Hispanic Jobs

With over 900 attendees and 57 participating employers and professional organizations, our 2008 DC bilingual & Hispanic job fair was a great success. Job seekers were lined up to meet with diversity minded recruiters anxious to find bilingual talent for their open positions from customer service to managerial positions, and covering all industries from health care to banking.

DC is a great city for us, given the large variety of employers and governmental agencies we brought into the room — these agencies offered the opportunity to land a job that can help you make a difference overseas with USAID, or the US Department of State. DEA and FBI always attract many job seekers as well. For finance professionals there was Pepco Holdings, Chevy Chase Bank, Bank of America, Liberty Mutual and Federal Reserve Board. Teachers were looking at the City of Arlington and Prince William County Public Schools, and engineers were excited about the positions offered by Bridgestone-Firestone, Sunbelt Rentals, Navair, and more.

The variety of job seekers that attend our shows is impressive; it is a good mix of young, new graduates and older, more experienced applicants. It’s also exciting to see the cultural melting pot that we create, and DC was a great place to see it. The majority of our candidates are bilingual, but bilingual in how many languages? Fluent in English and Spanish or Portuguese sure, but we also see, German, French, Arabic, a variety of African languages, and many more.

In talking with candidates and recruiters, we heard positive feedback from both sides. So, I’m proud to report another successful show under our belt. That makes it six career events so far this year that our team has put together with three more to go.

Thanks to everyone who helped make it a success!

I overheard two guys from another office in our building this morning talking about not having enough product to deliver to their clients. One asked the other, “can’t we make an excuse for each of them for why they wont get their product?” And the other replied, “We can, but it just hasn’t been done yet.”While LatPro doesn’t have the manufacturing piece of the equation to worry about like these guys, every company faces challenges that come their way that can be put off by an excuse. If you really want your clients to respect you, instead of an excuse, let them know the truth as to why there have been delays or issues and how and when you plan to rectify the situation.

If a client calls and asks for pricing, for example, they should get a prompt reply back. I’ve been in the situation where they’ve called a few times because they didn’t feel like they got that return information soon enough. Yes, their sales rep may have been on vacation or the red light on the phone didn’t show a new message was in the phone inbox, and sometimes it really isn’t your fault or there are complicating factors. But an honest call back saying sorry for the delay and how can I help you now usually does the trick, and clients are thankful for the attention they are getting and the forthrightness.

So I know this isn’t earth-shattering business news, but try to do things that are asked of you, when they are asked of you, with the quality that your customers expect from your company. And if it doesn’t quite work out that way, which sometimes it wont, and a client complains or asks why, tell them the truth. Tell them you will do better next time… and make sure you do. So back to the title “Excuses are for losers!”—my high school wrestling coach used to use that on our team all the time. And you know what? He was right then and it applies now as well.

Between my regular role in public relations for LatPro, and my special assignments such as helping with the public relations for the NSHP diversity job fairs, my days are usually pretty busy! We have a planned two-month hiatus between the Atlanta and Washington, D.C. fairs, which gives me a little time to actually write about some of the work that I do for the events!

I begin my public relations work for a diversity job fair about six weeks before the event. I generally do some research on the local job market, as well as the demographics in the area. After I’ve completed that research, my first major step is to write the press release that will be sent out to all the local media with details of the event.

My next undertaking is to create a list of media outlets in the surrounding areas of the upcoming job fair so that about two weeks before the event I can start efficiently contacting all the relevant media with the news of the diversity job fair. My list of targeted media includes newspapers, as well as local TV and Radio stations and local networking websites.

Another large portion of my time in preparation for the diversity job fairs involves developing media partnerships with local chapters of Hispanic organizations. The organizations that we partner with in each city are a combination of organizations that I approach because we have worked with them in the past, organizations that I found through internet searches or word-of-mouth, and organizations which approach us about an opportunity to be a part of the event.

Arranging the media partnerships is one of my favorite parts of this job. I find it so rewarding to work with Hispanic professionals who are dedicated to their local organizations and are really working on a grass-roots level to increase awareness of and provide opportunities for bilingual employment for Hispanic professionals in their cities. By partnering with the NSHP job fair, the local organizations have their name included in e-mail invitations that go out to prospective jobseekers, and they have a presence at the diversity job fairs. Their membership benefits with a personal invitation to attend the event, and they often find their membership increases through the visibility they have at the event.

