvement with churches, social organizations and community groups that serve Hispanics. "It's about building brand and establishing yourself as a company that has an inclusive culture". Ms. Borthayre a second generation Mexican American who has worked with the Hispanic population for the last fifteen years, conducted focus groups for the book to determine where Hispanics heard about their current job, what attracted them to the position and what made them stay. Training, opportunities for advancement and trust in the employer were some of the top attractions.
The findings also showed that foreign born Hispanics are not attracted by benefits such as 401K, pension plans and health insurance. “The Marine Corps have been very successful in recruiting Hispanics. One of their strategies was to focus on conveying to potential recruits that they would have an opportunity to be part of the Marine family. This is much more appealing to Hispanics than tangible benefits which attracted non-Hispanics such as getting money for college.” Borthayre explained.
Hispanics listen to word on the street about whether the company is a good place for Hispanics in terms of the way they treat customers and employers. Community involvement means going out into the community, not just donating money to Hispanic groups or putting your name on event. Renting a booth at a flea market, sponsoring a soccer team and attending games are just a few of the ideas in the book.
Borthayre suggests asking where in your community do Hispanics eat, play, gather and shop. The answers will provide you with a place to start.
Recruiting Hispanics: Success in Hiring Spanish Speakers, TRC Publishing 2006 ISBN 0-9761957-5-5 $39.95 www.trainingresourceclinic.com