The
other dynamic to look at is the dramatic increase in the number of Latinos earning
degrees, which means there are more Latinos requiring the services of a coach
or counselor.
And
this is just one side of the equation. Employers are now positioning themselves
to diversify their workforce and to be the first to capture the Latino market.
They are hiring more and more Latinos.
Parachute
Associates: Has anyone done a study on how many Latinos use the services of
a career coach or counselor?
Mann:
There’s a lack of research in the whole subject. That’s part of the issue.
The Latino population has been growing so fast, and there have been scores of
Latinos who have desired such services, but there has been a missing link. The
services haven’t always been there or the cultural bridge has not existed for
Latinos to access these services.
In
the 1990s there was a dramatic growth in professional organizations. Now we have
umbrella associates such as the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, and
industry-specific groups like The Association of Latino Professionals in Finance
and Accounting. These groups and many others have tried to fill the void.
Parachute
Associates: How can a coach or counselor step into this void?
Mann:
First, they need to do what we tell our clients to do when they are looking
for a job. They need to research the market. They need to become culturally knowledgeable.
They don’t have to speak Spanish, but it’s helpful to understand the cultural
dynamics. As coaches and counselors, we have been trained to write resumes, to
know the latest Internet search techniques, but we also have an obligation to
learn about our multicultural clientele.
"Latino"
or "Hispanic?" What Term Is Culturally Correct?
According
to Bombela-Tobias, there is no correct term. "It really is an issue of preference,"
she says. "We use 'Latino' for our book. There was a backlash against 'Hispanic'
because it was a government term used in the census. If I had to pick, I’d say
that Latino is becoming more popular. Several businesses have begun using the
term 'Hispanic/Latino.'"
It’s
important to realize that Latinos are not a homogeneous group. They come from
many different countries and have various ethnic heritages. Even those in the
Mexican community vary dramatically depending on whether they were born in the
U.S. or in Mexico. You can’t stereotype.
Bombela-Tobias:
It is particularly important to know the community you are serving. For example,
there is a large Latin American community in D.C. They are highly educated because
they are political refugees. If you know where someone comes from, it expresses
that you are interested in them personally. It builds a relationship. Familiarity
breeds success. The more familiar you are, the more success you will have with
them.
Parachute
Associates: How do you figure out the particular demographics of Latinos in
your community?
Bombela-Tobias:
You could visit the U.S. Census site, the Pew Hispanic Center, HispanTelligence,
or the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute.
Mann:
There are also some books out there geared toward offering services to Latinos
like Counseling Latinos and La Familia and The Americano Dream: How
Latinos Can Achieve Success in Business and Life.
Parachute
Associates: Besides their country of origin, how might a Latino client be
different from a non-Latino one?
Mann:
Latinos are going to have some issues that are different. Across the board, they
often have difficulty promoting themselves, being assertive in their job search.
Within the Latino culture, it’s frowned upon to brag.
Bombela-Tobias:
In the Latin culture, your work speaks for itself. If you are overly aggressive
you aren’t considered to be polite. This is a major issue if you are trying to
sell yourself in an interview, or if you are developing a resume. As a coach you
need to be able to help your Latino clients identify what they did.
Parachute
Associates: How do you go about doing this?
Mann:
We use the technique of story telling. Instead of using just a canned questionnaire,
we have our clients tell stories, which identify their accomplishments. There
is also the issue of language. Sometimes English is a second language so our clients
might feel like they aren’t using the right words. We often videotape them in
a mock interview. We teach them about pacing. If English isn’t your first language,
you have a tendency to speak very quickly. Plus, in some countries language is
spoken very quickly. By teaching them to pace themselves and modulate their voice,
they become more comfortable. They don’t worry so much about saying the correct
words.
We also
make sure they check for feedback—that they check to make sure the interviewer
understood them. They can ask, “Did I answer all your questions?”
It’s
also important to help clients identify how they can use their language skills
as a strength, to turn it into a selling tool. Often, we have them ask the interviewer,
“How does my being bilingual or bicultural bring value to your company?” We also
have them emphasize that they can think in more than one language and that they
have walked in the customers’ shoes—if those customers are Latino.
Parachute
Associates: So let’s assume a coach or counselor has done their homework and
have become culturally aware of the Latino market. How do they go about getting
Latino clients?
Mann:
They can develop relationships with Hispanic professional organizations. For example,
there are a number of coaches and resume writers who volunteer to staff the Hispanic
Alliance for Career Enhancement's conference. At the end of this month, it will
be in Chicago and in the fall, it will be in Texas. The Latino community is open.
It’s not a community that is closed to other races.
This
year in September in Chicago, there will be the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Conference,
which brings together about 5,000 college students and professionals.
Conferences
are held all over the country. There is a national Hispanic bar association. You
name the industry and there is a Latino association.
Coaches
could also join their local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. If an area has a large
Hispanic population, it probably has a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Or,
they could focus on colleges and universities. There are programs that specifically
service Latino students. There are Latino student associations. They could also
access the Latino alumni associations.
Parachute
Associates: But if a coach or counselor isn’t Latino, what kind of reception
are they going to get when they join these organizations?
Bombela-Tobias:
The Latino community is open. It’s not a community that is closed to other
races.
Mann:
There are a lot of businesses in the Hispanic chambers of commerce that aren’t
Latino. You have major corporations like Wal-Mart or Sears.
Parachute
Associates: Any other ways coaches or counselors could connect with the Latino
community?
Mann:
Through the search engines that are geared to Latinos like HireDiversity.com,
LatPro.com, Saludos.com, or Ihispano.com. Some coaches have advertised on these
sites and some have written content. Some have purchased mailing lists.
And
another thing: Those people who have Websites can create more of an emphasis on
the Latino population. They can put articles that speak to the population. They
can insert keywords in their meta tags like “bicultural,” “bilingual,” “Hispanic,”
and “Latino.” For more information on meta tags, see our Business Report, "Increase
Your Website Traffic" It also can help to share links with Latino Websites. There
is a career site that’s called CareersforLatinos.com. We share links and I get
traffic from that site. It’s about building personal relationships.
Bombela-Tobias:
It’s about becoming involved—building credibility and confidence.
Mann:
If you can do that, there are so many access roads to reaching Hispanic clients.