The goal of these public relations tasks is always the same, to make sure as many Hispanic and bilingual professionals as possible learn about and are able to attend the upcoming events. Our next event is the Washington, D.C. job fair on August, 21st. I’d better get to work!

Every job board offers the ability to post jobs, and most offer a searchable resume database. For the most part, they all claim to be “leaders” and tout traffic numbers in one way or another. LatPro, too, offers all of the above, has significant traffic, and considers itself the top job board for Hispanic and bilingual professionals. However, our product line goes beyond the surface of just “how many job postings” or “resume database for how long”.

So let me tell you some of the reasons why recruiters should purchase our products and what they get behind the scenes by using LatPro. (There are many reasons why job seekers also use LatPro, which when you think about it, is another reason our traffic is high and recruiters should use us as well).

Interested companies and recruiters can expect to speak with a professional sales person from LatPro, one who will answer their questions as well as ask questions to make the right recommendations based on the client’s needs and budget. Of course we have a general pricing summary, but we make sure that any potential client knows that we will work with them on a customized product solution for them specifically, no matter how far it diverges from the standard packages.

Part of the initial back-and-forth conversation will let the potential client know that LatPro has other products besides job postings and a resume database to help complement their diversity recruiting efforts. Companies can also advertise their career center with banners or fixed-position logos on the LatPro homepage or job search page. They can also send targeted email messages based on education, geography and many other criteria. LatPro is the producer of 9 diversity job fairs in 2008 which will give companies the ability to meet many potential candidates face-to-face as well as brand themselves as a diversity employer.

When you do post jobs with LatPro, your job is not only posted on our site but with the entire LatPro Network. Your jobs will go to sites such as DiversityJobs.com and many professional association sites like NSHP, NAHN and SHPE to name a few. This gives your job advertisements increased exposure to targeted candidates as well as recognition on the partner sites.

Every job you post on LatPro is reviewed manually for quality assurance. We will make sure that it is posted in the most effective way to bring quality results, and we will make recommendations on how to make it more attractive to job seekers—which may be adding more functions or better keywords or more information about your company. That is only one function of our customer support team. In a proactive way, they will help you with resume searching tips as well, showing you the best way to search, create folders and approach a search of the LatPro database.

When you do a search in the LatPro database, you have the ability to be completely OFCCP compliant if that rule applies to your company. When the rule was issued, LatPro decided it was very important to have an in-house customized solution to meet those guidelines.

Both recruiters and candidates also come to LatPro for our original content. LatPro’s staff writes its own articles as well as having exclusive contributors publish pieces on our site. We have started a Diversity Profiles series with some of the top companies in the country and have a long list of companies that are interested in participating (please let me know if you’d like to be considered for an interview after reviewing some of the prior ones).

LatPro publishes 3 double opt-in newsletters for Human Resource Professionals and job seekers. These provide news and information for their specific groups.

So sure. We want you to buy our products, post your jobs, send us your logos and banners. We’d love to host you at one of the job fairs this year as well. But I thought you should know all the other reasons you should use us. We are about our products but we are also all about service, and I hope it doesn’t sound overused or forced, but we are about happy customers.

Later this week, LatPro is going to have its quarterly meeting. Yep, it’s that time of the quarter when all the big wigs fly in and descend on Weston to set the company goals for the next quarter.

We always prepare our individual goals a few days ahead of time, so I’m putting together my list of recommendations. Then, at the actual meeting, we can spend our time in face-to-face conversation and brainstorming (which is really good considering we are spread out over many offices) to see what is really the best final path for the quarter. So far for me, I want to hire some sales people, I want to implement some new products and I want a CRM that is robust and well-supported by the provider. In addition, I’m going to make a movie (no, it’s not what you’re thinking; stay tuned for a later post for details on that). We will be working with NSHP on the 2009 schedule of diversity job fairs. We will surely continue the series of Corporate Diversity Profiles highlighting companies that value diversity in the workplace and their strategies. Now, I stay out of the techie stuff, but I’m betting there will be some upgrades in that arena too. Any input from our recruiting clients and jobseekers is appreciated. Seriously, if you have something to request, now’s the time to tell me for it to be considered.

LatPro started having quarterly meetings about two years ago, and they have been very valuable in tracking our progress and growth. We have been very aggressive in setting challenging goals, almost to the point of making things too difficult to accomplish. We have learned to function more as a team, however, realizing what needs to get done earlier on in the quarter because several others are relying on you to get some of their tasks done.

Does your company have quarterly (or regular) meetings to set an agenda and discuss strategy? What have you done or what are some tips that have made things more productive?

It’s easy to keep an eye on your own company, but doing some analysis of the competition is more challenging. However, it is an essential task that can lead to some good ideas and innovations, and keep you on your toes. I am not talking about copying but you can certainly learn some things that fit into your business model nicely.

LatPro has a few direct competitors in the Hispanic jobs and diversity job board niche. And a handful more in the general diversity job board niche. Some of the big boards have also tried to expand into the diversity realm, usually with little success, but we do make note nonetheless.

So where do we watch our competition? Their newsletters are a great start to finding out what is new with the company, what new products or upgrades they are offering, and any changes to expect. We also are very involved with sites like ERE, LinkedIn and many recruiting blogs, where members openly share remarks that often mention our competition or industry in general. Google Alerts provides a daily update of any new articles that mention those competitors that make the news, issue press releases or are mentioned online. We are on many third-party emailing lists that are used by our competition, so that is helpful as well. The competition websites often give insights as to new designs, new partners and other information.

Also, very importantly, my sales team is on the front line with recruiters and HR professionals that are also being approached by the competition. These clients often tell us things that warrant further research. Like when 3 or 4 clients in a one-month stretch a few years ago told us that CareerBuilder sales representatives were making the absolutely false claim that they cross-post all their jobs to LatPro, so there was no need to use us directly. That followed up by a stunning introduction at a SHRM annual event—a CareerBuilder staff member coming to our booth, shaking my hand and saying it was great to finally meet their partner (us-LatPro) face-to-face.

But there are strategies that are certainly off limits, from our perspective. I don’t think pretending you are a legitimate potential client and calling to get price lists and product information is a fair way to gather data. Also, signing up as a recruiter, doing a trial, that type of thing is out. I have been with this company for over 5 years, and both of those spying techniques have been used on us too many times to count, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. But, whatever, it’s flattering to be copied and we have nothing really to hide. When your direct competitors stalk you and peer around other exhibits at the trade shows to see what you’re doing and how busy you are, it’s kind’ve cool.

Since there are so many directions this information comes from, we’ve approached research a few different ways. We’ve tried to assign specific competitors to certain LatPro staff members to gather all data about them. We’ve also tried to have one area of research assigned to a particular person, e.g. competitor newsletters, across our top ten competitors. Neither has been exactly what we wanted, as some data always slipped through the cracks. Most recently, every person in the company that finds out any data about a particular competitor, whether it be a media mention or whatever, reports that data to a central repository segmented by company. That way, everyone in the company has access and responsibility for knowing what’s going on out there.

Basically, you can learn from the competition and it’s good to know what’s going on with them. But really the idea is to take the good and use it, in addition to learning from their mistakes. Then make yourself stand out with your competitive advantages, being unique and offering the best quality products and services available. And back it up with excellent customer service.

So we do watch the competition and know they are there. But we don’t go crazy with what they are doing, rather focusing on improving our own business.

Do you watch your competitors? Where? How much?

Yesterday, I had my first experience attending a NSHP/LatPro diversity job fair as part of the LatPro team. I arrived in Atlanta on Monday where I met Saini, Ricardo, Ivete, and Mike, all members of the LatPro and NSHP Diversity Job Fair task force. This was my first time meeting each of them, and we quickly said our introductions and got to work.

Prior to my arrival in Atlanta, I had imagined what the experience would be like, and pictured sitting here today writing about how hectic the day in Atlanta had been, how we spent most of our time putting out fires and bending over backward to make demanding exhibitors happy.

I am delighted to say that due to the hard work and organization of the NSHP and LatPro teams, my preconceptions of what the day would be like couldn’t have been farther from the truth! Saini and Ricardo from NSHP had been on-site since Sunday working out all the little details so the event would run like a well oiled machine. The rest of the LatPro sales team had been hard at work for months selling booth space to companies looking to fill bilingual jobs, and we were nearly at capacity.

Bright and early on the morning of the diversity job fair I made one more round of calls to our TV and Radio contacts in Atlanta. By 7:30 we had traveled across town and arrived at the venue, the Cobb Galleria Centre. The event staff had already set up the tables at the event so we just had to put finishing touches on the LatPro and NSHP booths before greeting the recruiters as they entered the venue.

Setup went seamlessly, and soon we were surround with colorful exhibits each offering a wealth of diversity employment opportunities. Once setup was complete, there were still a few minutes before the doors opened to jobseekers, which afforded me the opportunity to speak with some of the recruiters about how their companies value diversity in the workplace, and I was able to secure several companies for upcoming articles on LatPro.com.

Soon the chit-chat had to come to an end as the doors officially opened, and the large group of individuals seeking bilingual employment came through registration and began visiting the exhibits and speaking with the recruiters and organizations that were present.

The rest of the day seemed like a blur, but a very pleasant blur! None of my preconceived notions were actualized. The event ran so smoothly and recruiters and jobseekers alike commented on how organized, efficient, and valuable the event was. I had a great opportunity to get to speak with nearly all of the exhibitors throughout the day, and they were all very pleased with the quality and quantity of candidates in attendance. The only slightly negative thing I heard from an exhibitor was “I wished I had realized what a strong turnout there would be. We ran out of promotional items half way through the day!” To her, that may have been a negative thing that she felt ill-prepared, but to us that means the event was a resounding success!

Before I knew it, 2:30 had rolled around and for the first time all day, the steady stream of jobseekers gradually started to slow down. It certainly did not become a ghost-town however, and at precisely 3:00, there were still candidates standing in lines to speak with some of the companies present.

At the end of the day we had 685 resumes from job seekers who attended the event. We had also participated in several interviews with local radio and television stations about the event, and in addition to Ricardo, several of the jobseekers got an opportunity to appear on television describing their experience as well.

It was a long day, but not a stressful one. The event was a testament to the preparedness and extensive preparation that the NSHP and Latpro diversity job fair teams. I had a fantastic experience, and learned a lot about what participating candidates, organizations, and recruiters are looking for at hispanic job fairs. Taking part in this experience first-hand will certainly give me a leg up in promoting our upcoming Washington, DC diversity job fair on August 21st.

Now that Eric, Carolina and most of my sales team are gone (well, real-estately speaking; E+C moved to Colorado and the sales team to home offices), LatPro will be moving into a new office that fits our needs better. We’re moving back to Plantation, right up the road. Funniest thing is that the building is the same place LatPro started two offices ago, although a different floor and all different neighbors.

So I guess we’ll just dust off the old letterhead and brochures and business cards and be right back in business. It makes Otavio crazy to save outdated stuff but this time it’ll really come in handy. Oh wait! A lot has changed since then with our marketing materials, positions of people in the company, our logo, and surely our phone numbers, so what remains of the old stuff is still garbage. Maybe we’ll even throw it away this time and not move it again.

So we have a lot to do. A bunch of things are already done—obviously we found the place, signed a lease for the space and got the place painted and carpeted (low-VOC paint of course).

Here’s a to-do list of things I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure that I missed some, so let me know if you’ve moved and there was something missing from this list that would have been ideal to remember beforehand.

• Before we can pack up the office and have the movers come and take the stuff, we need to make sure the new office is business friendly. We need to move our phone, fax, computer and data systems, which entails some coordination with several third-party providers. We need to make sure that the new office is wired to meet our needs and that our computer system is safely situated in a cool area.

• We need new letterhead, business cards and marketing materials with the correct address.

• We need to examine our websites for every inch of space that mentions our old address.

• We need to alert all of our clients that have outstanding invoices, or who regularly purchase products, that we are moving and how to reach us via mail. So an update to our accounting and billing systems is necessary.

• Same goes for the vendors we use—we want them to know how to reach us as well. It will be a very bad day in Florida when the coffee guy can’t find us.

• Then it’s time to install the video and other security measures.

• New updates to our insurance, payroll, and other business certificates that we need to operate.

• Now to go out to the internet and see how many places LatPro is listed with our old address. We are in hundreds of directories, so that should be a long process to find them, request the changes and verify that all was completed properly.

Help me out—what crucial items will make this move go smoothly?

And to get the ball rolling on telling everyone, our new address, effective August 1, 2008 will be:

LatPro
8751 W Broward Blvd, Suite 506
Plantation, FL 33324